September 18, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Alys Stephens Center presents Garrison Keillor at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Tickets are $85, $65, $55 and $45; students $20. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org for more information. This show is part of the Beyond Comedy Series. Sponsors are WBHM, The Birmingham News, UAB and Viva Health.

Back by enthusiastic demand, Lake Wobegon's most popular ambassador weaves a tapestry of his own with stories made famous on National Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion." Garrison Keillor, born in Anoka, Minn., began his radio career as a freshman at the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated in 1966. On July 6, 1974, he hosted the first broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion" on Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. "A Prairie Home Companion" now has more than three million listeners on more than 450 public radio stations weekly. In 2006, Keillor starred in the hit movie of the same name.

Keillor also is the author of 12 books, including "Lake Wobegon Days" (1985); "The Book of Guys" (1993); "The Old Man Who Loved Cheese" (1996); "Wobegon Boy" (1997); "Love Me" (2003); and 2004's "Homegrown Democrat." His latest novel, "Pontoon," was released in late 2007. Keillor has received numerous awards, including a Grammy Award for his recording of "Lake Wobegon Days." He also has received two Cable ACE Awards and a George Foster Peabody Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and recently was presented with a National Humanities Medal by the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1994, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.