Santa Monica College will kick off its spring Literary Series Feb. 25 with "A Sorcerer's Hunger for Life," by Dr. Charles Johnson, a renowned scholar and National Book Award-winning author who will talk about African-American literature.

Johnson will speak at 11:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 in Humanities & Social Science Lecture Hall 165 on SMC's main campus at 1900 Pico Blvd. The series is free and seating is on a first-arrival basis.

Currently in its seventh year, the SMC literary series has brought to campus such acclaimed authors as Audrey Niffenegger ("The Time Traveler's Wife") and Khaled Hosseini, ("The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns").

Johnson is a prolific writer, educator, visual artist and philosopher. His first novel was published in 1974 and he gained prominence when his novel "Middle Passage" won the National Book Award in 1990 - the first time the award was given to an African American man since Ralph Ellison in 1953.

He has written 17 books, more than 20 screenplays and numerous essays, articles, short stories, literary reviews and works of criticism. He has also worked as an editor, cartoonist, journalist and, until his retirement in 2009 after 33 years, a popular professor at the University of Washington.

He is the recipient of many awards, including NEA and Guggenheim fellowships, Writers Guild Award, and a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the "genius grant."

The lineup of speakers, after Johnson, is:

* Thursday, March 16 at 11:15 a.m. in Humanities & Social Science Lecture Hall 165: "Reading Saved My life" by Rolando Ortiz and Danny Herrera, who will talk about the influences that shaped and inspired them as they grew up in the Los Angeles barrios.

* Thursday, May 13 at 11:15 a.m. in Humanities & Social Science Lecture Hall 165: "This Lovely Life: A Memoir of Premature Motherhood," by Vicki Forman, who discusses her award-winning book about her intensely personal journey as the mother of a special needs child.

The series is sponsored by the SMC Associates, a private organization that funds speakers and special programs on campus, and the SMC English Department.

For information, call (310) 434-4303.