Staci DumoskiCelebrated author and cultural critic Roxane Gay will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation series presented by Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Now in its fifth year, the lecture, film and discussion series continues to break ground in its in-depth, interdisciplinary exploration of key societal issues. The focus of this year’s series is gender and sexuality.
“Issues relating to gender and sexuality are at the forefront of our conversations as we have a female contender for president of the United States and issues about reproductive and trans rights continue to come up in our news cycles,” said Associate Dean Stephanie Takaragawa, chair of the Engaging the World (ETW) committee.
“The ETW ‘Gender and Sexuality’ theme was an easy one because so many of our faculty do research and teach in these areas,” said Takaragawa, Ph.D. “We have a panel on global feminism that features current research from Wilkinson faculty Sandra Alvarez, Minju Kwon and Adwoa Opong, a film by Dodge faculty Sally Rubin, and our featured Escalette Permanent Collection of Art artist is Professor Micol Hebron from our Art Department.”
Gay has been at the forefront of cultural criticism since the publication of her collection of essays, “Bad Feminist,” in 2014. The essays are considered essential texts for modern feminism. Gay is also the author of the novel “An Untamed State,” the memoir “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body,” and the short-story collection “Difficult Women.” Her newest essay collection, “Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business,” was published in 2023. Gay and co-author Yona Harvey were the first Black women to be lead writers on a Marvel Comics title, “Black Panther: World of Wakanda.” She holds a Ph.D. in rhetoric and technical communication from Michigan Technological University and is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship.
The full series calendar follows. Previous ETW series have focused on race, environmental justice, ethnic studies and health equity. More information and recordings of some past events is available from Wilkinson College.
Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Gender and Sexuality
Roxane with One “N”… featuring author Roxane Gay
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 7–9 p.m., Musco Center for the Arts
Roxane Gay is an author and cultural critic whose writing is unmatched and widely revered. Her work garners international acclaim for its reflective, no-holds-barred exploration of feminism and social criticism. With a deft eye on modern culture, she brilliantly critiques its ebb and flow with both wit and ferocity.
Bensussen Guest Lecture Series in Art with Photographer Catherine Opie
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m., Sandhu Conference Center
Catherine Opie is a fine art photographer who creates pieces relating to sexual identity that examine the ideals and norms surrounding the culturally constructed American dream and American identity.
The Feminist on CellBlock Y — Film Series & Q&A
Thursday, Oct. 3, 7:15 p.m. Digital Media Arts Center, 123
American documentary directed by Contessa Gayles and co-produced with Emma Lacey-Bordeaux for CNN. The titular subject is Richie Reseda, an inmate at a prison in California who studies and organizes around feminism and toxic masculinity with his fellow inmates.
COVER-UP: A Discussion of the Censorship of Art about Gender and Sexuality with Professor Micol Hebron
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Argyros Forum, 201
A lecture, given by art Professor Micol Hebron on the ways that art about gender and sexuality is censored in person and online.
Gender Matters: Comparative Approaches to Pregnancy, (Dis)ability, and the Movable Self in Premodern Literature with Professor Alani Hicks-Bartlett
Monday, Oct. 14, 4 p.m., Argyros Forum, 209C
Assessing late Medieval and Early Modern literature, this paper focuses on the representation of gender, pregnancy and the serious engagement with (dis)ability that readers can find in the works of premodern authors striving to assert their voices.
ETW: Ballroom with Enyce Gorgeous Gucci Smith
Thursday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Argyros Forum, 119
House of AWT will give a history of ball culture, with a tutorial on vogueing, duck walking, and drops – all classic moves done on the catwalk during a ball.
Promoting LGBTQ+ Health Equity: Sex Positive Strategies with Dr. Ronald Rivera
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, 10–11:15 a.m. Argyros Forum, 201
Dr. Ronald Rivera, UC Irvine Medical Center physician and director of DEI in emergency medicine, will discuss LGBTQ+ health equity and sex-positive approaches in addressing disparities.
Gender, Race, and Masculinity: A Discussion
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 4 p.m., Argyros Forum, 209AB
Join Takeo Rivera, playwright and assistant professor of English at Boston University, and other panelists for a discussion about the intersectionality of gender, race, and masculinity.
Global Feminisms Panel
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Argyros Forum, 209AB
Scholar panel exploring historically and culturally specific forms of feminist praxis that people have employed to engage, confront, reconfigure, and enact social and political change.
The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu: Film Screening and Q&A
Monday, Nov. 18, 7:15 p.m., Digital Media Arts Center, 123
This film celebrates Waikiki’s Mahu legends and healing traditions, directed by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. Features archival footage, animation, and a Q&A.
Tabula Poetica: The Queer Subject – Voice, Identity, and Memory in Poetry and Pose with poet Charles Jensen
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1 p.m., Argyros Forum, 209C
Charles Jensen wrote Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres, published in May 2024. His most recent collection of poetry is “Instructions between Takeoff and Landing.”
Mama Has a Mustache – Film Screening and Q&A
Thursday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m., Folino Theater
A short animated documentary about identity and family outside of the traditional gender binary, as seen through children’s eyes.
See more events sponsored by Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
