Meet beloved author, Norton Juster! Best known for his classic children’s book, The Phantom Tollbooth, Mr. Juster will be available for a lively Q&A program, following a showing of the fascinating documentary, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH: BEYOND EXPECATIONS. The film explores the creation, creators and lasting impact of one of the most universally beloved children’s books of our time. Mr. Juster will shed further light on the creative process and themes in the novel.

Reviews of The Phantom Tollbooth have appeared in many national publications including The New Yorker, which hailed the book as “a classic,” and The New York Times, which said “Norton Juster’s amazing fantasy has something wonderful for anybody old enough to relish the allegorical wisdom of Alice in Wonderland and the pointed whimsy of The Wizard of Oz.” The Phantom Tollbooth has currently sold close to four million copies since its publication almost 50 years ago.

Born in June of 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, Norton Juster was an architect and planner, and is professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College. In addition to The Phantom Tollbooth, he has also penned a number of other highly acclaimed children’s books including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academy Award-winning animated film, and the recent The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, which was awarded a Caldecott Medal. The musical adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth, which was first introduced 15 years ago, continues to be performed in schools and theaters nationwide, and was recently produced at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, touring the country for eight months.

UMMA is pleased to be the site for the Zell Visiting Writers Series, which brings outstanding writers each semester. The Series is made possible through a generous gift from UM alumna Helen Zell(’64). For more information, please see www.lsa.umich.edu/english/grad/mfa/mfaeve.asp.