Professor of English J. Robert Lennon will argue for the benefits of the third-person point of view during a Nov. 15 talk in the “In a Word” series presented by the Department of English and the Creative Writing Program.

Lennon, who says the first person is often misused in American fiction, will give examples of the flexibility of third-person narration during his talk, “Some Important Third People,” free and open to the public at 4:30 p.m. in the English Department Lounge, 258 Goldwin Smith Hall.

“I’m hoping this talk will be a good introduction to the possibilities of the third person for writers just starting their careers, but experienced writers might get something out of it, too,” Lennon said. “I’ll look forward to answering students’ questions as well.”

Lennon is the author of eight novels including “Mailman, ”“Familiar” and “Broken River,” and the story collections “Pieces for the Left Hand” and “See You in Paradise.”

His work has been anthologized in “Best Short American Stories,” “Best American Non-Required Reading” and “Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards.” As a critic, his book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and The London Review of Books.

“In a Word” showcases the Creative Writing Program’s contributions to the literary world by its faculty of poets and fiction writers. The series continues in the spring with poet Joanie Mackowski and scholar Elisha Cohn.

Spencer DeRoos is a communications assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences.