ROBIN WRIGHT 8, 09esday, October 28, Oct. 8, 2009- 6:30 pm - PAC Mainstage
“The Future of the Middle East”
Robin Wright, award-winning Washington Post diplomatic correspondent, explored The Future of
the Middle East, a region she has covered for three decades. “The most daunting foreign policy challenge the U.S. faces over the next decade,” she says, “isn’t just containing extremism, but channeling the enormous energy behind political change into peaceful directions.”
A MacArthur Foundation grant recipient, her 2008 book “Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East.” The New York Times called it “a fluent and intelligent look” at the region from Morocco to Iran from “one of the best informed American journalists” covering the region.
Wright has reported from more than 130 countries on six continents. In addition to the Middle East, Wright spent seven years reporting from Africa, receiving the Overseas Press Club Award for “best reporting in any medium requiring exceptional courage and initiative” for her war coverage. She was awarded the U.N.'s Correspondent's Association Gold Medal for coverage of international affairs & National Magazine Award for her New Yorker reportage from Iran
Dreams and Shadows - The Future of the Middle East
The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil & Transformation in Iran
Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam
Flashpoints: Promise and Peril in a New World
In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade
View Archived INERNET TALK SHOW - http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/wright/
Anthropology Professor Kathleen Young moderated the talk show and interviewed Ms. Wright,
using questions posted to the internet. View the archive at the above website.
2007-2008
Stephen Prothero - World Religions Expert
Feb.12, 08 - PAC Mainstage - 6:30 PM
According to Stephen Prothero, the United States is one of the most religious nations, and yet it knows very little about religion and that this religious illiteracy is one of our most pressing civic problems. Prothero is Chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University.
He believes, that most Americans don't know very much about their own religions, and less about the religions of others. In Religious Literacy, he argues why religion must become the "Fourth R" of American education, he calls for our schools to teach mandatory academic study of religions. This has sparked a debate about the powerful and often uncontested role religion plays in our lives.
Prothero's previous book, American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon, is an incisive account of Jesus' transformation, in Americans' hearts and minds, from crucified Lord to folk hero, and from divinity to celebrity. Prothero earned his PhD in Religion from Harvard, and is a specialist in Asian religious traditions in the U.S. He is a frequent guest on NPR, and has appeared on The Today Show, The Daily Show and The O'Reilly Factor. He has also written for Salon.com and The New York Times Magazine.
Roland Fryer - Economist
Thur., April 10, 08 - PAC Mainstage - 6:30 PM
Economist Roland Fryer came into the public eye when The New York Times ran his profile: Toward a Unified Theory of Black America in March, 2005. It outlined his childhood struggle, where he was exposed to drugs, crime and parental abandonment. Despite his life of poverty, Fryer received an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas at Arlington graduating in 2.5 years. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from Penn State.
An Assistant Economics Professor at Harvard, Fryer applies economic theories to issues of race & discrimination. Named a "Rising Star" by Fortune Magazine and featured in Esquire’s “Genius Issue,” many recognize Fryer’s name from the book Freakonomics, written by economist Steven Levitt & journalist Stephen Dubner. Fryer & Levitt collaborated on several chapters. From his findings on racial inequalities within the American educational system, the reasons why people join the Ku Klux Klan and the economic impact of a child’s first name, Fryer and the Freakonomics authors debunked some of society’s racial mores.
Fryer’s work has been profiled in The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe & Black Voices. Applying scientific economic tools to social/racial issues, he has studied the black-white achievement gap, causes/consequences of distinctively black names, mixed-race children, colorblind affirmative action, and consumption patterns of blacks vs. whites. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. believes Fryer will " raise the analysis of African-American experience to new levels of rigor."
Brian Greene - Physicist & String Theorist
Brian Greene is a leading physicist and a dynamic communicator of cutting-edge scientific concepts. His books, The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos, both spent 6 months on The New York Times bestsellers list. Greene was the first physicist to edit The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006. In his intro., he wrote, “Willful ignorance of science is not okay. We are living through a radical cultural shift, one in which science and technology play a pervasive role in everyday life . . . A scientifically literate public is, increasingly vital.”
Greene studied at Harvard and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. He holds a professorship in Physics & Mathematics at Columbia University. His research focuses on the quantum mechanical properties of space/ time. In 1990, Greene and a Harvard colleague discovered mirror symmetry, a property of string theory that has launched a field of research in both math & physics. In 1993 & 1995, they discovered topology change. Einstein’s general relativity shows that the fabric of space can stretch in time (resulting in our expanding universe), it doesn't allow the fabric to rip. To contrary: Greene showed in string theory, by including quantum mechanics, the fabric of space can tear, establishing the universe can evolve in more dramatic ways than Einstein envisioned.
Greene hosted a three-part NOVA special The Elegant Universe, which won an Emmy and a Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. He is working with Robert LePage to develop his "Strings and Strings" collaboration with the Emerson Quartet for performances in '08 at Lincoln Center. And, he is organizing the first annual World Science Festival, a weeklong event that will allow public to explore science, from cutting-edge research to works in theatre, film, and the arts inspired by scientific ideas.
A DVD of Brian Greene's talk - Why Science Matters, & a DVD of his class discussion, are available for viewing in Special Collections section of Western's Wilson Library. Hours: 11am - 4 pm. M-F or by appointment. To schedule an appointment call: 360-650-3193. The DVDs are archival only, and can not be checked out of the library.
