Mark Jenkins: "The Healing Fields: The Legacy of War and the Search for Miss Landmine Cambodia"

From a UW press release:

Acclaimed author and National Geographic field staff writer Mark Jenkins will give his photo-illustrated presentation of the devastation and suffering caused by Cambodian landmines Feb. 27-March 22 in Laramie, Cheyenne, Torrington, Riverton, Rock Springs and Powell. The forums are free and open to the public.

A native of Laramie, Jenkins is a part-time writer in residence with UW's MFA Program in Creative Writing. He also contributes lectures and presentations to classes in UW's International Studies Program.

"The Healing Fields: The Legacy of War and the Search for Miss Landmine Cambodia," will be presented at the University of Wyoming Monday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m. in Room 310 of the UW Classroom Building.

After spending a month in Cambodia, crossing minefields, interviewing victims and searching for Miss Landmine Cambodia, Jenkins was inspired to create his presentation. He points out that, after a war ends, landmines are still alive, waiting to blow the legs off innocent farmers and shepherds.

The program also will be presented at:

Laramie County Community College -- Tuesday, March 6, 6 p.m. in the ARP Building, Room 128;

Eastern Wyoming College -- Thursday, March 8, 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts auditorium;

Western Wyoming Community College -- Monday, March 19, 7 p.m. in Room 1005;

Central Wyoming College -- Wednesday, March 21, 3:30 p.m. in the  Intertribal Center‘s Wind River Room;

Northwest College -- Thursday, March 22, at 4 p.m. in Room 70, the Fagerberg Building, Room 70.

Jenkins' talks are part of the statewide International Studies Scholar Lecture Series. Now in its third year, the series is funded by a U.S. Department of Education Grant, in partnership with Wyoming community colleges,  to the University of Wyoming International Studies Program.

"This continues to be a successful program to promote significant discussion of a variety of international issues," says Jean Garrison, director of International Studies at UW. "With Jenkins' talk on demining efforts in Cambodia, we see a complex problem that required ingenuity and local-to-global cooperation to find a solution. Through this and other presentations, we remain committed to bring the world to Wyoming."

This lecture is sponsored by the UW International Studies Program, the UW Outreach School, the UW Office of Academic Affairs and the partner community colleges. For more information, email Garrison at garrison@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-3423.

Photo: This is among phots in Mark Jenkins' presentation "The Healing Fields: The Legacy of War and the Search for Miss Landmine Cambodia." (Mark Jenkins Photo)

Chris Dixon presents program on Annie Oakley in Spain Aug. 25 at the BBHC

On Thursday, August 25, Chris Dixon of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, presents an illustrated program focused on Annie Oakley as she appeared in William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s 1889 Wild West trip to Barcelona, Spain. The program begins at 2 p.m. in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s Coe Auditorium and is free with admission. “Annie Oakley” is sponsored by the Center’s Papers of William F. Cody department of which Dixon is Associate Editor for Language Translations and European Tours. Dixon is also a research fellow at the Historical Center for the 2011-2012 season.

A Senior Research Fellow in the School of Humanities at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, Dixon has addressed in his work to date subjects as diverse as Columbus’ first voyage, the poetry of Federico García Lorca, the use of translation in language teaching, and language policy in Scotland, Ireland, and Catalonia. Dixon is a member of the United Kingdom’s Chartered Institute of Linguists and holds two master’s degrees from Glasgow University.

Last year, the University of Nebraska Press released Dixon’s updated edition of Charles Eldridge Griffin’s Four Years in Europe with Buffalo Bill originally published in 1908.

He recently completed a new edition of a Cody biography by John M. Burke who functioned as general manager, press agent, advance scout, and talent scout for Buffalo Bill. Dixon’s latest edited work, Buffalo Bill from Prairie to Palace, will be published by University of Nebraska Press in 2012. He is currently working on a new book about the Wild West show in Barcelona.

Read more about the Papers of William F. Cody at http://www.bbhc.org/research/mccracken-research-library/the-papers-of-william-f-cody/.

REMINDER: Folklorists Annie Hatch and Andrea Graham talk about WY ethnic traditions tonight at the library

One World, Wyoming Stories
When: Thursday, July 14, 7– 8:30 p.m.
Where: Laramie County Library Cheyenne (map)
Description: Annie Hatch, Wyoming Arts Council Folk & Traditional Arts Specialist, and Andrea Graham, Folklorist with the University of Wyoming American Studies Program, will share stories about a variety of ethnic traditions in Wyoming. They’ll also encourage participants to share their own stories. This is held in conjunction with the “One World, Wyoming Stories,” exhibit in the library through August 16. (Adults, Sunflower Room, 3rd floor)

BBHC Resident Fellowship Program explores photography and geology links in the West

With a multitude of data, the Hayden Survey introduced the world to Yellowstone National Park. The expedition’s remarkable photographs are part of an illustrated presentation by Dr. Andrew E. Hershberger of Bowling Green State University, Ohio, (BGSU) on Thursday, July 14, 2 p.m. at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s Coe Auditorium. The program focuses on the past and present relationships between photography and geology in the American West, as well as the U.S. Geological Survey or USGS-era immediately following the Civil War—including those famous Hayden surveys of Yellowstone.

The program begins at 2 p.m. and is free to the public. This presentation is part of an ongoing series sponsored by the Center’s Resident Fellowship Program.

“When studying the history of photography, the photographs created in the territories of the American West following the Civil War stand out as a group for their interdisciplinary complexity and sheer beauty,” Hershberger says. “The fact that these images were most frequently (but not always) created for the use of USGS geologists and scientists makes their aesthetic appeal all the more interesting to discuss.”

According to Hershberger, for well over a century since they were created, these images have been the subject of some debate. “Numerous art, photographic, and scientific historians have disagreed with each other about how best to characterize the landscape photographs created by USGS-era photographers such as William Henry Jackson, Timothy H. O’Sullivan, William H. Bell, and John K. Hillers, among others,” Hershberger adds.

As Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and Chair of Art History at BGSU, Hershberger has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on a broad spectrum of topics related to the history of photography. Included in those works were stories on photographers as diverse as Felice Beato, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, Jay Dusard, and Minor White, and on photographic theorists such as Rosalind Krauss and André Malraux.

Hershberger received his PhD from Princeton University in 2001, and he holds other degrees from Princeton, the University of Chicago, and the University of Arizona as well. He is nearing completion on a large anthology project entitled Photographic Theory, to be published in 2012. Hershberger’s lecture at the Historical Center is connected to his new anthology project, currently titled “Photography and Geology.”

For his fellowship, Hershberger has spent three weeks researching in the rich collections of the McCracken Research Library and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art at the Center. His goal has been to make comparisons between USGS-era texts with corresponding original photographs by the USGS-era photographers. Hershberger compares that material with newer published re-photographs and texts by contemporary photographers like Mark Klett, and alongside USGS-era paintings and prints by Thomas Moran who joined the Hayden survey of Yellowstone in 1871.

By selecting and juxtaposing numerous texts and images, Hershberger’s proposed anthology does two things. First, it highlights the changes in western landscapes and photographic interpretations of them since the 1870s. Secondly, it studies the variations in land use practices within “Old West” versus “New West” cultures.

As Hershberger put it, “Given the prominence of W.H. Jackson’s 1871 photographs of Yellowstone within the USGS-era, and given their famous impact on the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, the Center’s location in Cody, Wyoming, and its rich USGS-era holdings, makes the Historical Center the logical—even ideal—base of operations for this new anthology project.”

Attendees should alert the Center’s admissions staff that they’re on hand to attend the lecture. For more information, e-mail Linda Clark atlindac@bbhc.org or call 307.578.4043.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and the nature of Yellowstone—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its summer schedule, open daily, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

Photo: Crater of Castle Geyser. Photo by William Henry Jackson, 1872. NPS photo. k#64,211

JOHN R. MILTON WRITERS' CONFERENCE, OCTOBER 27-29, 2011

CALLS FOR PAPERS AND CREATIVE PRESENTATIONS

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA,
VERMILLION, SOUTH DAKOTA

Theme: Outlaw!: Law and (Dis)Order in the American West
(proposals accepted 9/01/11 through 10/27/11-10/29/11)

Please join us for the biennial John R. Milton Writers' Conference, held October 27-29, 2011, at The University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota.

We are seeking panel and roundtable proposals, scholarly papers, and creative writing related (either explicitly or implicitly) to the theme of Outlaw!: Law and (Dis)Order in the American West. Possible topics or approaches might include, but aren’t limited to:

• Law and (dis)order in Western American literature, history, and culture;
• Law and (dis)order in relationship to broken treaties, obligatory assimilation, as well as post-colonial and/or indigenous studies in American Indian literature, history, and culture;
• Law and (dis)order in the American West with respect to environmental issues and ecocriticism;
• Outlaw as myth and fantasy space in the American West;
• Outlaw as Other;
• Gender outlaws, and/or queering the American West;
• Borders, border crossings, and boundary transgressions;
• Virtual outlaws, and/or outlaws in the “new frontier” of cyber-space; and
• Representations of outlaws and/or law and (dis)order in popular culture (including, but not limited to, HBO's Deadwood and Joss Whedon's Firefly, Westerns (both film and television), graphic novels, and science fiction.

For critical work, please submit a 250-word abstract, along with a brief biographical note, by September 1, 2011. Panel proposals should include individual paper abstracts and biographical notes for all of the participating panelists, in addition to a 250-word justification for the panel. Roundtable proposals should include a 250-word justification for the roundtable session, along with biographical notes for the participating round table session members.

For creative submissions, please submit either 8-10 pages of poetry, or no more than 25 pages of creative prose writing, along with a short biographical note, by September 1, 2011. While creative work that either explicitly or implicitly addresses the conference theme, or is related in some way to region or landscape are particularly welcome, all types of creative work on any theme and in any style will be gladly considered for readings at the conference's creative writing panels.

All submissions should be sent to Lee Ann Roripaugh at Lee.Roripaugh@usd.edu
For additional questions or information, please e-mail: Lee.Roripaugh@usd.edu

"Jentel Presents" June 7 at Sagebrush Community Art Center in Sheridan

Photo:  L to R: Rochelle Hurt, Robyn Moore, Jeff Eisenberg, Susannah Israel, Annie Varnot, Charlotte Rodenberg

Jentel Artist Residency Program is pleased to present this month’s residents in an event open to the public.  “Jentel Presents” will take place Tuesday, June 7, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Sagebrush Community Art Center at the Historic Train Depot on 5^th and Broadway, across from The Sheridan Inn.   This month’s presenters include a painter, a poet, a contemporary ceramic critic, photographer, a mixed media artist, and a sculptor. “Jentel Presents” is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include: Jeff Eisenberg, San Francisco, CA; A painter/drawer, Jeff has been fortunate to have had a lot of different travel adventures. He has discovered he is most excited when he really gets a sense of the place he is visiting, its’ own rhythms and culture. Rochelle Hurt, Youngstown, OH; A poet, Rochelle was forged from iron ore in the steel mills of Ohio. She has since moved to North Carolina to explore the South. Susannah Israel, Oakland, CA; A contemporary ceramic critic, Susannah was raised by a writer, historian and biologist. She learned very early how important written communication can be. It links us across time and space. Robyn Moore, Cleveland, MS; A photographer/filmmaker, Robyn is originally from Virginia. She returned from Peru with many adventures to share. Charlotte Rodenberg, Portland, OR; A mixed media artist, Charlotte loves her dog, rabbit and guinea pigs. Someday outside of her studio practice, she aspires to have a rabbit refuge and a political puppet theater. Annie Varnot, Brooklyn, NY; A sculptor, Annie has run the San Francisco marathon, is currently training for the NYC marathon and has just completed a 3 week hike on the Pacific Coast Trail. This activity inspires her work.

For anyone looking for a stimulating evening, come join the crowd at the Sagebrush Community Art Center at the Historic Train Depot, 5^th and Broadway.  There is no admission charge for “Jentel Presents” and refreshments are available.

The Jentel Foundation offers dedicated individuals a supportive environment in which to further their creative development. While at Jentel, visual artists and writers have the opportunity to experience unfettered time to allow for thoughtful reflection and meditation on the creative process in a setting that preserves the agricultural and historical integrity of the land.

The Jentel Artist Residency Program accepts applications twice a year from visual artists in all media and writers in all genres for a one-month residency. A residency includes a comfortable accommodation; common living, dining and recreation areas; a private workspace and a stipend to help defray expenses during the program.  For more information please visit www.jentelarts.org or call Jentel at (307)737-2311. 

When fiction reflects real life

Richard Mansfield as Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde, ca. between 1885-
1900 (Library of Congress)

New insights into the story behind Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" will be the focus of the University of Wyoming's President's Speakers lecture, Thursday, April 14, at 4:10 p.m. in Room 129 of the UW Classroom Building.


Caroline McCracken-Flesher, a professor in the UW Department of English and a widely-published specialist in 19th century British literature, will explain how Stevenson's universally-popular work reflects his own sickly childhood and contemporary societal beliefs about medicine and drugs.

"The tale of the doctor and doubleness could well be titled ‘Mr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde,' for Hyde reveals the dark side of 19th century doctors, linking medicine and murder, drugs and dreadful deeds," she says.

McCracken-Flesher researched the 19th century scandals in which scientists paid for corpses to use as research subjects, which often led to documented incidents of murder for profit and grave-robbing.

Stevenson, argues McCracken-Flesher, retells the stories of some of the era's infamous scandalous figures, including a murderous dentist, Horace Wells, and a notorious dissectionist, Scotland's Dr. Robert Knox. Their stories shaped how the public viewed medicine and science, and influenced popular perceptions about accomplished scientists who followed, such as Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister.

Since its publication in 1886, Stevenson's novel has been made into dozens of movies, and McCracken-Flesher has published work showing how each generation changed Stevenson's text to reflect its own fears and desires. She contributed a chapter, "Cultural Projections: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Cinematic Response," in "Narrative and Culture," (University of Georgia Press).

The President's Speaker Series encourages and honors individual faculty members who have been especially successful in balancing the research, educational, and service goals of the university. The series calls attention to some of the individuals who have made important, well-rounded contributions to the university's standing.

A committee comprising the speaker series' previous honorees nominates candidates for the series. Selection criteria include a long-term national recognition for research and/or creative activity and the ability to communicate with all members of the university community.

McCracken-Flesher has an M.A. degree from Edinburgh University, Scotland, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Brown University. She also spent two years at Oxford University as a graduate student.

She has received numerous awards for teaching and research, including two Extraordinary Merit in Research awards, two Mortar Board Top Prof awards, recognition for excellence in both advising and teaching, and UW's highest teaching honor, the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award.

Casper College hosts Matteo Pistono

Matteo Pistono, author of "In the Shadow of the Buddha," returns to Wyoming April 5-8

Author Matteo Pistono was one of the speakers at the Casper College Humanities Festival in February. He’s returning to the state in April for presentations in Casper and Laramie. Here are the details:

Tuesday, April 5, 6 p.m., Casper

Casper College, Leik Auditorium, Physical Sciences 103

“Tibetan Pilgrimage: In the Shadow of the Buddha”

Slide show and Book Talk by Matteo Pistono

Thursday, April  7, 3:10 p.m., Laramie

International Studies Program, University of Wyoming

“China, Tibet, and the Human Rights Debate: Why Can¹t the Dalai Lama and China Find Common Ground?”

Lecture by Matteo Pistono followed by response by Jean Garrison, Tom Seitz and Michael Brose

Friday, April 8, 7-8 p.m., Laramie

Second Story Books, 105 East Ivinson

“Tibetan Pilgrimage: In the Shadow of the Buddha”

Slide show and Book Talk

Watch the video trailer for “In the Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet” at http://www.matteopistono.com/disc.htm

"Jentel Presents" April 5 in SAGE Space at the Sheridan Historic Train Depot

Jentel Artist Residency Program is pleased to present this month's residents in an event open to the public.

