Jody Williams will discussher memoir, "My Name is Jody Williams: A Vermont Girl's Winding Path to theNobel Peace Prize," at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Brazos Bookstore. Theevent is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the event.

From her modest beginnings tobecoming the tenth woman – and third American woman – to receive the NobelPeace Prize, Jody Williams takes the reader through the ups and downs of hertumultuous and remarkable life. In a voice that is at once candid,straightforward, and intimate, Williams describes her Catholic roots, her firststep on a long road to standing up to bullies in defense of her deaf brotherStephen, her transformation from good girl to college hippie at the Universityof Vermont, and her protest of the war in Vietnam. She relates how, in 1981,she began her lifelong dedication to global activism as she battled to stop theU.S.-backed war in El Salvador.

"Jody Williams is a powerfulwoman.  When she speaks, she carries theroom. When she writes, she is equally clear and captivating," writes Pat Mitchell,CEO of the Paley Center and former CEO of PBS. "What might be the best thingabout her – whether she's speaking or writing – is that she shares her power.She is tireless in her work for a better world for us all. She engages throughhumor and humility and makes anyone who comes in contact with her believe thatthey too can change the world."

Williams received the 1997Nobel Peace Prize for her work to ban landmines. She is the Sam and Cele KeeperEndowed Professor in Peace and Social Justice at UH GCSW where she has beenteaching since 2003.

She is the founding chair ofthe Nobel Women's Initiative, launched in January 2006. The recipient of fifteenhonorary degrees, Williams was named among the 100 most powerful women in theworld in 2004 by Forbes magazine. Since 1998, she has served as a campaignambassador for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which she helpedfound in 1992.

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About the UH Graduate College ofSocial Work

The UH GraduateCollege of Social Work (GCSW) is a nationally recognized program, ranked 37 byU.S. News & World Report, educating professionals for social work practice,research and leadership. Offering master's and doctoral degrees, the GCSW isthe only social work program in the world to have a Nobel laureate on itsfaculty. The GCSW advocates for innovative, collaborative, inclusive and humanepolicies and solutions that promote social, economic and political justice. Acommitment to critical thinking that links rigorous scientific inquiry, ethicalsocial work practice and community engagement generates new knowledge to thefield of social work and many other disciplines.

About the University of Houston

The University ofHouston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognizedby The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduateeducation. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region byproviding world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industrypartnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than40,700 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in thecountry. For more information about UH,visit the university's newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/