[cid:A8C839CD-870D-4C22-9BEB-5C046B33C648] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 1, 2013 Contact: Margaret Thorndill Director of Public Events, mthorndill@pugetsound.edu, ph. 253.879.3555 Caribbean Writer Series: Dialogues on Identity, Immigration, and Art This month’s speaker is poet Janelle Gordon on Monday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m. PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN DATE FOR THIS LECTURE TACOMA, Wash. –Beginning this September, a sparkling selection of writers of Caribbean descent will be in Tacoma to engage the community in conversations about the history, culture, and literature of the West Indies region. With topics such as immigration and mixed-race identity now being debated at American kitchen tables, the visits promise to inject some lively, firsthand perspectives into these discussions. The writers come from Haiti, Trinidad, Jamaica, and the Virgin Islands—areas that have each had unique encounters with colonialism, slavery, tourism, and multiculturalism. The yearlong series, The Caribbean Writer: Identity, Immigration, and Art, presented by University of Puget Sound’s African American Studies program, will offer public talks that are free and open to all. Speakers will include Tiphanie Yanique, author and professor at The New School in New York City; Janelle Gordon ’05, Puget Sound alumna, poet, and mixed media artist; Gregory Wilson, poet and educator in Jamaica and the Bahamas; Myriam Chancy, writer and professor at University of Cincinnati; and Elizabeth Nunez, author and professor at Hunter College, the City University of New York. The Caribbean visitors’ writing explores themes often influenced by African, European, and indigenous cultures, and at times makes use of creole or the vernacular language that distinguishes West Indies literature. The first three talks are outlined below. Monday, Oct. 28, 6:30–8 p.m. “i & i Reflections: A Poetic Exploration of Spiritual, Cultural, and Sexual Identities,” by Janelle Gordon ’05 Rasmussen Rotunda, Wheelock Student Center. Free admission. Janelle Gordon is a Jamaican native who is a poet, performance artist, painter, designer, and photographer, as well as a Puget Sound alumna. In her work as a mixed media artist, she promotes art as an experience and describes her style as “freestyle.” Gordon is the author of the poetry chapbook i&i Reflections (2013), which explores issues of cultural, spiritual, and sexual identities. She has produced and participated in numerous art and fashion shows including Spectrum of Colors, which was composed of exhibits exploring the combination of writing and painting. Gordon is co-founder of JFearon<http://www.jfearon.com/> art and design company and artistic director of kbphotoart.com<http://kedonbeckford.com/> studio. Tuesday, Nov. 19, 5:30–7 p.m. “Dead Portraits in a Living Room: Exploring Cultural Unity in the Caribbean and Central America,” by Gregory Wilson Rasmussen Rotunda, Wheelock Student Center. Free admission. Gregory Wilson is a poet and educator who grew up in Jamaica and graduated from The University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. He has taught writing and literature to hundreds of children throughout Jamaica and the Bahamas and has performed his work internationally. Wilson is the author of Dead Portraits in a Living Room<http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Portraits-Living-Gregory-Wilson/dp/1469131676/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0> (Xlibris, 2011), a collection of poems exploring the intersection of diverse cultures using a river and meeting of rivers as a metaphor. His writing has been honored by the Famous Poet’s Society, and he has been recognized professionally by the Bahamas Union of Teachers. The Caribbean Writer series is sponsored by the Chism Lecture in Humanities and Arts, which is supported by an endowment from Seattle businesswoman Catharine Gould Chism. For directions and a map of the campus: www.pugetsound.edu/directions<http://www.pugetsound.edu/directions.xml> For accessibility information please contact accessibility@pugetsound.edu<mailto:accessibility@pugetsound.edu> or 253.879.3236 Press photos of the three speakers can be downloaded from: www.pugetsound.edu/pressphotos<http://www.pugetsound.edu/pressphotos> Tweet this: Caribbean writers @univpugetsound. Talks by @tiphanieyanique, Janelle Gordon, Gregory Wilson, Sept.–Nov. http://bit.ly/1507N0M Click to Tweet above message: http://clicktotweet.com/3Bvcb Follow us on Twitter! www.twitter.com/univpugetsound<http://www.twitter.com/univpugetsound> -0- Visit our “Newsroom” page featuring a searchable index of Puget Sound sources on a wide variety of topics at http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/offices--services/office-of-communications/newsroom/ University of Puget Sound is a 2,600-student, national undergraduate liberal arts college in Tacoma, Wash., drawing students from 44 states and 16 countries. Puget Sound graduates include Rhodes and Fulbright scholars, notables in the arts and culture, entrepreneurs and elected officials, and leaders in business and finance locally and throughout the world. A low student-faculty ratio provides Puget Sound students with personal attention from faculty members who have a strong commitment to teaching and offer 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional and interdisciplinary areas of study. Puget Sound is the only national, independent undergraduate liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society.