A Conversation with John Bryson, author of "A Cry in the Dark"
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A Conversation with John Bryson, author of "A Cry in the Dark" In-Person
Join us for a Q&A with John Bryson, led by Professor Lucian Dervan with commentary by Erica Nichols Cook, Adjunct Professor and supervisor of SIU Law's Innocence Project Externship.
John Bryson is a former Australian solicitor and barrister, now journalist, lecturer and fiction writer. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed book Evil Angels (published as "A Cry in the Dark" in the U.S.), which chronicled the trials of Lindy Chamberlain over the death of her daughter Azaria, who was taken by a dingo from a campsite near Uluru in 1980.
Open to all. Lunch provided with RSVP at: www.whoozin.com/SIULawBryson
- Date:
- Tuesday, August 23, 2016
- Time:
- 12:15pm - 1:30pm
- Time Zone:
- Central Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Auditorium - 120
- Categories:
- Special Events
Bryson lectures in law, literary journalism, and fiction, acts on advisory panels to government, NGOs, and universities, and on literary judging panels. At the end of the millennium, a Schools of Journalism panel included him in "The 100 Journalists of the Century". In 2014 he was appointed Member of the Order of Australia for services to literature and to indigenous youth.
Evil Angels, first published in 1985 and also released as the film "A Cry in the Dark" (1988) starring Meryl Streep and Sam Neill, was influential in having the case reopened for investigation after Lindy Chamberlain had spent two-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of her baby. She was released in 1986.
Evil Angels won three Australian and two international awards, including the British Crimewriters' Golden Dagger. It was translated widely around the world, and published in 1992 by The Notable Trials Library, with this introduction:
"It is an extraordinary chronicle not only of Australia's most controversial trial, but of an entire nation's obsession with a whodunit that is unique in the annals of legal history. “ ~ Alan M Dershowitz, Professor, Harvard Law School
Since 1992, the United States has had its own experience with high-profile trials and post-conviction reviews that have captured the national attention. From the televised trial of O.J. Simpson in 1994, to the recent post-conviction reviews brought to the public attention through a podcast series (Serial) and Netflix documentary (Making a Murderer), it is clear that the media has tremendous power to shape public perception and sometimes the outcomes of criminal proceedings.
Join the SIU School of Law for a conversation about the intersection of media and justice.