Lauren Groff, the celebrated writer of best-selling novels and short stories like “Fates and Furies,” “Florida,” “Matrix” and “The Vaster Wilds,” will be the featured speaker at the 2025-26 Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture Series hosted by the Judith Herb College of Art, Social Sciences and Education at The University of Toledo.
Author Lauren Groff will present the Shapiro Lecture on Sept. 9. Photo credit: Eli Sinkus.
The free, public lecture titled “Art at the End of the World” begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, in University Hall’s Doermann Theatre. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Event parking is free in Area 1N. Visitor parking in other lots requires payment through the ParkMobile app, a parking meter or a daily permit via ParkUToledo. Visit the ParkUToledo website for more information.
Groff is a three-time finalist for the National Book Award, and her fiction has won prestigious accolades including the PEN/O. Henry Award, Pushcart Prize, Story Prize and Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s and The Atlantic, among other publications, as well several annual anthologies of The Best American Short Stories.
Groff’s most recent novel, “The Vaster Wilds” (2023), is a survival narrative that portrays a girl’s powerfully intimate relationship with God. Her previous works are the novels “Matrix” (2021), “Fates and Furies” (2015), “Arcadia” (2012) and “The Monsters of Templeton” (2008) and the short story collections “Florida” (2018) and “Delicate Edible Birds” (2009).
“Brawler,” a third collection of short stories reflecting on the ceaseless battle between humans’ dark and light angels, is anticipated in 2026.
“I can’t wait to welcome Lauren Groff to UToledo,” said Dr. Melissa Gregory, dean of the Judith Herb College of Art, Social Sciences and Education. “I know she will bring powerful insights about the critical role of art and imagination in challenging times.”
Groff will be available to sign copies of her books following the Shapiro Lecture, with a limited number available for purchase onsite on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture Series is named in honor of the late Dr. Edward Shapiro, an alumnus and professor emeritus of economics who endowed funds to support an annual lecture series that brings world-renowned speakers to Toledo. Past Shapiro Lecture Series speakers have included Dr. Temple Grandin, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Tony Kushner, Rhiannon Giddens, Audra McDonald, Toni Morrison and Elie Wiesel.
For more information or to RSVP, go to the Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture Series website.