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2006-2007
Wed. February 7, 2007- 6:30 pm
Snapshots: Glimpses of America in Change
Actress, Playwright & performance artist Anna Deavere Smith explores issues of race, community and character in America. Awarded the MacArthur Foundation "genius" Fellowship for creating "a new form of theater," she blends theatrical art, social commentary and journalism. Smith is the author and performer of two one-woman plays about racial tensions Fires in the Mirror (Obie Award-winner and runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize) and Twilight Los Angeles 1992 (Obie Award-winner). She combines the journalistic technique of interviewing subjects from all walks of life with the art of recreating their words in performance. She transforms herself onstage into an astonishing number of characters expressing each characters' own points of view on controversial issues.
She played national Security Advisor Nancy McNally on The West Wing and co-starred in Presidio Med. She has appeared in - The Human Stain, Philadelphia, Dave, and The American President. The film version of Twilight premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. She is author of Letters to a Young Artist: and Talk to Me: Travels in Media & Politics. A professor at Tisch School of the Arts at NY University she is affiliated with the NYU School of Law, where she teaches a course on The Art of Listening." Her new play Let Me Down Easy, debuts at the Public Theatre in 2006-2007.
A DVD of Ms. Smith's performance is available for viewing in the library's special collections - m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only, & cannot be checked out.
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Thursday, October 12, 2006
"A User's Guide to Unintended Consequences"
Internet Talk Show - The next morning, Tenner answered questions posted via the internet. Computer Science Professor David Bover interviewed Mr. Tenner, using posted questions. View archived Talk Show at: http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/tenner/
Edward Tenner is a writer, and consultant on technology/culture. His book " Why Things Bite Back:Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences"is an international bestseller. His recent book, "Our Own Devices: The Past & Future of Body Technology," is a history of invention. He believes that an unchecked allegiance to advances in technology has produced unintended consequences. Dubbed by NPR as “the philosopher of everyday technology,” Tenner looks at how inventions have impacted our world in ways we never intended or imagined. He illustrates how some things we create have a tendency to bounce back and change us.
Tenner is a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania in the Dept. of History & Sociology of Science and a senior research associate, Center for Study of Invention & Innovation, National Museum of American History. He has contributed essays to many publications including Technology Review, American Heritage of Invention and Technology & Metropolis, and web publications - Microsoft Slate, and Forbes.com
A DVD of Tenner's talk is available for viewing in the library's special collections - m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. DVD is archival only, & can't be checked out.
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2005-2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
"Lessons Learned or Not Learned from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide: Towards an Effective Response to Genocide in the 21st Century"
Major Brent Beardsley, Operations Manager for General Romeo Dallaire, U.N. Peacekeeping Force in Rwanda, and recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross for leadership and bravery spoke on his experience with the genocide and the lessons learned. In 1993, Major Beardsley accompanied General Dallaire to Rwanda to help two warring factions achieve a peace that both sides claimed they wanted. Instead they were immersed in spiraling chaos, unrest and ultimately genocide. By the end of 1994, over 800,000 Rwandans had been killed. Ten years later, Beardsley helped Dallaire tell the story in the book Shake Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda.
Beardsley served for 27 years as an infantry Officer in the Royal Canadian Regiment of the Canadian Army, including four tours of duty in Canada, Europe and the Middle East. He has been an instructor, army doctrine and training staff officer and the Chief Instructor of the Canadian Forces Peacekeeping Training Centre. He currently serves as a research officer at the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute at the Canadian Defense Academy.
A DVD of Beardsley's talk is available for check out at Western's library.
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Konrad Steffen - Climatologist
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
"Changes in the Arctic Ice Cover - Greenland Ice Sheet & Surrounding Oceans "
Climatologist Konrad Steffen, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at University of Colorado, Boulder, has studied the impact of climate on polar and high alpine regions for three decades. His research has taken him to the Canadian Arctic, Switzerland and China. In 1990, he set up a research station, known as Swiss Camp, on a platform drilled into Greenland’s ice sheet. His observations, confirmed with satellite imagery, show an expanding melt area, including unprecedented melt in recent years, especially 2002 and 2005. NASA images show melting to a record elevation of 6,500 feet as well as melting in areas where it had not occurred since satellites began mapping the ice sheet in 1978.
Steffen’s findings have appeared in journals as well BBC-reports and a 2005 New Yorker magazine series on global climate change. His work, with that of his students & associates, has heightened knowledge of arctic climate, warming and melting dynamics.
DVD of Steffen's talk is available for check out at Western's library.
Johnpaul Jones - Architect
Friday, October 7, 2005
"Stand Inside Our Ways and Beliefs"
Internet Talk Show
Professor Linda Smeins interviewed Mr. Jones, using questions that were posted to the internet.
Johnpaul Jones infused Smithsonian Museum of Native American Indian with "the way of people" Jones, principal of Seattle-based Jones & Jones Architects was the lead architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C. One of 100 American Indian architects in the country, Jones helped lead a movement to diversify Seattle’s architectural and design community in the mid-1980s. He was named a fellow to the American Institute of Architects.
Jones designs with a strong commitment to the earth. He wins design recognition for heightening our sensitivity to environmental issues and the indigenous cultures of America, paying respect to regional architectural traditions and native landscapes and connecting us to the spirit of place. In the 1970s, Jones' architecture helped alter the direction of zoological design by blending with the landscape and focusing on animals' health, safety, and public education about animals. His philosophy grew from his Native American heritage, which connects him to the natural world, animal world, sprit world, and human world of his Choctaw/Cherokee ancestors.
His award winning designs include: the Gorilla Habitat at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, Tiger River Trail & Tree house at San Diego Zoo, Grassland Habitat Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum, Longhouse Ed. & Cultural Center at the Evergreen State College, The People's Lodge, Seattle, Icicle Creek Music Center, Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat, Leavenworth and the Hanford Reach National Monument Visitor Center.
DVD of Jones' presentation is available for check out at Western's library.
View an archive of Jones' Talk Show at http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/johnpaul_jones/
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2004-2005
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Environmental Activist, Attorney & Author
May 5,2005 - 6:30 pm - Carver Gym
"Crimes Against Nature"
"Environmentalists are dismissed as tree huggers, but there’s nothing radical about clean air and clean water for our children." - RFK, Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has fought pollution battles for decades as an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper, president of Waterkeeper Alliance, and professor & attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic, Pace Univ. Law School. A former assistant district attorney for NY City, he wrote Crimes Against Nature & co-authored The Riverkeepers.
Kennedy led fight to protect New York City's water supply. His reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stemmed from successful legal actions including prosecuting governments & companies for polluting the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, arguing cases to expand citizen access to the shoreline and suing treatment plants to force compliance with the Clean Water Act. He assisted Canadian and Latin American indigenous tribes to successfully negotiate treaties protecting traditional homelands. He is an outspoken critic of the environmental policies of Bush administration.
Named one of Time magazine's "Heroes for the Planet" for helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River, he is Harvard graduate Harvard, and studied at the London School of Economics. His law degree is from the Univ. of Virginia Law School & his Masters Degree in Environmental Law from Pace University Law School.
A DVD of Kennedy's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. DVD is archival, and cannot be checked out.
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Carol Moseley Braun - Former U.S. Senator and Ambassador
Oct. 14, 2004 - An Election Year Debate
Two Speakers from Opposite Ends of the Political Spectrum
Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun was a U.S. Senator and Ambassador to New Zealand & Samoa, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Illinois State Representative and county executive officer. In 2004, she was a candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, where she qualified for more states' ballots than any woman in U.S. history. Her accomplishments reflect her commitment to public service, education, and social justice.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, she became Illinois’ first female senator and the Democratic Party’s first African-American senator. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she worked primarily in the civil and appellate law areas and tried cases of national importance. Her work in housing, health policy and environmental law won her the Attorney General's Special Achievement award. In 1978 Moseley Braun was elected a Representative in the Illinois General Assembly as an independent Democrat and was named Assistant Majority Leader. Moseley Braun has also been a professor of law & political science at Morris Brown College and DePaul University), lawyer and business consultant.
A DVD of Ms Braun's s talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. DVD is archival & cannot be checked out.
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John Podhoretz - Conservative Columnist & Author
Oct. 14, 2004 - An Election Year Debate
Two Speakers from Opposite Ends of the Political Spectrum
John Podhoretz is a twice-weekly columnist for the New York Post, a political commentator for the FOX News Channel, a cultural commentator for National Review Online and a contributing editor to the Weekly Standard. His recent book, Bush Country: How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane, is a New York Times bestseller. He was co-founder and deputy editor of the Weekly Standard from 1995-1997 before returning to the New York Post as its Editorial Page Editor. He later served as the paper's arts /features editor before becoming a full-time columnist.
Mr. Podhoretz has worked at Time, The Washington Times, Insight and U.S. News & World Report. Early in his career, he was a speechwriter for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and a special assistant to Drug Czar, William Bennett. He co-founded the White House Writers Group, a speechwriting and public-relations firm and was the publisher of the Republican Faxwire. His book, Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies 1989-1993 was published in 1999.
A DVD of Podhoretz's talk is available in the library's special Collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. DVD is archival & cannot be checked out.
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2003-2004
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto - Historian and Author
Thursday, May 6, 2004 - 6:30 PM "Fat: A Short Global History"
Historian Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, tells the story of food in his recent book, Near a Thousand Tables - A History of Food. Starting with the revolutionary notion of our decision to cook our food, Fernandez-Armesto delves into the history of how food changed through the centuries, and why we eat what we do. He traced the origins of cooking, the invention of agriculture, the rise of inequality, which led to the development of haute cuisine and the globalization of mass-produced food.
Fernandez-Armesto is a Professional Fellow of Queen Mary, University of London, and a Modern History faculty member at Oxford University. He is the author of 13 books, including Near a Thousand Tables and Millennium: A History of the Last Thousand Years. His broadcasting credits include BBC and CNN. He is the winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Literary Food Writing.
A DVD of Fernandez-Armesto's talk is available for check out at Western's library.
