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March 18, 2009

NEW: Pop culture journalist Chuck Klosterman to visit OU

Writer and pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman will visit the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication April 14 and 15 to speak about his experiences working in the media as well as his personal thoughts on popular culture.

Klosterman is the author of five books, most notably “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs,” a collection of pop culture essays billed as “a low culture manifesto.” He has also written fiction, worked for newspapers and magazines, and it was recently announced that he will executive produce a film based on his third book, “Killing Yourself to Live.”

The Gaylord College’s student representatives, the Gaylord Ambassadors, sought to bring Klosterman to campus this year not only for his success in the media profession, but also because he is an engaging and relevant speaker.

“He was a near unanimous choice among our group and we are delighted he accepted our offer,” said Baxter Holmes, journalism senior and Gaylord Ambassadors chairman. “He is extremely bright, perhaps the most analytical and thought-provoking critic of American media practices, as well as one of the most well-versed media professionals with experience in all fields.”

With origins in Wyndmere, N.D., Klosterman graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1994 and began work as a journalist. The arrival of his first book, “Fargo Rock City,” garnered nationwide attention, and he moved to New York City in 2002 where he worked for top magazines like Spin, GQ, The Washington Post, and ESPN, mostly covering sports and writing popular music critique.

“Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” was published in 2003, and is assigned reading in many classes on American culture studies. The book earned him a position guest-teaching American studies at the University of Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany, in 2008. Later that same year, his first full-length fiction, “Downtown Owl,” was published to warm critical reception.

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