Arts & Sciences

Novelist John Brandon, a 2001 MFA graduate of Washington University’s Writing Program in Arts & Sciences, will read from his work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. Brandon is the author of Arkansas, a darkly comic novel about rural drug-distribution, which was published last spring by McSweeney’s Rectangulars imprint.

Who can ignore this 500-pound gorilla?It’s a 500-pound gorilla that Robert Criss, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, sees standing on the speaker’s dais at political rallies, debates and campaigns. Its name is population growth. “Population growth is driving all of our resource problems, including water and energy. The three are intertwined,” Criss says. “The United States has over 305 million people of the 6.7 billion on the planet. We are dividing a finite resource pie among a growing number of people on Earth. We cannot expect to sustain exponential population growth matched by increased per capita use of water and energy. It’s troubling. But politicians and religious leaders totally ignore the topic.”

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob bobbin’ along, think West Nile Virus (WNV).This one’s for the birds. A study by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis shows that the more diverse a bird population is in an area, the less chance humans have of exposure to West Nile Virus (WNV). Now, let’s hear it for the birds. “The bottom line is that where there are more bird species in your backyard, you have much lower risk of contracting West Nile fever,” said Brian Allan, doctoral candidate in biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Session musician, commercial recording engineer, live sound engineer, record producer, bestselling author and psychologist Daniel Levitin visits the WUSTL campus Wednesday, Oct. 8, in Graham Chapel for the Assembly Series. The lecture, originally slated for a 4 p.m. start on the Assembly Series calendar, has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start. Levitin’s talk, […]

Novelist Zachary Lazar, author of “Sway” (2008) and “Aaron Approximately” (1998), will read from his work 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, for the Writing Program in Arts & Sciences. The talk — part of The Writing Program’s fall Reading Series — is free and open to the public and takes place in Duncker Hall, Room […]

Though no scores are included in his published works, William Shakespeare frequently employed music in his plays, writing poems for new songs and adopting existing ballads. Numerous characters allude to then-popular tunes while composers such as Thomas Morley and Robert Johnson also contributed original compositions. Next week, the acclaimed period music trio Ensemble Chaconne, joined […]

The candidates might be different than at any other time in American history, but they’re positioning themselves very similar to previous presidential candidates, says Peter Kastor, Ph.D., history and American culture studies professor.

The acclaimed period music trio Ensemble Chaconne, joined by mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal, will present a concert of songs associated with the work of William Shakespeare at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, in Edison Theatre.

Novelist Zachary Lazar, author of “Sway” (2008) and “Aaron Approximately” (1998), will read from his work 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, for the Writing Program in Arts & Sciences.

Daniel Levitin visits the WUSTL campus at 11 a.m. October 8 in Graham Chapel for the the Assembly Series.