The Spring 2012 Oxnard College Literature Arts & Lecture Series, sponsored by Oxnard College and the Oxnard College Foundation, begins Feb. 15 and continues through April 25. Events on Feb. 29 and April 11 are co-sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant received from the James Irvine Foundation. All events will held on Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. in the new Oxnard College Performing Arts Building (OCPA). The events are free for students, faculty, staff, and the community. Parking is $2.00. Oxnard College is at 4000 S. Rose Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033.
- Feb. 15. —Tolstoy in Riyadh: A Story of a Teacher and Her Muse. Using costumes and music, Ventura College professor Chris Cryer, will read from her new book about working at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, confronting desert heat, dress codes, and moral police and adapting to the charm of Arab life.
- Feb. 22. — Art and Soul. Oxnard College professor Christine Morla will discuss her experience as an arts educator, professional artist and gallery director, focusing on Filipino Contemporary Art and highlighting images from her personal artwork and solo exhibition on display at CSUCI.
- Feb. 29 — Rocking Poetry: The Ellyn Maybe Band. Poet and musician Ellyn Maybe and fellow musicians will rock the stage with their new album, Rodeo for the Sheepish, which debuted in Ireland and Paris and garnered praise from Jackson Brown, Henry Rollins, and Greil Margus.
- March 7 — Faculty Writers: An Afternoon of Poetry, Fiction and Memoir. Oxnard College English faculty Elaine Alarcon-Totten, Teresa Bonham, Eric Boys, Gaylene Croker, and Shelley Savren will read their original works from different genres followed by a brief discussion about publishing and a book signing.
- March 21 — Dance Across the Divide: Shared Rhythms of African-American and Mexican Cultures. In celebration of African American History Month, The Lula Washington Contemporary Dance Foundation, an exhilarating and motivating dance troupe from South L.A., will discuss and perform contemporary modern dance works that reflect African-American history and discuss its connection with the Latino culture.
- March 28 — Actress and Activist: An American Original. Oxnard College English professor Elaine Alarcon-Totten will showcase the brilliant life of Josephine Baker, an international dance sensation, an activist for racial equality, and the original diva, who preceded Lady Gaga and Oprah.
- April 4 — Military Veterans in Higher Education: Serving Those Who Serve. Director of the Veteran Education Success Program Dr. Terri Goldstein will address issues and barriers for students who bravely served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan and will focus on the transition from war to the classroom.
- April 11 — Between Storms: A Poetry Reading. Award-winning Poet Carol Davis will read from Into the Arms of Pushkin: Poems of St. Petersburg, which won the 2007 T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, and from her new collectionBetween Stormsand will talk about her extended period of time living in Russia.
- April 18 — Beyond the Holocaust: A Life of Thankfulness and Love. In commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day, survivor and retired engineer Sandor Vandor will share his story about being in a Nazi forced-labor camp in Austria and how he transformed this experience into a life of gratitude and loving closeness.
- April 25 — Socrates and the Complexity of Saying I’m Sorry. Oxnard College Professor Anthony Rodriguez and students of Sigma Kappa Delta, English Honor Society for two-year colleges, will examine The Apology of Socratesand what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of one’s value system.
Call Amy Edwards at 805.986.5800, ext. 1943 or send an email to aedwards@vcccd.edu for more information.