Ken Burns Shares The American Experience With Central

April 4, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - American storyteller and award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer and producer Ken Burns will be at Central Washington University April 8, 2008, to share what he's learned about how America came to be. His presentation, which is titled "Sharing the American Experience" and is part of Central's Performing Arts and Presidential Speaker Series, takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

Burns has been chronicling a wide variety of aspects of American life for more than 30 years and has created some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. Some of his best-known works include "Brooklyn Bridge," "The Civil War," "Baseball" and "Jazz." In 2007, Burns released his most recent documentary on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) titled "The War." At his presentation for Central, Burns will be showing a montage of "The War," which focuses on the effect World War II had on America.

Northwest Public Radio's Gillian Coldsnow will also be on hand to serve as host for the event. Tickets to see Burns are available by calling 509-963-1301. They are $30 for reserved, $20 for general and $10 for students.

For more information about the Performing Arts and Presidential Speaker Series, visit www.cwu.edu/president/series. Visit www.pbs.org/kenburns for more information about acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. This presentation is made possible with special funding from Puget Sound Energy. The Performing Arts and Presidential Speaker Series is underwritten by the CWU Office of the President, the Department of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts. Series sponsors are Cave B, the Daily Record, Holiday Inn Express, KNDO television and Northwest Public Radio.

For further information about the seminar series, contact Dan Beck at 509-963-2886, or by e-mail beckd@cwu.edu.

Contact: Marian Lien, CWU Office of the President, lienma@cwu.edu, 509-963-1976
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.