"Jentel Presents" will take place Tuesday, April 5, 2011, from 5:30-7 p.m. at SAGE Space, in the Historic Train Depot on 5th and Broadway, across from The Sheridan Inn in Sheridan. This month's presenters include a fiction writer, an oil painter, a sculptor, a videographer/sculptor, a novelist, and an installation artist.

"Jentel Presents" is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Laramie printmaker Nyla Hurley at "Jentel Presents" March 1 in Sheridan's SAGE Space

Lynn Reeves sends this from Jentel (note that there is a Wyomingite in the mix)

Jentel Artist Residency Program is pleased to present this month’s residents in an event open to the public. “Jentel Presents” will take place Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at SAGE Space, in the Historic Train Depot on Fifth and Broadway, across from The Sheridan Inn. This month’s presenters include a fiction writer, painter, printmaker, novelist, fiber artist, and a photographer. “Jentel Presents” is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include: Kate Blakinger, Hollidaysburg, PA; A fiction writer, Kate has kayaked along the Alaskan coast, gone caving in Puerto Rico and wandered through Moroccan cities. Places often inspire her stories. Eric Elliott, Seattle, WA; A painter, Eric narrowly avoided death many times during his childhood. He struggled from far-off Alaska to travel the world, lived in many places, studied at one of the best schools in the country and began his life as an artist. Nyla Hurley, Laramie, WY; A printmaker, Nyla is a quiet country girl by day and a fervent print nerd by night. She appreciates good friends, great food and good beer. David Samuel Levinson, Berlin; A novelist, David is a Texan, but left Texas for NYC, then left NYC for Berlin. He studied Spanish, Italian and Russian. German? It was never on his mind! Gerri Sayler, Moscow, ID; A fiber artist, Gerri can’t think of any work she’d rather do now than create sculpture with her hands, fibers and space. It thrills her to the bone. Cathrine Walters, Missoula, MT; A photographer, Cathrine is originally from Wisconsin, where she left her family to pursue an idea, a dream, a landscape out West. It took the death of her father to make her realize how precious every moment, every relationship, every day is.

For anyone looking for a stimulating evening, come join the crowd at the SAGE Space, at the Historic Train Depot, Fifth and Broadway. Free. Refreshments are available.

Pinedale artist Sue Sommers part of "Jentel Presents" Feb. 1 at SAGE Space in Sheridan

“Jentel Presents” will take place Tuesday, February 1, from 5:30-7 p.m. at SAGE Space, in Sheridan's Historic Train Depot, 5th and Broadway, across from The Sheridan Inn. Presenters include a fiction writer, a mixed media painter, a self-portrait painter, a short story writer, an acrylic painter, and an installation artist. “Jentel Presents” is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include: Jane Kim, a New York fiction writer; Jane enjoys most movies, but she loves movies where characters do nothing but walk. Dustin London, a Brooklyn mixed media painter; Dustin grew up on a dead end road in the woods of Michigan. That landscape has molded his entire life and outlook. Amy MacLennan, a Germantown Hills, IL, self-portrait painter; Amy, thankfully, was pretty much ignored as a child, freeing her up to figure things out on her own. She’s still working on it. Beth Nelson, a Centennial, CO, short story writer; Beth has fostered a child, trekked in Nepal, curated a gallery and lived in Saudi Arabia. She supports fine art photography by volunteering at Camera Obscura Gallery. Sue Sommers, a Pinedale, WY, acrylic painter; Sue is committed to living in Wyoming and to maintaining a professional contemporary visual art practice. To succeed though, her work must circulate outside Wyoming.

Jim Zeske, a Hanover Township, PA, installation artist; Jim is always busy exploring new places and meeting new people. He gets involved in as many things as he can to both educate and learn.

Photo: Back Row - L to R: City Park Buffalo, Jane Kim, Amy MacLennan, Dustin London, Beth Nelson, Jim Zeske. Front Row – Sue Sommers

Showcase your ideas and passion at Ignite Cheyenne on Feb. 8

From Ignite Cheyenne:

If you had five minutes to say something to the people of Cheyenne, what would you say?

