Award-Winning Author Kathy Reichs to Speak at UW April 10

Kathy Reichs, a crime fiction writer and forensic anthropologist, will speak Tuesday, April 10, at the University of Wyoming.

Her presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be at 1:30 p.m. in the College of Education auditorium. The University Store will host a book signing following the talk. No audio or video recordings or flash photography will be permitted during the event.

Part of the UW Libraries Development Board’s annual author event, Reichs’ presentation is funded by the McMurry-Spieles Endowment for Library Excellence. Members of the development board will host a dinner with Reichs at 6 p.m. at the UW Conference Center. To make a reservation, go to http://wyoalumni.uwyo.edu/reichs by Tuesday, April 3.

Those attending the afternoon talk are encouraged to arrive early to allow time for parking and seating. UW Transit and Parking Services will provide complimentary parking in “A” and “C” spaces in the Wyo Hall and McWhinnie Hall parking lots from 1-3:30 p.m. Metered parking also will be available at the regular fee. In addition, attendees can use the free shuttle service. For more information about campus parking and shuttle services, visit www.uwyo.edu/tps.

From teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains, to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal, Quebec, lab, Reichs brings her work experience -- as a forensic anthropologist -- to her forensic thrillers. She is the author of the Temperance Brennan mystery novels, which inspired the Fox TV show “Bones.” Her first novel, “Deja Dead,” a New York Times best-seller, won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Her 19th novel in the series, “A Conspiracy of Bones,” will be released in August.

Reichs has co-written the “Virals” young adult series with her son, Brendan Reichs. The series follows the adventures of Tory Brennan, Temperance Brennan’s great-niece. She also has written “Two Nights,” a stand-alone thriller. In last year’s release, Reichs introduces her readers to Sunday Night, a tough-talking, scarred heroine.

Additionally, Reichs has published numerous works in the field of forensic anthropology. She has edited three academic books; has contributed chapters to other professional books; and has published articles in professional publications, including the Journal of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Science International.

Reichs is one of 100 forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She has served as a consultant to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and the United Nations Tribunal on Genocide in Rwanda, and has helped identify war dead from World War II and victims of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. She serves on the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada.

In addition to her roles as author, forensic anthropologist and consultant, Reichs is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Her teaching experience includes presenting symposia for medical and dental students at the North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, N.C., and instructing field courses in the recovery of human remains at the FBI Academy and for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Reichs earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in physical anthropology, both from Northwestern University. She received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from American University. A native of Chicago, she now splits her time between Charlotte, N.C., and Montreal.

For more information about Reichs’ presentation, call Rosanne Latimer at (307) 766-3279 or email rlatimer@uwyo.edu.