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Tony Kushner - An Evening with Acclaimed Playwright & Author
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004
"Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy" and Interview with Theatre Arts Professor, Jim Lortz
Tony Kushner, an impassioned voice in contemporary American drama, took the theater world by storm with his epic drama, Angels in America : A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. A 7-hour play in two parts, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, Angels in America explores what is is like to be gay and affected by AIDS during the '80s & '90s in the U.S. It won a Pulitzer Prize for drama and two Tony Awards for best play.
Brundibar is Kushner's most recent book, in collaboration with legendary artist Maurice Sendak. Published in 2003, it is based on the Czech opera that was performed by children in Theresienstadt, a Nazi concentration camp. Kushner's other works include: A Bright Room Called Day, Homebody/Kabul and Slavs!. Kushner is author of many essays published in The Nation, Newsweek, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Advocate. A collection of essays, Thinking about the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness was published in 1997. A new volume, Save Your Democratic Citizen Soul!, was published in 2003.
A video of Kushner's talk is available in the library's Special Collections m-f - 11-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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Russell Banks
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
A Reading with Acclaimed Author
Internet Talk Show Mr. Banks answered questions posted via the internet. Professor Bill Smith interviewed Mr. Banks, using the posted questions. View archived Talk Show at http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/banks/
Novelist and screenwriter, Russell Banks, writes with empathy and compassionate humor that keeps readers afloat through the misadventures and tragedies in his nine novels and four collections of stories. His Continental Drift was a 1986 Pulitzer-Prize finalist and Affliction was short-listed for the PEN/Faulkner Fiction Prize. In 2002, he produced and wrote the screen adaptations for Continental Drift and Rule of the Bone. Affliction and The Sweet Hereafter have been made into critically acclaimed films. HBO developed a three-hour adaptation of Cloudsplitter, Banks’ novel based on the life of abolitionist raider John Brown.
Banks was raised in New Hampshire “where the winters were endless, and the soil barren, and the houses falling down.” Among many honors, he has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the O. Henry Prize and the Best American Short Story Award. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he has most recently taught in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University.
Video's of Bank's talk & "Class Discussion with Russell Banks" are available in the library's Special Collections M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. Tapes are archival only - cannot be checked out.
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2002-2003
Frank Deford
Monday, May 5, 2003
"Sports: The Hype & the Hypocrisy"
Frank Deford, a writer, recently returned to the staff of Sports Illustrated where his byline originally appeared from 1962-89. He can be heard on NPR’s Morning Edition and is a regular correspondent on HBO’s RealSports With Bryant Gumbel. Deford is an author of 13 books, including, An American Summer. His book, Everybody’s All-American was made into a movie as was Alex: The Life of a Child, about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis. He wrote the original screenplay for Trading Hearts and, his novel, Casey on the Loose, is being adapted as a Broadway musical. Deford has won both an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award.
Deford received a National Magazine Award for a profile of basketball legend Bill Russell. Elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters, he has been U.S. Sportswriter of the Year six times. The Washington Journalism Review twice voted him Magazine Writer of the Year.
A video of Deford's talk is available the library's Special Collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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An Evening with Lewis Lapham
Friday, February 21, 2003
Lewis Lapham is editor of Harper's Magazine and author of "Notebook," a monthly essay in Harper's which won the '95 National Magazine Award for "exhilarating point of view in an age of conformity." His books include: Money & Class in America Imperial Masquerade, Wish for Kings, Hotel America: Scenes in the Lobby of the Fin-de-Siecle, Waiting for the Barbarians, Lapham's Rules of Influence, & Theater of War.
Educated at Yale and Cambridge, Lapham worked as a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner and the New York Herald Tribune. He has also wrote for Life, Commentary, National Review, The London Observer, American Spectator, New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He hosted and authored a six-part documentary series, "America's Century," broadcast on PBS and overseas in 1989. Lapham was also the host and executive editor of "Bookmark," a television series seen on 150 stations between 1989 and 1991
A video of Lapham's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out
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Robert Sapolsky
Thursday, October 10, 2002
"Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers:
Stress,
Disease & Coping "
Robert Sapolsky is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a brain researcher and a stress expert at Stanford University and research associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. Every summer since the ‘70’s, while he was an undergraduate at Harvard, Sapolsky has traveled to Kenya to study Serengeti baboons, whose competitive, stressful society resembles our own. “Baboons live in complex social groups,” Sapolsky says. “They work four hours a day to feed themselves and have six hours of sunlight to devote to being rotten to each other. Just like our society. We live well enough to have the luxury to get sick with purely social, psychological stress.” Sapolsky observes links between baboon’s behavior and their health, and considers why some individuals handle stress better than others.
Sapolsky is a professor of biology/neurology at Stanford where he runs a lab researching the effects of stress on human health and brain chemistry. He is the author of A Primate’s Memoir, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: Stress, Disease and Coping, and The Trouble with Testosterone. He is also a regular contributor to the magazines Discover and The Sciences.
A video of Sapolsky's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 -4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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2001-2002
Poetry Reading by Robert Hass -
Poet Laureate (95-97)
Thursday, April 18, 2002
Internet Talk Show with Robert Hass
Robert Hass is an insightful poet and activist who intertwines passion for literacy with a fascination for nature & the environment. An award-winning poet, he expands the scope and meaning of “environmental literature.” As U.S. poet laureate (95/97), Hass brought his flair and artistry to the position, making poetry accessible and underscoring its power to educate/inspire/ and console. In his writing, he transmits his public vision in a rich personal voice. In his public role, he attacks illiteracy by supporting writers and environmentalists who teach inner-city children about America’s long tradition of nature writing.
