Loyola University Maryland

Modern Languages & Literatures

2023 Hanna Geldrich-Leffman Colloquium on Language, Literature, and Society

Herstory: Global Women Poets 

Wednesday, April 12, 2023
4th Floor Program Room

Title Speaker Time
Sound of Autumn: the Soundscape in Women’s Poetry in Dynastic China
Dr. Haihong Yang
University of Delaware
11 a.m.
Of Wombs and Verses: Deepening the Mystery Dr. Sylvia Kandé
SUNY Old Westbury
2 p.m.
Reclaiming Justice: Testimonial Poetry by Latin American Women Dr. Alicia Partnoy
Loyola Marymount University
3 p.m.

Persons with disabilities who may require special services should contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 410-617-2062 or (TTD) 410-617-2141 at least 48 hours prior to the event.

Sponsored by the Center for the Humanities, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Dean of Loyola Arts and Sciences, Writing Department, Peace and Justice Studies, ALANA, Chinese section, French section, Gender and Sexuality Studies 

About the Annual Colloquium

The Colloquium on Language, Literature, and Society was created in 1986 as a way of demonstrating on an on-going and dynamic basis the vitality and diversity of the cultures represented by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Loyola. In 2007, the colloquium was renamed to honor Hanna Geldrich-Leffman, long-time chair of the department and, along with Ursula Beitter, one of the co-founders of the colloquium. Conceived as an interdisciplinary event, the colloquium explores ways in which different cultures express certain ideas in various genres and media, such as the novel or film. The aim is to foster discussion and debate on the topics selected by bringing a variety of varying perspectives to bear on each issue.

Each year, the colloquium turns to a new theme and focuses on its development in a new set of countries or other eras. Over the course of several decades speakers have addressed a wide range of topics, including myth and folktales, the problem of immigration in different cultural contexts around the world, and the cinematic adaptation of literary texts. Important literary figures such as Majorie Agosín, Claribel Alegría, Denise Chávez, Maryse Condé, Rosario Ferré, Elena Poniatowska, and Nahid Rachlin have delighted audiences as they read from their work. Groundbreaking journalists such as André Oppenheimer of the Miami Herald and Gene Oishi from the Baltimore Sun came to challenge our conceptions on current events. Film directors, such as Euzhan Palcy from Haiti and Pierre Sauvage from France, have led discussions on their film-making art. Leading scholars in their field, such as Richard Zipser (University of Delaware), Kathleen Neils Conzen (University of Chicago), Timothy Corrigan (University of Pennsylvania), David Herzberger (University of California, Riverside), Harvey Sachs (Curtis Institute of Music), Philippe-Joseph Salazár (University of Cape Town), and Raymond Williams (University of California, Riverside) have each made a substantial contribution to discussions of topics of import and concern in their respective disciplines. Not infrequently musical performances coincide with the lectures. Barry Banks, Tenor, and Juan Flores, a musicologist specializing in Salsa from New York University have appeared.

The colloquium takes place each spring in April and is intended to be of interest not only to Loyola faculty and students, but to all members of the Baltimore and Washington communities.

Andrea Thomas, Ph.D.
Faculty

Andrea Thomas, Ph.D.

This associate professor of French encourages students to draw connections between real-world experiences and learning a foreign language

Modern Languages & Literatures