Woodbury University to Present Ray Bradbury Creativity Award To Punk Rock Pioneer/Writer/Activist Henry Rollins

University's Friends of the Library Benefit Celebrates Commitment to the Arts, Cultural Preservation, Social Activism - and Libraries. End Quote

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) January 30, 2014 - In 1951, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury published The Illustrated Man" a book of 18 short stories featuring a protagonist whose colorful tattoos foretell the future of humankind.

So it's only natural that, six decades later, tattooed punk rock icon, writer, radio host and social activist Henry Rollins will receive the Ray Bradbury Creativity Award from Woodbury University for his contributions to the arts, cultural preservation and social activism - and the life-long love of books and libraries he shared with Bradbury, who died in 2012 at age 91.

For more than a decade, the Ray Bradbury Creativity Award has been presented to individuals whose contributions embody the creative spark and social conscience that characterized the late author's work. Previous recipients include Kirk Douglas, Malcolm McDowell, Burt Reynolds, Jody Greenwald, Roy E. Disney, and F. Murray Abraham.

"Ray Bradbury was one of the most talented writers of his time, a man whose art and ideas challenged conventional thinking and inspired artists like Henry Rollins to bring new ideas and new forms of expression to the forefront of our culture," said Woodbury University President Luis Ma. R. Calingo, Ph.D. "It's no surprise to learn that Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Rollins both have attributed much of their success to spending hour after hour in libraries exploring the works of other great thinkers, writers and artists."

Locally, Rollins is the highly regarded former lead singer with the seminal hardcore punk bands Black Flag and the Rollins Band and spoken word artist. On television, he has hosted The Henry Rollins Show and currently hosts Ten Things You Don't Know About on History Channel 2 (H2). As an actor, Rollins had a recurring role on Sons of Anarchy and has appeared in more than two dozen movies. He currently hosts a music show on KCRW and is a columnist for LA Weekly, where he shares his views on a variety of social issues. In 2013, Rollins was a keynote speaker at the Association of College and Research Libraries biannual conference.

"It is an honor and quite a shot in the arm to be acknowledged by Woodbury University for creativity," said Rollins. "To create from a mere thought into something that could inspire others and unleash their imagination - this is what I live for."

A vocal advocate of public library systems, Bradbury was a tireless fundraiser on behalf of libraries threatened by budget cuts. Speaking of his childhood, he once said, "libraries raised me." Among Bradbury's most popular works: Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury published more than 600 short stories and novels, along with a number of screenplays, plays and works of poetry. His work included the screenplay for the movie version of Moby Dick and episodes of The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Ray Bradbury Theater. He was nominated for an Academy Award, won an Emmy Award, and in 2000 was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

The Feb. 8 event, to be held at Woodbury's Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium, is sponsored by the Woodbury University Friends of the Library. It benefits the university's library program, long supported by Bradbury, who received the award in 1994.

The evening begins at 5 p.m. with a cocktail reception for members of the Friends of the Library, followed at 6:30 p.m. with remarks by Rollins and a Q&A moderated by City of Burbank Public Information Officer Drew Sugars. A coffee reception, at 7:30 p.m., will conclude the evening. The event is open to the public and there is no charge; however, attendees may contribute by becoming members of the Friends of the Library at the event. Seating is limited; preferential seating will be provided to members of Friends of the Library. Annual memberships range from $10 for students to $1,000 for life members.

For more information about Woodbury University and the library, visit Woodbury.edu.

About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. Woodbury offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies, along with an MBA program, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), and Master of Organizational Leadership. A San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Real Estate Development for Architects (MRED), and Master of Science in Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism degrees. Visit www.woodbury.edu for more information, and Reflections on Excellence, the new twice-monthly blog written by Woodbury University President Luis Maria R. Calingo, Ph.D.

Media Contacts
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
(323) 469-3397
ken ( @ ) edgecommunicationsinc dot com

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