eckerd college events march 22 and 23

Here’s some recent news from Eckerd College:

Eckerd College presents authors Jerald Walker and Lyndall Gordon on Monday, March 22, and Tuesday, March 23, respectively. Both events are
free and open to the public.

Monday, March 22, 7:00 p.m., Miller Auditorium, Eckerd College
We Are Americans:Traveling to the Motherland in Search of One's Racial Identity
Jerald Walker, author of Street Shadows:A Memoir of Race, Rebellion and Redemption (Random House, Bantam, January 2010)

In Street Shadows, Iowa Writers' Workshop alumnus Jerald Walker recounts the renunciation of the "thug life" he embraced as a teenager on the south side of Chicago in favor of the education and middle-class life his parents had always dreamed of for their children.

Explored in this memoir are questions of race and identity through the lens of personal choice – including decisions Walker made as a high-school dropout, a drug and alcohol abuser, a returning student, a young academic, and a visitor to Africa in search of his roots. It was this visit to Africa that helped garner Walker national attention when the chapter in Street Shadows that chronicled this journey, We Are Americans, was selected for inclusion in The Best American Essays 2009.

Tuesday, March 23, 5:30 p.m., Fox Hall, Eckerd College
Lives Like Loaded Guns:Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds
Lyndall Gordon, biographer

Lives Like Loaded Guns:Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds will be published in June 2010 (Penguin, U.S.). This story approaches Emily Dickinson by way of feuds in her family, beginning in the poet's lifetime. The feuds exploded over adultery, but came to focus on the poet herself. Rival camps claimed her legend and shot each other down over the course of three generations.

Lyndall Gordon grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, where she studied history and English, then nineteenth-century American literature at Columbia in New York. A Senior Research Fellow at St Hilda's College, Ms. Gordon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and member of PEN. Each summer she participates in the Writing Seminars at Bennington College, Vermont. Ms. Gordon has authored biographies of T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Bronte, and Mary Wollstonecraft.

Both events are free and open to the public. Learn more about Eckerd’s College Program Series online.

tempus projects exhibition march 19 through april 9

From March 19 through April 9, Tempus Projects in Seminole Heights will be featuring Grey Matter, a "group exhibition of drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Artists exhibiting their work include Hildebrando Bellizzio, Deon Blackwell, Dave Galbraith, Allen Hampton, Wes Kline, Elizabeth Kozlowski, Lauren Garber Lake, Shannon Richie-Lindsey, Lynn Manos, Cindy Mason, Alessandro Midulla, Meg Mitchell, Ellen Mueller, Justin Nelson, Princess Rashid, and Brian Taylor."

The Grey Matter opening reception will be Friday, March 19, from 7-10 p.m. Tempus Projects is in south Seminole Heights on the back lot of 5132 Florida Avenue in Tampa (the zip code is 33603 for those of you Mapquesting it).

"The event is free and open to the public, but donations are greatly appreciated. The exhibition runs through April 9, with gallery hours by appointment. Classes and groups are encouraged and welcomed."

I'm most curious about the printmaking portion of it, or course. For more info, visit www.tempus-projects.com.

local author dr. lavinia rodriguez in st. pete times

Received via email:

The St. Petersburg Times featured the first of four weight loss and health articles to be written by Dr. Lavinia Rodriguez. Last weekend's article focused on dieting failures and how to take control of weight loss efforts. Through her series, Rodriguez will teach everyday people how to take control of their health and wellness without feeling deprived and pressured. Dr. Rodriguez also released a book, Mind Over Fat Matters: Conquering Psychological Barriers to Weight Management, which explains why most people can't follow through with their intentions on diet and exercise plans. The book explains how to make moving the body a fun experience and how to make the brain a partner on the journey to health.

The Bella Garden Book Series named Dr. Rodriguez as their author of the month. This Thursday, March 18, from 6:30--8 p.m., Dr. Rodriguez will be their the special guest, joining their monthly book lovers' gathering at Bella Garden Boutique (5664 Fishhawk Crossing Blvd, Lithia, FL 33547).

About Dr. Lavinia Rodriguez: Dr. Rodriguez is a licensed psychologist with three decades of experience in heatlh, wellness and eating disorders. She served as a principal consultant at the University of South Florida for many years and has led several health related initiatives as well. Dr. Rodriguez has treated many people as a doctor and has written articles on the subjects of eating disorders, in particular, and weight loss in general.

Here is Dr. Rodriguez's most recent St. Pete Times article. To learn more about Dr. Rodriguez or her book, visit www.fatmatters.com.