Hass, an English professor at UC, Berkeley has written poetry books (Field Guide, Praise, Human Wishes, and Sun Under Wood ) and a book of criticism - Twentieth Century Pleasures: Prose & Poetry. His honors include: John & Catherine MacArthur fellowship and two National Book Critics Circle Awards. Hass is well-known for his collaborative translations of the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, and for reintroducing the haiku tradition of Basho.
A video of Hass' talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out
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Helen Thomas - Journalist & dean of White house press corps
Thursday, January 17, 2002 ▪ "Reporting on the White House from JFK to George W. Bush"
Helen Thomas established her place in history during a long and career as dean of the White House press corps. Described by Gerald Ford as "a fine blend of journalism and acupuncture," she traveled the world with Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George Bush and Clinton. Known for her astute and terse questions to presidents and press secretaries, Helen Thomas is a trailblazer among journalists whose reputation for accuracy and integrity has given her the status of public servant par excellence.
Helen Thomas's White House career began when John F. Kennedy was President-elect and when women still had a limited role in journalism. She covered the presidency for four decades, tendering her resignation in May 2000 during Bill Clinton's presidency. Her hallmark "Thank you, Mr. President," first uttered in 1961, marked the conclusion of every presidential press conference on her watch. Thomas continues to bring her insightful reports to a worldwide readership. She has chronicled her career in two books, Front Row at the White House and Dateline White House.
A video of Thomas' talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 - 4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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Freeman Dyson - Physicist, Mathematician & Humanitarian
Thursday, October 11, 2001
"Technology & Social Justice"
Review his lecture text online, or click this link to view - Internet Talk Show
Freeman Dyson is a distinguished physicist, mathematician, futurist and humanitarian who is keenly aware of the human side of science and the consequences of technology. He was honored for his personal and professional commitment to the ethical reconciliation of technology and social justice when he was awarded the prestigious 2000 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. In addition to his speculative work on the possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations, he is widely admired for his imaginative and insightful books where scientific theories are skillfully presented as approachable concepts. His books include Disturbing the Universe, Weapons & Hope, Infinite in All Directions, Origins of Life & The Sun, The Genome & the Internet.
Dyson was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton for more than 40 years, and retired as Professor Emeritus in 1994. He is a regular visitor to Bellingham and WWU.
A video of Dyson's talk is available for check out at Western's library
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2000-2001
Edward Said
Monday, April 30, 2001
"The Relevance of Humanism"
Edward Said was an accomplished musician, music critic, author, and respected cultural theorist. His work encompasses the richness of music and literature and the politics of culture.
Said was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Literature, President of the Modern Language Association, and an Honorary Fellow of King's College, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Cairo and the National University of Ireland. He was a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where he taught since 1963. In 1992 he attained the rank of University Professor, Columbia's most prestigious academic position. Said also taught at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Yale universities. He was fluent in Arabic, English and French.
Said was awarded numerous honorary doctorates from universities around the world and the Wellek Prize of the American Comparative Literature Association. His autobiographical memoir Out of Place won the 1999 New Yorker Prize for non-fiction.
A video of Said's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. Tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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Oliver Sacks
Wednesday, January 24, 2001
"Neurology & the Soul"
Oliver Sacks is an internationally acclaimed neurologist and author. In his writing, Dr. Sacks weaves the astonishing case histories of his patients into riveting medical mysteries. His books include Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Awakenings (made into a film with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams), The Island of the Colorblind and An Anthropologist on Mars.
Sacks received his medical degree at Oxford University and trained at UCLA and at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco. He is in private practice in New York where he has spent many years as a clinical professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
A video of Sacks' talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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Ira Glass
Friday, October 27, 2000
"Lies, Sissies & Fiascoes: Notes on Making A "New Kind of Radio"
Since 1995, Ira Glass has been the host/ producer of This American Life, a Peabody Award winning public radio program that gives voice to those outside the mainstream. He documents contemporary American culture and engages listeners with a style of journalism that is candid and compassionate. He pinpoints the unusual in everyda
y life and reveals the ways in which ordinary people are overcome by extraordinary obsessions.
His programs feature documentary stories, memoirs, monologues and fiction. They are intimate, surprising, funny and bittersweet and have made This American Life one of public radio's fastest growing programs. Glass graduated from Brown University in 1982 with a major in semiotics. He has been with NPR since he was a 19-year-old student intern, and has worked as producer, editor and reporter on All Things Considered and Morning Edition.
A video of Glass's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 -4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.
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1999-2000
Arthur Peacocke
Thursday, April 27, 2000
"The End of All Our Exploring:
From Science Toward God?"
For over 25 years, Arthur Peacocke taught and did research on the physical chemistry of biological macromolecules (especially DNA) at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford, where he was a Fellow of St Peter's College. In 1972, he became Dean of Clare College, Cambridge. His research since then has been the relation of science to theology and the philosophical questions this poses. He is a priest of the Church of England, an Honorary Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, founder of the Science & Religion Forum in the U.K. His latest work is The Physical Chemistry of Biological Organization and, in theology, God and Science: the quest for Christian credibility.
