UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A free public panel discussion featuring four nationally known sports writers will be moderated by the director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State Oct. 1 in State College.

The 90-minute session, “The Sport of Sportswriting,” will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Days Inn Penn State, located at 240 S. Pugh Street. Panelists include: Harvey Araton, The New York Times; Nancy Armour, USA Today; Filip Bondy, New York Daily News; and Penn State alumnus Michael Weinreb (Rolling Stone), who grew up in State College.

The event is sponsored by the Schlow Centre Region Library and Town & Gown Magazine as part of a 10th anniversary celebration for the library.

John Affleck, the Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and director of the Curley Center, will moderate the session. Founded in 2003, the first-of-its-kind Curley Center explores issues and trends in sports journalism through instruction, outreach, programming and research.

Affleck and the sports writers will take part in a meet-and-greet session at Schlow Library the following evening, Oct. 2, from 7 to 9 p.m. A fundraiser for the Schlow Library Foundation, “Meet the Sportswriters” will feature local food and beverages and give sports fans the opportunity to mingle with experts in the field of sports journalism. More information about these events can be found online at schlowlibrary.org.

The John Curley Center for Sports Journalism complements its core courses with an emphasis on internships and hands-on experience with broadcast, multimedia and print outlets, as well as with league, sport and team publicity and sports information operations. Students benefit from the breadth of the Penn State athletic program and from a variety of independent study and special project options — which have included covering the Croke Park Classic, Final Four, Olympics and Super Bowl in recent years.