El-Kati Distinguished Lectureship in American Studies Presents a Talk by Stanford University’s Harry J. Elam, Jr.

What: The El-Kati Distinguished Lectureship in American Studies presents a talk by Stanford University’s Harry J. Elam, Jr. The lectureship, established by Macalester alumni Dr. Stanley M. Berry ’75 and Bertram M. Days ’74 along with Ava B. Days, honors Macalester Prof. Mahmoud El-Kati’s career (1970-2003) as a lecturer, writer and commentator on the African American experience.

Who: Harry J. Elam, Jr., vice provost for undergraduate education and a distinguished member of the Stanford faculty for two decades, is a scholar of African American drama. His talk, which will reference Penumbra Theatre’s Sleep Deprivation Chamber written by Adrienne Kennedy, is titled “Struggling with Racial Legacies: Adrienne Kennedy and the Power of African American Theatre.” Elam is the author of Taking it to the Streets: The Social Protest Theater of Luis Valdez and Amiri Baraka. Elam, an expert on playwright August Wilson, also wrote The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson.

When: Monday, October 4, 2010 - 4:45 p.m. Where: Macalester College, Weyerhaeuser Board Room, 1600 Grand Ave., St. Paul, Minn. Contact: Barbara Laskin 651-696-6203 Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105, Tel: 651-696-6000