‘Black Hawk Down’ author to speak

On Wednesday, May 2, from 7 to 8 p.m., journalist and bestselling author of “Black Hawk Down” Mark Bowden will be speaking at Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in Rehoboth Beach about writing, reporting, making movies – and what it’s like to interview the president (which he did just last month).

The event, which is sponsored by the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild and the University of Delaware, is free and open to the public, although RSVPs are requested to ensure adequate seating. Those wishing to attend should email contactus@rehobothbeachwritersguild.com by Sunday, April 31.

Bowden, who is currently a contributing editor to Vanity Fair magazine, a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine and an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware, is best known for “Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War,” which chronicles the Battle of Mogadishu that resulted when U.S. forces attempted to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in 1993.

The raid quickly became the most intensive close combat in the military history of the United States since the Vietnam War. Bowden’s book was later turned into a movie that was directed by Ridley Scott.

Although “Black Hawk Down,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award, is perhaps Bowden’s most well-known work, it is but one of Bowden’s many nationally acclaimed and award-winning books.

“Killing Pablo” won the Overseas Press Club’s 2001 Cornelius Ryan Award as the book of the year, and his book “Guests of the Ayatollah,” an account of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, was listed by Newsweek as one of “The 50 Books for Our Times.” His most recent books are “The Best Game Ever,” the story of the 1958 NFL championship game, and “Worm,” which tells the story of the Conficker computer worm.

Organizers of the event said Bowden will be open to discussing any of the above topics, participating in an informal and informative conversation about everything and everything: how he determines the topics of his book; the difficulties of turning an article into a book and a book into a movie; his disappointment – if any – with the movie version of “Black Hawk Down”; his writing and reporting process; what he’s working on now; what subjects intimidate him; his favorite story that he’s written, and his least favorite. His books will be available for purchase, and Bowden sign books after the talk.

For more information about Conversation with Mark Bowden or about the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild (RBWG) in general go to www.rehobothbeachwritersguild.com.