Author: Liam Otten

Fiction writer Sigrid Nunez, the visiting Fannie Hurst Professor of Creative Literature, will read from her work March 30 and speak on the craft of fiction April 4. Nunez is the author of five novels, including the acclaimed The Last of Her Kind (2006), A Feather on the Breath of God (1995) and Mitz (1998).

Courtesy photoMartha SandweissMartha Sandweiss, Ph.D., professor of history and American studies at Amherst College, will speak on “Western Photographs, National Culture” March 23,for the Faculty Fellows Lecture and Workshop Series, presented by the Center for the Humanities Arts & Sciences. In addition, Sandweiss will lead a graduate student workshop on “American Material Culture: Reading Photographs from Local Collections” March 24.

Olafur EliassonOlafur Eliasson’s *Weather Project*Olafur Eliasson, one of the most challenging and celebrated artists of his generation, will kick-off After the Digital Divide: German Aesthetic Theory in the Age of New Media, a three-day symposium on aesthetics and new media at Washington University March 30 to April 1. The symposium will feature more than 20 artists, art historians, museum professionals and new media experts from across the United States and Germany.

John LaRueSusannahThe Washington University Opera will present Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, which updates the biblical story of Susannah and the Elders to 1940s Appalachia, March 24 and 25. The story centers on an attractive but innocent girl of 19 who is observed bathing by a group of male church elders. The men falsely accuse Susannah of sinfulness and “loose” behavior, ostracizing her from the life of the town.

A Temple of Texts features 25 essays that speak to the nature and value of writing and to the books that result from a deep commitment to the word.

Phil KnottDoug Varone and DancersEight-time Bessie Award-winner Doug Varone is among the most acclaimed choreographers of his generation, known for creating works of extraordinary physical daring and vivid musicality. This spring, Varone will bring his celebrated company, Doug Varone and Dancers, to Washington University’s Edison Theatre for a trio of performance co-sponsored by Dance St. Louis.

“I suppose you could say I went into art history because it combined my passions for art and travel,” quips Elizabeth Childs, Ph.D., associate professor of art history & archaeology in Arts & Sciences. Indeed, travel does emerge as a kind of unifying theme in Childs’ life and work. Born into an academic family, she […]

Courtesy photo*African Middleweights*Washington University will host the African Film Festival’s renowned Traveling Film Series March 23-26. The series consists of four feature films and four shorts from seven different African nations, addressing themes on colonialism, urbanization and youth subcultures erupting from the ironies of contemporary life.

First up is Seoul Train, which examines the plight of the estimated 250,000 North Korean refugees who are living “underground” in China.

His March 9 lecture is part of the Faculty Fellows Lecture and Workshop Series, presented by The Center for the Humanities Arts & Sciences.