Graves Lecture Series starts Tuesday

Other Graves Lecture Series speakers this semester include Mary Donahue on April 10 and Dr. T. Smith and Dr. Deane Tucker on April 17. All presentations begin at 7 p.m. in the Sandoz Center Atrium and are free and open to the public.

Jones is an assistant professor of English and Humanities at Chadron State College. The title of her talk is "Corelli’s Designing Fictions: Fashioning the Woman of Genius." Marie Corelli was one of Britain’s most popular novelists in the 1800s. Her celebrity, paired with late 19th century technological advancements, launched her onto the public stage. Her role as an outspoken woman writer within the male dominated literary world, made her a controversial figure. Jones’ presentation will explore the ways in which Corelli’s fiction examines and reimagines gender biases within the masculine space of the published world.

Donahue is a Professor of Art in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. As a teacher and practitioner of art and graphic design, she is interested in the human story and how it is portrayed. Late last summer, Donahue was selected to be an extra in one episode of the Coen Brothers’ first Netflix series, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” filmed near Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

During her time as an extra, she was able to observe firsthand the process of professional movie making and the human story behind the production. The title of her presentation is “On the Trail of the Oscar-Winning Filmmakers, the Coen Brothers…in the Nebraska Panhandle.” The episode is set to air later this year.

Smith and Tucker, who have led CSC student groups to Cuba, will wrap up the series with a discussion about the challenges Cuba has faced since the 1959 revolution, including the recent death of Fidel Castro. During the lecture, Smith and Tucker will analyze some of the changes and continuities that have occurred since the revolution. They will also reference the present conditions as well as possible future paths. The title of their talk is “Cuba: Change and Continuity.”