Daily Beast columnist and CNN political contributor John Avlon will speak at ISU March 8

AMES, Iowa -- Author, political columnist and voice-of-the-center John Avlon will speak at Iowa State University. His talk, "Putting Labels Aside: Not Left, Not Right, Just Forward," will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It is free and open to the public.

A senior political columnist at the Daily Beast, Avlon is the author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics" and "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America." Avlon specializes in the analysis of the independent movement and is a CNN political contributor. He is a founding leader of No Labels, an organization of citizens who want America's leaders to put labels aside and do what is best for the nation.

Avlon was the youngest and longest-serving speechwriter for former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani. After Sept. 11, Avlon and his team wrote the eulogies for all firefighters and police officers lost at the World Trade Center. Avlon has appeared on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," MSNBC, Fox News, PBS and C-SPAN. He has lectured at Yale University, New York University, the Citadel and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Avlon's talk is cosponsored by the Graduate Association for Students of Politics, Master's in Public Administration Club, Political Science Club, College Republicans, ISU Democrats and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.