Paula Morris, author of the award-winning novel "Queen of Beauty," will present a fiction reading at the Barrick Museum Auditorium on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

"Queen of Beauty," Morris' debut novel, was awarded the New Zealand Society of Authors Hubert Church Best First Book Award in 2003. It was described by the New Zealand Herald as "a stunning debut novel ... a masterful work," and was featured on a number of best-of-2002 book lists.

The reading, sponsored by the International Institute of Modern Letters, is free and open to the public.