Currently, Peacocke is Warden Emeritus at the Society of Ordained Scientists and Hon. Chaplain & Honorary Canon at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. In '86 he became an Academic Fellow at the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science. He is VP of the Science & Religion Forum and of the Modern Church People's Union. He is also a Council Member of The European Society for the Study of Science And Theology.
A video of Peacocke's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 -4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only and cannot be checked out
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An Evening with Maya Angelou - Award-winning poet
November 17, 1999 - Carver Gym
Maya Angelou, an award-winning poet, is best known for her autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and the poem, On the Pulse of Morning, which she delivered at President Clinton's 1993 inauguration. Critics hail her ability to write with intensity about issues of freedom and renewal. Angelou stresses the value of ethnic, economic and religious diversity in all undertakings. A passionate and powerful speaker, she challenges audiences to invest their spirit and heart in the elevation of the human condition.
Maya Angelou is a Renaissance woman who is hailed as "one of the great voices of contemporary literature." As a poet, educator, historian, author, actress, playwright and civil-rights activist she travels the world, spreading her wisdom. Within the rhythm of her poetry and prose lies her unique power to help readers span the lines of race. Angelou captivates audiences through the vigor and beauty of her words and lyrics.
A video of Angelou's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only and cannot be checked out
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Chai Ling - Spokesperson for the Chinese democracy movement
Monday, October 18, 1999
"Road to Freedom, Democracy in China"
As Chief Commander of the Tiananmen Square Committee, Chai Ling first came into America's consciousness through a videotaped interview, made secretly just before the tanks rolled through Beijing to squash the student uprising in June of 1989. In 1990, she became the international spokeswoman for the Chinese Democracy Movement and met and worked with both the George H. Bush and Clinton administrations in that capacity. Ling has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, and remains a leading spokesperson for China's pro-democracy movement. She is president of China Dialogue, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit.
Ling's leadership and organizational abilities were honed early. When she was ten, her parents, both military doctors, put her in charge of her two younger siblings and grandmother when the parents were reassigned for six months to an earthquake-relief mission. At 16, she was named one of the two hundred most outstanding students in China. Later, at Beijing University, where she studied child psychology, she was elected student government president
A video of Ling's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am - 4pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only and cannot be checked out
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1998-1999
Doris Kearns Goodwin - Historian
Wed., April 28, 1999 - Carver Gym
"Private Lives of Public Figures: The Art of Biography"
Doris Kearns Goodwin is an acclaimed historian, biographer, and author of The Fitzgeralds and The Kennedys, Lyndon Johnson and The American Dream, and No Ordinary Time - Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front During World War II, which won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995 and the baseball memoir Wait Until Next Year. For ten years, Goodwin was a professor of Historyat Harvard and taught a course on the American Presidency. She is a regular commentator on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and also serves as an NBC-TV news analyst and lectures around the world.
In 1967 as a White House Fellow during the Johnson administration, Goodwin assisted him with his memoirs. She is also a baseball fan. She was the first woman journalist to enter the Boston Red Sock locker room and she consulted for Ken Burns' documentary Baseball. Goodwin won the 2005 Lincoln Prize for best book about the American Civil War for Team of Rivals, about Abraham Lincoln's Presidential Cabinet.
A video of Kearnes Goodwin's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am -4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. It is archival only and can't be checked out
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Cornel West
Thursday, October 1, 1998 - Carver Gym
"The War Against Parents"
Cornel West has been described as one of America's most eloquent intellectuals. Committed to community-based political action, he has worked with world leaders, including former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu. He has also been a part of former President Clinton's National Conversation on Race.
West has written many articles and 12 books, including Jews and Blacks, The Future of the Race, Restoring Hope, and Race Matters. Current interests include problems facing the African-American urban underclass; the development of an ongoing dialogue between Blacks & Jews; and the creation of a nationwide parents' movement across race & class that responds to "the desperate needs of mothers and fathers."
A video of West's talk is available for check out at Western's library.
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1997-1998
Adam Werbach
Thursday, April 16, 1998
"Act Now, Apologize Later"
In 1994, Adam Werbach, of the Sierra Club, became the youngest person elected to the Board of Directors of that organization. A California native, he began his environmental activist career at the age of eight when he initiated a signature campaign to unseat James Watt, former President Reagan's Secretary of the Interior. Prior to assuming the presidency, he served as Sierra Club VP for Volunteer Development. He was named an "Environmental Hero" during the Sierra Club's Centennial celebration in 1991 and has received the Wilcher Award for outstanding membership recruitment. Swing magazine named him one of the "Most Powerful People in Their Twenties" and the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce called him one of the year's "Ten Outstanding Young Americans."
Werbach has a graduate degree in Spanish from the Institutio Central America of Guatemala and a B.A. from Brown University in Political Science, Modern Culture & Media. He has produced and directed films and videos. As a lead vocalist for the Brown Derbies, he has performed widely, and has recorded two C.D.'s
A video of Werbach's talk is available for check out at Western's library
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Richard Dawkins
Tuesday, March 3, 1998
"Science, Delusion & the Appetite for Wonder"
Richard Dawkins is a zoologist, author and an evolutionary theorist. He is an evolutionary biologist and the Charles Simonyi Professor For the Understanding of Science at Oxford University and Fellow of New College. Known for his books, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, The Extended Phenotype, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestor's Tale, and The God Delusion. A tough and witty defender of science, Dawkins is considered a leader of the "ultra Darwinists" who believe in gene selection as the basis of evolution. Of his topic, Dawkins says: "Most of us have an appetite for wonder... a tingling in the spine when we contemplate the distances across the Milky Way or the time span of the rocks through the depths of the Grand Canyon."
