Newspaper columnist Ellen Goodman and novelist Pat O' Brien will join Radcliffe as writers in residence this semester, Tamar March, Dean of Radcliffe Educational Programs, announced. Goodman and O'Brien, who have been close friends for 25 years, will collaborate on a book about women's friendships during their residency.

A new semester-long program, Writers in Residence seeks to attract talented novelists, journalists, poets, and essayists to share their experiences and works-in-progress with the Radcliffe community. The program provides resident writers with office space, a supportive and stimulating environment, and access to the Harvard and Radcliffe library system, including Radcliffe's Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America.

"We are honored to have Ellen Goodman and Pat O'Brien join us as our first writers in residence," said March. "Their exciting project on women's friendships and vast knowledge of the art of writing will greatly enhance our creative writing program and enhance the learning experience for our students."

As writers in residence, Goodman and O'Brien will read from their work-in-progress and teach a memoir writing workshop for undergraduates in April.

Goodman, a 1963 cum laude graduate of Radcliffe, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning social commentator and currently an associate editor for The Boston Globe. Her syndicated column appears regularly on op-ed pages in more than 440 newspapers across the country.

O'Brien, the author of five books, including The Woman Alone and last year's Good Intentions, was a political journalist for 20 years in Chicago and Washington. She also served as Michael Dukakis' press secretary during his 1988 presidential bid.