Dr. Verónica Grossi
From Mexico City, Mexico, Dr. Grossi is associate professor of Latin American literature in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at UNCG. She has written a book on Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and published her poetry in many Latin American journals. She is currently co-editing a series of contemporary Mexican poets that features the poetry of Silvia Eugenia Castillero, from which she will read today.
Bennett College Choir
Ms. Valarie Johnson, Conductor
During its 83-year history, the Bennett College Choir has developed a reputation for being one of the outstanding female choral groups in the country. Members of the choir are from various disciplines within the college. Bennett College, celebrating its 135th year as an historically black college, is one of eleven predominately black United Methodist Church-related institutions of higher learning in the country. The Bennett Choir continues an unusually high profile of performances at regional, national, and international activities of the United Methodist Church and community-related events. The choir is directed by Ms. Valerie Johnson.
UNSUNG HEROINES OF WOMEN’S HISTORY An Evening of Poetry, Dance, Story and Song
Refreshments will be served after the program.
UNSUNG HEROINES OF WOMEN’S HISTORY Program
Introduction Chair Gail Foy Commission on the Status of Women
Vanishing Souls | Falling Embers (2011) The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 Choreography by Denise J. Murphy Music: Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Original Composition by Elizabeth Kowalski Dancers: Caroline Althof, Christina Conley, Hannah Boning, April Grossi, Kristen Obsborne Lucas, Denise J. Murphy
Radium a poem about Madam Curie Sarah Lindsay National Book Award Finalist & Poet
Historical Vignettes Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Selma Burke, Dr. Julliet Cooper Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson Distinguished Professor of Women’s Studies at Bennett College for Women
Poetry Readings
The McGirt Horton Library ‘s Teen Poetry Project
Historical Vignette Jovita Idar (First President of La Liga Femenil Mexicanista) Dr. Maria Rosales Professor of Political Science at Guilford College
A poem by Silvia Eugenia Castillero
Dr. Verónica Grossi Professor of Romance Languages, UNCG
The Bennett College Choir Ms. Valarie Johnson, Conductor
Denise J. Murphy
Choreographer and dancer, Ms. Murphy is a 3rd year graduate student in the Dance Department at UNCG. Vanishing Souls | Falling Embers explores the March 25, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The fire erupted in one of the largest garment factories in New York City killing 146 women and men and became a turning point in the history of the U.S. Labor Movement. Murphy’s work stems from research into the fire through literature, photographs, documentaries, and survivor interviews. The movement, generated by Murphy and cast members, evokes images of textile work, individual workers and their relationships, as well as the fire. An original and affecting composition by Elizabeth Kowalski, a candidate for MM in composition, conveys emotion and spirit as she addresses both movement and narrative.
Sarah Lindsay
Greensboro poet Sarah Lindsay was a 1997 National Book Award Finalist for her debut collection, Primate Behavior. She also has published the poetry collections, Mount Clutter and Twigs & Knucklebones. Lindsay has an MFA from UNCG and works as a copy editor for Pace Communications in Greensboro. She occasionally plays cello with an informal group called the Quartet mit Schlag.
Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson
Mott Professor and Director of Africana Women’s Studies at Bennett College for Women since August 2004, Dr. Johnson previously taught in the African and Afro-American Studies Department at the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill. Dr. Johnson works to ensure that women’s studies remains an integral part of academic as well as social/cultural life whether on or off campus. Through a variety of professional and personal networks, Dr. Johnson supports the continued presence of women’s studies programs and women’s centers locally, nationally, and globally. One of her main activities in this regard has been to work on the Ms. Committee of Scholars as an inaugural participant.
The McGirt Horton Library’s Teen Poetry Project
The Poetry Project began in 2009. The Greensboro Public Library was awarded a leadership grant from the Library Services and Technology Act to create programs that give teens the opportunity to express themselves. The project is facilitated by poet Josephus III and was the outgrowth of community input and conversations with teens. Teens use their voices to empower and inspire and share their experiences in their own words. They perform at several locations here in Greensboro. Last year, several Poetry Project members participated in Brave New Voices, a major poetry festival in San Francisco attracting 50 teams from across the country and a few from overseas. They plan to attend Brave New Voices again this year.
Dr. Maria Rosales
After receiving her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Rosales has been a professor of Political Science at Guilford College since Fall, 2005. As a political theorist, Dr. Rosales studies and teaches about issues of labor/ class, race, gender, sexuality and violence. Continued on Reverse