Nobel laureate to speak at Reno gathering

RENO, Nev. - Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka will be the keynote speaker for the Great Basin Book Festival 2000 on Saturday at Nightingale Concert Hall on the University of Nevada, Reno.

Soyinka, a Nigerian dramatist, poet and essayist who received a Nobel Prize in 1986, recently accepted an invitation to teach at UNLV as a result of a $2 million donation that will fund an endowed Chair of Creative Writing.

Soyinka has taught at Emory University in Atlanta. He wants to teach both literature and writing, and may also work with UNLV's theater program. He said he will begin visiting classes this semester.

Glenn Schaeffer, president of Mandalay Resort Group, provided the donation.

In addition to Soyinka, the Great Basin festival in Reno will feature Lou Cannon, a Washington Post columnist and senior political correspondent. The former Nevada student is author of ''President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.''