In his role as the Charles Simonyi Professor For The Understanding Of Science at Oxford, Dawkins regularly talks to the public regarding his views on the wonders of science.
A video of Dawkins' talk is available for check out at Western's library
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Patricia Ireland
Wednesday, November 11, 1997
"Feminism Into the Next Century"
Patricia Ireland, an influential feminist leader, became president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1991. She served in that position for 10 years. Ireland brought extensive credentials to her work with the women's rights movement. In 1975, she graduated cum laude from the University of Miami Law School where she served on the Law Review and Lawyer of Americas, the university's inter-American law journal. A 12-year career as an attorney followed, culminating in partnership at a prestigious Miami law firm where she practiced corporate and commercial law while also serving as NOW's pro bono counsel. A leading figure in the worldwide feminist movement, Ireland initiated NOW's Global Feminist Conference in 1992 to celebrate the organization's Silver Anniversary. The conference brought women from more than 45 countries to Washington, D.C..
Ireland has been profiled in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and People and has appeared on the MacNeil-Lehrer Report, Larry King Live and Nightline. Her most recent book, What Women Want, outlines her own personal and political journey of empowerment and challenges women to ask themselves the question, "What do I want?," and to pursue their goals with a vengeance.
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Jonathan Miller
Wednesday, November 11, 1997
"The After Life of Plays"
Jonathan Miller is a British author, stage and opera director, physician and satirist. His distinguished and eclectic career has ranged from writing extensively about medicine and science to composing, acting and directing on Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera and serving as artistic director of England's prestigious Old Vic Theatre.
Perhaps most widely known as actor/co-author of the satirical 1960s review, Beyond the Fringe, Miller was educated at Cambridge and received his medical degree at London University's College School of Medicine. He made his professional stage debut more than 30 years ago as an actor and co-author. In 2004, he wrote and presented a series - Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief (on-screen title; but commonly referred to as Jonathan Miller's Brief History of Disbelief) for BBC TV - exploring the roots of his own atheism and investigating the history of atheism in the world.
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1996-1997
Jane Goodall
Monday, April 28, 1997 - Carver Gym
In 1995, Jane Goodall celebrated 35 years of research at Gombe Stream. Her journey began journey in 1960, when she embarked on a scientific adventure: the study of chimpanzees in the wild. Aided by Dr. Louis B. Leakey, famed anthropologist/paleontologist, she traveled across East Africa to reach the remote Gombe Stream Game Reserve on the shores of Lake Tanganyka. She found the powerful and potentially dangerous wild chimpanzee, a member along with the gorilla and the orangutan-of the group of primates known as the Great Apes.
Her observations and discoveries are internationally heralded. Her research and writing has made revolutionary inroads into scientific thinking regarding the evolutions of humans. Since 1967, Goodall has been the Scientific Director of the Gombe Stream Research Center. She received the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize for "helping millions of people understand the importance of wildlife conservation of life on this planet."
A video of Goodall's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only, and CAN'T be checked out.
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Mark Plotkin - Ethnobotanist
Wednesday, April 16, 1997 "Plants, People, and Medicines of the Rainforest"
Mark Plotkin is a leading ethnobotanist who served as VP of Plant Conservation for Conservation International. His book, "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice," is abest seller. In 1994, Plotkin received the San Diego Zoo Gold Medal for Conservation. He has conducted research on tropical plants and their uses throughout Latin America, and has spent the past 15 years documenting the ethnobotany of Northeast Amazon Indians.
Plotkin has also lectured extensively; has published scientific papers and books including Sustainable Harvest and Marketing of Rain Forest Products, and he has been featured in publications such as Life, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Elle and Smithsonian. He has been profiled in Nova, The NBC Nightly News, and 48 hours. One of Plotkin's most important contributions to conservation is the founding of the Sorcerer's Apprentice Program, which encourages tribal elders to pass their knowledge of plants and their medicinal purpose to willing young tribe members.
A video of Plotkin's talk is available for check out at Western's library.
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Coretta Scott King
Thursday, November 11, 1996 - Carver Gym
"Preparing for the 21st Century"
Since the death of her husband, Martin Luther King Jr., in 1968, Coretta Scott King continued traveling the world to spread their messages of equality, freedom, and political action. Viewing equality and quality education as a catalyst to opportunity and freedom, King encouraged young people to shed political apathy in order to attain these common goals.
Coretta Scott King established The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change just three months after her husband’s death; in 1974. The center combines several religious, labor, business, civil and women’s rights organizations into a diverse coalition dedicated to education and the lobbying for full employment. Until her death, Scott King co-chaired The Full Employment Council and was a regular performer in the Freedom Concerts series.
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Linda Wertheimer
Thursday, November 14, 1996
"Listening to America - Election in Review"
Linda Wertheimer was a host of NPR's All Things Considered. In her presentation, she offered an insider's view of Washington, the political process and significant national issues.
