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U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken to speak at St. Olaf

By Trent Chaffee '09
October 7, 2007

U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken will speak at St. Olaf Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. in Science Center 280. The event, which is sponsored by the St. Olaf College Democrats, is free and open to the public.

Franken is an award-winning author, satirist, radio host, political commentator, television writer and producer, and comedian. Most recently he hosted Air America Radio's "The Al Franken Show," the station's flagship program. He also is author of three No. 1 New York Times bestsellers: The Truth (with jokes) (2005), Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (2003) and Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot (and other observations) (1996).

Franken was raised in St. Louis Park, Minn. and attended Harvard University. Until 1995 he wrote for NBC's Saturday Night Live program, where he earned five Emmy awards. In 2003 he served as a fellow with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Franken has visited U.S. troops overseas with the USO seven times, including four trips to Iraq.

One of Franken's inspirations is deceased Former Senator and Carleton College Professor Paul Wellstone. Franken often closes his speeches with Wellstone's quote: "The future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard."

Franken says, "Minnesota's public servants might not always look and sound like typical politicians, but they stand by their principles and lead by their values."

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.