NORMAL - CNN's Soledad O'Brien will talk about diversity - and how it plays out on TV, behind the scenes and in everyday lives - when she visits Illinois State University on Jan. 22.

She will visit Normal as ISU's Martin Luther King Jr. dinner keynote speaker, and she's the final guest in the university's fall speaker series. O'Brien's appearance next semester is listed with the fall series to provide enough advance notice.

Other speakers on tap this fall include pop-culture economist Steven Levitt, who wrote "Freakonomics;" Morgan Spurlock, whose fast-food experiment resulted in the film "Super Size Me;" as well as novelist Louise Erdrich; nationally recognized teacher Rafe Esquith; and Hemingway expert Susan Beegel.

O'Brien's career in broadcast journalism included stints on NBC's "Weekend Today" and "NBC Nightly News." She's covered everything from John Kennedy Jr.'s plane crash, to the Columbine High School shootings, to the Space Shuttle's Columbia disaster. She's a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

O'Brien's 6 p.m. talk in the Brown Ballroom is co-sponsored by the ISU offices of the president and the provost, as well as the campus student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Tickets to the dinner are $35 and may be reserved by calling (309) 438-8790.

All other events, listed below, are free and open to the public. For information, call (309) 438-7402.

Sept. 3 - "Hemingway's Personal Farewell to Arms," Susan Beegel. 6:30 p.m., Milner Library, sixth floor.

The Ernest Hemingway expert edits "The Hemingway Review" and teaches at University of Idaho.

Sept. 17 - "Freakonomics," Steven Levitt, 7 p.m., Braden Auditorium. The University of Chicago economist published "Freakonomics" in 2005. The pop culture look at everything has sold more than 3 million copies in 30 languages.

Sept. 30 - "An Evening with Morgan Spurlock," 7 p.m., Braden Auditorium. In 2004, the Academy Award-nominated director brought the documentary "Super Size Me," to American audiences. He's also the author of "Don't Eat This Book." Both the film and book look at the culture of fast-food dining.

Oct. 22 - "Q & A with Louise Erdrich," 3 p.m., Milner Library, main floor. Erdrich has written more than a dozen books. Among her honors, novel "Love Medicine" took the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the 2009 Ames/Milner Visiting Author, a program cosponsored by ISU and Illinois Wesleyan University. Erdrich will also speak that evening at IWU.

Nov. 16 - "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire," Rafe Esquith, 7 p.m., Braden Auditorium. Esquith is a 20-year veteran of teaching fifth-graders in Los Angeles, who has gained notice for his successful techniques.