Well think it over, because we are giving you a chance to say it.  Ignite Cheyenne is a place where people from Cheyenne and southeastern Wyoming can come to share ideas, hobbies, socialize and have a great time.   Ignite Cheyenne is about showcasing your ideas and your passion.  Both of those things can make Cheyenne an even better place!  We want to hear you talk at Ignite Cheyenne.

We are back with another awesome event in downtown Cheyenne.  All of you who came the first time, we’d love to see you again, and all of you who couldnt make it, we hope to see you this time!

If you run a business and would like to put up information or would like a flyer to email to your friends, you can get our PDF Flyer Here.

Location: Historic Plains Hotel
1600 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Map can be found here.

Date: February 8, 2011

Schedule:
6pm Doors open - Come for mingling and drinks
7 pm First group of talks
7:30 – 8pm Intermission
8 – 8:30pm  Second group of talks
9pm Go home enlightened

Tickets: You can get them here.  Tickets are free, but you must register to attend.

Agenda: Presenters have not been picked.  If you’re interested in presenting, head over here to read some guidelines on the talks, then contact us at ignitecheyenne [at] gmail [dot] com

Event Curators:
Anna Nowak
Jeff Fruhwirth
Juliette Rule

Date change for "Civility Matters" in Cheyenne

From the Wyoming Humanities Council:

Join Us for "Civility Matters! The Decline of Legislative Civility — But Not in Wyoming."

Friday, December 10, 5:30-7 p.m.

Historic Plains Hotel, 1600 Central Avenue, Cheyenne.

Join us for refreshments and conversation about Wyoming’s place in the national debate over declining legislative civility.

Leading the dialogue at 6 p.m. will be Rutgers University legislative scholar Alan Rosenthal speaking on “The Decline of Legislative Civility — But Not in Wyoming.” Rosenthal, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University, researches and teaches about state legislatures and state politics.

The author of numerous books on state legislatures, he has worked with legislatures in most of the states and with the three national legislative organizations. His most recent book is Engines of Democracy: Politics and Policymaking in State Legislatures. In 2006 he was the recipient of an award for lifetime achievement from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. He is currently chairman of the New Jersey Legislature’s Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.

"Civility Matters!" is a multi-year initiative of the Wyoming Humanities Council which offers promotion and online and face-to-face programs on the topic of civility. Residents of the Cowboy State will have broad opportunities to consider the meaning of civility, both in the context of the nation’s democratic commitments to freedom of expression and in the context of an increasingly global world.

Funding is provided by the Wyoming State Legislature through the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, the University of Wyoming Outreach School, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. "Civility Matters!" complements the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 50-state American Civility Tour, conducted by NEH Chairman Jim Leach in 2010-2011.

The Wyoming Humanities Council is a nonprofit organization affiliated with NEH. For more information about the event or the Wyoming Humanities Council, call 307-721-9243 or visit www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

Willie LeClair at Uinta County Library

UW Social Justice Research Center presents free public lecture on nonviolence by Gandhi's grandson

From a University of Wyoming press release:

The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Arun Gandhi, peace activist and proponent of nonviolence, will speak at the University of Wyoming Tuesday, Nov. 16, as part of the UW Social Justice Research Center's semester speaker series.

His free public lecture, "Lessons Learned from My Grandfather: Non-violence in a Violent World," -- offering firsthand insights into one of history's most influential leaders -- is from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts main stage.
"We are excited to have Mr. Gandhi here at the University of Wyoming. At a time of such contentious societal dialogue around the war in Afghanistan, immigration reform and restrictions, and even the meaning of social justice, a voice of peace and civility is much needed," says Francisco Rios, UW Social Justice Research Center director and head of the Department of Educational Studies.

Few names in world history evoke such powerful images of integrity, courage, social harmony and -- perhaps most of all -- hope, than Gandhi. Arun Gandhi carries within himself the same guiding principles as his grandfather, the legendary peace-maker and spiritual leader.