Wertheimer is a renowned political correspondent, and has covered every major congressional news story since Watergate, major elections and national politics. She draws on more than 20 years of political reporting experience to give a special perspective on what's happening in the nation's capital.
From 1974-1989, Wertheimer provided highly praised and award-winning coverage of national politics and Congress for NPR, serving as its congressional and national political correspondent. She traveled the country with major presidential candidates, covered state presidential primaries and the general elections, and regularly reported from Congress on the major events of the day - from the Watergate impeachment hearings to the Reagan Revolution to historic tax reform legislation to the Iran-Contra affair. During this period, Wertheimer covered four presidential and eight congressional elections for NPR.
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1995-1996
Noam Chomsky
Monday, March 4, 1996 - Concert Hall
"Bringing the 3rd World Home"
Noam Chomsky is an eminent and revolutionary scholar in the field of linguistics. He has become a figure of national attention through his brilliant criticism of American political life. Among the many works Chomsky has written is his field are The Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory, Syntactic Structures, Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, Cartesian Linguistics, Language and Mind, and Sound Pattern of English. His articles on political and historical themes have attracted widespread attention.
Chomsky is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina, the Utrecht Society of Arts and Sciences, and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, and the Council of the International Confederation for Disarmament and Peace. His recent books are American Power and the New Mandarins, At War with Asia, Problems of Knowledge and Freedom: The Russell Lectures, Studies on Semantics in Generative Grammar, For Reasons of State, Peace in the Middle East:, and Reflections on Language.
A video of Chomsky's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 -4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
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Shirley Chisholm -
Former U.S. Congresswoman
and 1972 Presidential Candidate
Thursday, February 1
5, 1996
"Unity Through Diversity"
In 1968 Chisholm made history by becoming the first black woman elected to Congress. She wrote, taught and lectured nationwide to gain equal rights for all Americans. The Good Fight, the book of her 1972 bid as the first black woman to seek the Presidency, epitomizes her willingness to go the distance. In '64 Chisholm ran for state assembly. She won and served in the NY General Assembly from 1964-68. During her tenure in legislature, she proposed a bill to provide state aid to day-care centers and voted to increase funding for schools on a per-pupil basis. After finishing her term, Chisholm campaigned to represent New York's 12th Congressional District. She won that election and made history. During her first term in Congress, she hired an all-female staff and spoke out for civil rights, women's rights, the poor and against the Vietnam War. In 1970, she was elected to a 2nd term and was also co-founder of the National Organization for Women.
On Jan. 25, 1972, Chisholm announced her candidacy for president. In her speech she said, "I am a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the U.S.. I'm not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement, although I am a woman. I'm not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the people."
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Neil Postman
Thursday, February 1, 1996 - Concert Hall
"The Multiple Dangers of Multiple Media"
Neil Postman, Chair of the Department of Culture and Communication at NYU and Professor of Media Ecology. He is the author of eighteen books including Language in America, Teaching as a Subversive Activity, The Disappearance of Childhood, Conscientious Objections, Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly. His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Saturday Review, The Harvard Education Review, The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, and Le Monde. In 1986, Postman was awarded the George Orwell Award for Clarity in Language by the National Council of Teachers of English. For ten years, he was the editor of Et Cetera, the journal of General Semantics.
He is the recipient of the Christian Lindback Award for excellence in teaching and the 1988 Distinguished Professor Award from New York University. In Spring of 1991, he was the Laurence Lombard Visiting Professor of The Press and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 1993, he was appointed a University Professor, a unique honor held by only six professors in the university. In 1995, his book The End of Education was published.
A video of Postman's talk is available for check out at Western's library.
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1994-1995
Edward Albee - Playwright
Thursday, May 19, 1995
"The Theater vs. the Playwright"
Edward Albee, playwright and author, grew up in a famed theatrical family, started seeing plays at the age of five and began writing at six - first poetry, then fiction, including two unpublished novels. At 25, he stopped writing and did not resume until the age of 30 when he produced in rapid succession "The Zoo Story," "The Sandbox," and "The American Dream," among others. In 1962, he wrote "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," which brought him towering recognition on the American theater scene and international fame. Edward Albee is a three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for the plays "Three Tall Women," "A Delicate Balance," and " Seascape." Three Tall Women enjoyed a stunning, sold-out success in New York and has been staged across the country and around the world. It received Best Play awards from the New York Drama Critics Circle and Outer Critics Circle and earned Albee his third Pulitzer Prize, an honor that is bested only by Eugene O'Neill's four awards.
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Related Links
Edward Albee
Maya Angelou
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
Russell Banks
Major Brent Beardsley
Shirley Chisholm
Noam Chomsky
Richard Dawkins
Anna Deavere Smith
Frank Deford
Freeman Dyson
Roland Fryer
Ira Glass
Jane Goodall
Brian Greene
Robert Hass
Patricia Ireland
Johnpaul Jones
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Coretta Scott King
Tony Kushner
Lewis Lapham
Chai Ling
Jonathan Miller
Carol Moseley Braun
Arthur Peacocke
Mark Plotkin
John Podhoretz
Neil Postman
Stephen Prothero
Oliver Sacks
Edward Said
Robert Sapolsky
Edward Tenner
Helen Thomas
Adam Werbach
Linda Wertheimer
Cornel West