Junot Díaz, MFA '95, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for his novel "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," will participate in a panel discussion, "Arts and the Impact on Immigration," Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.

Other participants include Cornell faculty members Ernesto Quiñonez, assistant professor, English; Roberto Sierra, professor and chair, music; Sofia Villenas, associate professor of education and Latino studies; and Amy Villarejo, associate professor and chair, Theatre, Film and Dance.

The panel, presented by the Cornell Council for the Arts (CCA) and Latino Studies Program, will tackle such questions as, are the arts poised to address the pressing issues of immigration, its myths and its strengths?

At 4:30 p.m., Díaz will read from his work and receive the Eissner Artist of the Year Award, established in 1977 and endowed in 2006 by Bruce and Judith Eissner. The award honors alumni who have achieved national or international success in the arts and is administered by the CCA. The most recent Eissner Award recipient is composer Christopher Rouse '77. The public presentation is supported by a gift from the Class of '63.

Creative writing courses were first taught at Cornell in 1905. The Creative Writing Program's spring 2009 Centennial Plus Five Reading Series celebrates 105 years of creativity and alumni writers' contributions to American and world literature.

On Feb. 20 Díaz, Melissa Bank, M.F.A. '88, and Julie Schumacher, M.F.A. '86, will read from their work at 7:30 p.m. in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.

Bank is the author of the best-seller "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing" and "The Wonder Spot." Her work has appeared in many national magazines, on National Public Radio and the BBC, and has been translated into 30 languages.

Schumacher's first published story, "Reunion," appeared in "The Best American Short Stories 1983." Her stories and essays have been published in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Ms. and "Prize Stories 1990 and 1996: The O. Henry Awards." Her first novel, "The Body Is Water," was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her other books include a short story collection, "An Explanation for Chaos," and four novels for young readers. She is a professor of English and the director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Minnesota.

All events are free and open to the public.