Author to read from book on Imperial Russia

Polly Zarella, author, poet and photographer, will read "The Story of Concordia A. Gregorieff During the Days of Imperial Russia," from her book Broken Beads, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 21, in 113 Memorial Hall.

Broken Beads, is the true story of Gregorieff, a close family friend of the author and a member of the Russian nobility.

By evoking the childhood memories of the 97-year Gregorieff, whose family lived on the grounds of the royal palace, Zarella offers readers a glimpse of Imperial Russia before the 1917 Revolution.

A contributor to J.D. McClatchy's collection of essays, "Anne Sexton: The Artist and Her Critics," Zarella, also is the coauthor of a poetry book, Yes We Can.

She has led numerous writing workshops and, since publication of Broken Beads, has been a guest speaker at libraries, businesses and schools, lecturing on Russian history and her experiences as a writer.

The free public event is sponsored by the Department of English. After the reading, there will be a reception, and the author will sign books that will be on sale.

Call 831-2361 or check the web site at [http://www. English.udel.edu/ Russell/calendar.html].