Tom Shroder, award-winning journalist, writer, and editor of “The Washington Post Magazine” will appear as the final speaker in this year’s Fine Arts and Lecture Series at Dalton State’s Goodroe Auditorium on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Dalton State’s Office of Student Life.

His work “The Hunt for Bin Laden,” edited from 15 years of coverage by “The Washington Post,” became the number one selling Kindle Single on Amazon. In 2010, “Fatal Distraction,” a “Washington Post” story conceived and edited by Shroder, won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.

“I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in journalism and fiction, but I’ve also worked with hundreds of regular folks who have never published a word, but had a compelling story to tell,” says Shroder. “In the end, the most powerful thing I’ve learned is this: it is always about the story. Your story.”

“Tom Shroder is the best in the business,” said Pulitzer Price-winning columnist and author Dave Barry of Shroder. “He is the rare editor who has the analytical skills to see what needs to be done, and the writing ability to show you, when necessary, exactly how to do it. He is especially good at finding the flaws in long, complex pieces, and getting writers to perform at the highest level they’re capable of.”

Shroder, born in New York City in 1954, started his writing career at the University of Florida where he was the Editor of the 22,000-circulation student daily newspaper. After his graduation, he wrote national award-winning features for the “Fort Myers News Press,” “Tallahassee Democrat,” “Cincinnati Enquirer,” and “Miami Herald.”

The lecture is free and open to the public. It starts at 7.30 p.m. in Goodroe Auditorium of Gignilliat Memorial Hall and seating is available on a first-come, first served basis.

For more information, contact Pam Partain at 706.272.2985 or ppartain@daltonstate.edu.