Growing up in apartheid South Africa as a person of Indian heritage meant racial confrontations with both blacks and whites. Filled with rage and plotting to avenge his beatings, Arun Gandhi subscribed to Charles Atlas' bodybuilding magazines so he would have the strength to fight back. When his parents discovered the reason for their 12-year-old son's sudden fascination with exercise, they decided that a visit to his grandfather in India was in order.

What followed was an 18-month stay with one of the world's great leaders that would give him the keys to the powerful philosophy of nonviolence and help shape the foundation for his life's work.

After leading successful projects for economic and social reform in India, Arun Gandhi came to the United States in 1987 to complete research for a comparative study on racism in America. In 1991, Gandhi and his late wife, Sunanda, founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, now headquartered at the University of Rochester, N.Y. The institute promotes nonviolence through workshops, lectures and community outreach programs.

UW's Social Justice Research Center, Indian Student Association and the Department of Theatre and Dance sponsor the talk. For more information, call the UW Social Justice Research Center at (307) 766-3422.

Photo: Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, will discuss "Lessons Learned from My Grandfather: Non-violence in a Violent World," from 4-5:30 p.m. Nov. 16, in the Fine Arts main stage.

"Pricing Strategies for Artists" Oct. 30 at Cheyenne Artists' Guild

You are invited to a presentation on "Pricing Strategies for Artists" on Saturday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Cheyenne Artists' Guild, 1701 Morrie Ave., Cheyenne.

Andrea Pressue, director of micro-lending for the Wyoming Women's Business Center, will present.

Artists should bring a rough estimate of their expenses, including insurance, studio space rental, web site hosting fees, etc.

Fee is $15 for members, $20 for non-members.

FMI: http://www.cheyenneartistsguild.org/

Author Paul Shankman discusses "The Trashing of Margaret Mead"

Author Paul Shankman will discuss his new book, "The Trashing of Margaret Mead: Anatomy of a Controversy," Friday, Oct. 8, at 4 p.m. in Room 150 of the University of Wyoming Anthropology Building in Laramie.

A University of Colorado professor of anthropology, Shankman has spent years studying the work of Derek Freeman, who has been harshly critical of Mead's work, including her most famous book, 1928's "Coming of Age in Samoa." Mead portrayed an idyllic, non-Western society, free of much sexual restraint and lacking much violence, guilt and anger.

Freeman, an anthropologist, said Mead was wrong and launched a heated public controversy. Shankman first did field work in Samoa in 1966 and has returned periodically since then. He has uncovered new evidence that Freeman's fierce criticism of Mead contained fundamental flaws.

Copies of the book can be purchased at the UW Bookstore, or, following the lecture, in Room 150 of the Anthropology Building.

Wind River Valley Artists' Guild event a bit lonely on National Arts & Humanities Month map

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Plucked the following info from the map of events for National Arts & Humanities Month on the Americans for the Arts web site. It was the only Wyoming event on the map. To add your October lecture or concert or poetry reading or any other A&H happening, go to http://artsactionfund.org/page/s/nahm_share.

"Beatriz E Ledesma Art Talk" will be held on Thursday October 14, at the Wind River Valley Artists' Guild at 20 Stalnaker St., Dubois.

Ledesma will talk about her latest series "Not Quite There Yet" in a visual presentation.

FMI: http://www.wrvag.org/

At Teton County Library Oct. 1: "How (Not) to Understand India through Bollywood"

"How (Not) to Understand India through Bollywood: Dreams and Desires in the New World Order," is a pr4esentation by Mir Ali Husain, Bollywood songwriter and New York Institute of Technology Management Studies Professor.

The event will be held on Friday, Oct. 1, 7-8:30 p.m., at the Teton County Public Library in jackson.

The presenter asks: "What defines a Bollywood movie? What can the world's largest film industry tell us about India? About the U.S.?" Presentation includes film clips and Q&A. Indian tea and cookies served!

Sponsored by Wyoming Council for the Humanities, University of Wyoming's Gender & Women's Studies, International Programs, History & International Studies Departments. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Free. Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org.