Khaled Hosseini, New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, talked about his humanitarian work and upcoming novel yesterday as part of the Speaker Series event.

The event commenced at 7:30 p.m. and was moderated by Emmy award-winning ABC 7 news anchor Cheryl Jennings. Hosseini began by commenting on how he set out to dispel the myths and misconceptions about Afghanistan as a result of what he called the “longest war the US has ever fought.”

In Hosseini’s opinion, Afghanistan receives a disproportionate amount of attention in the media because of the war and attacks by insurgencies such as the Taliban.

Hosseini recounted that many have told him that they have a more realistic understanding of the war-torn nation after reading his novels. He further hopes that the conflict will end and Afghanistan will stabilize.

“No war has ever ended without the two sides sitting down on the same table,” Hosseini said.

When asked about his advice for young aspiring writers, he said to simply keep reading and writing.

“As a boy in Kabul I wrote little stories,” Hosseini said. “Writing fiction feels like a compulsion that I couldn’t do without.”

Hosseini has established the Khaled Hosseini Foundation to alleviate the harsh living conditions of countless Afghanis. The organization especially reaches out to young people to help the cause.

“[Many organizations] need the creative juices of somebody fresh out of high school,” Hosseini said.

Sophomore Sidhart Krishnamurthi was one such person. He was inspired to invite Hosseini to speak after he discovered the severity of the situation in Afghanistan.

“I read the book The Kite Runner and wanted to make a difference,” Sidhart said. “I noticed that the foundation was explained on the book’s back cover.”

In addition to the main event, a private reception was held an hour earlier in Nichols Hall. Guests had the opportunity to meet Khaled Hosseini, learn more about the foundation, and ask questions they may have had.

Freshman Brenna Jensen’s parent Dan Jensen attended the function to become more aware of what is happening in Afghanistan.

“I came to this speech because I am not only a huge fan of The Kite Runner and have read it multiple times, but I really want to make a difference and help with the situation in Afghanistan,” Jensen said. “This was one way for me to take my first steps towards doing that and at the same time I got to meet Mr. Hosseini.”

According to many attendees, the event educated and inspired those who wanted to learn more about improving the situation in Afghanistan and help raise money for the Khaled Hosseini Foundation.