Filmmaker Michael Moore says he never turned down an invitation to speak in Lawrence.

Instead, apparent miscommunication between Moore and his agent have left a Kansas University speaking invitation in limbo.

Moore on Wednesday night wrote an unsolicited e-mail to the Journal-World after he saw on the Internet a Journal-World article that said he declined an offer to speak at the KU Center for Community Outreach’s Into the Streets week, which highlights community service.

“I was never asked to come to KU,” Moore wrote. “And if it was for an effort like ‘Into the Streets,’ and I were to come, I wouldn’t charge a dime. I only get a speaking fee for traditional lecture series and the like.”

Moore’s agent, Michael D’Andrea, did not return phone calls and e-mails Thursday from the Journal-World and 6News. Moore did not return an e-mail requesting additional explanation of the mix-up.

But Kevin Hager, Center for Community Outreach co-director, said D’Andrea confirmed to him that the e-mail did come from Moore’s personal e-mail address.

Hager said he also wrote to Moore, again extending an invitation to speak.

“Apparently he’s under the impression an offer hadn’t been submitted,” Hager said. “We want to make it clear that an offer was submitted to him by the Center for Community Outreach program to the agency that represents him. Whether or not it got to him, that’s definitely up to the agency. But we did submit an offer.”

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Organizers had hoped Moore would be the keynote speaker for Into the Streets Week in the spring. The Center for Community Outreach had raised $30,000 to bring Moore to Lawrence.

But a deadline to accept the contract had expired earlier this month. D’Andrea had told the center that Moore’s tour to promote his new book, “Dude, Where’s My Country?”, left him too busy to speak at KU. Moore also is known for film documentaries such as “Roger & Me” and “Bowling for Columbine.”

That left the center to offer the contract to another speaker. Hager declined to identify the speaker until the deal is completed.

But Moore’s e-mail left Hager hoping on Thursday that Moore could be added to the Into the Streets schedule for free.

“This could really be an exciting thing,” Hager said. “We’ll contact him and see if we can’t capitalize on what he said, that he’d do it for free. It could be really exciting. He’s really popular with the students of KU.”