A series of lectures by University of Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ”APP â Fort Smith faculty members are slated
for the spring semester surrounding the book chosen for this yearâs ReadThis!, a community
read program sponsored by the university.
In the lectures, faculty members will analyze âInto the Beautiful North,â a novel by Luis Alberto Urrea chronicling a young Mexican womanâs foray into the United States to recruit Mexican men to repopulate her hometown in Mexico. Each lecture will approach the text from different perspectives to enrich readersâ understanding of the work.
Dr. Christian Gerard, co-chair of this yearâs ReadThis! committee, said the novel âis a book that reminds us why we fell in love with reading to begin with.â
âIn âInto the Beautiful North,â Urrea embraces the tradition of storytelling with deft craft and respect for the tradition of writing,â Gerard said. âHe tells a story that is accessible, readable, and enterable by the reader so that we may delight in his use of language itself as his language lives inside of us, asking each of us to consider ourselves as individuals, as humans, as citizens in communities whose boundaries are not always as firm as we'd like to believe. As we invest in this story, we are reminded that we're also investing in ourselves and our own stories that we make and remake as we grow.â
The lectures are free and open to the public. Scheduled faculty lectures include:
Feb. 22: Dr. Christian Gerard, âCrafting Placeâs Place-ness,â 12-1:30 p.m., room 122 of Boreham Library.
March 8: Dr. Ann-Gee Lee, âWomenâs Language and Power,â 12-1:30 p.m., room 122 of Boreham Library.
March 15: Amanda Schafer, âAt the Intersection of Culture and Experience: Pop Culture, the Internet, and Identity,â 12-1:30 p.m., room 122 of Boreham Library.
April 19: Dr. Cammie Sublette, âCuisine and Culture,â 12-1:30 p.m., room 122 of Boreham Library.
April 26: Dr. Rosario Nolasco-Schultheiss, âInto the Beautiful South,â 12-1:30 p.m., room 122 of Boreham Library.
A lecture by Dr. Laura Witherington, titled ââInto the Beautiful Northâ and National Identity,â was also given Feb. 7.
Previous books chosen for the Read This! program are âHouse Made of Dawnâ by N. Scott Momaday, âThe Joy Luck Clubâ by Amy Tan, âThe Things They Carriedâ by Tim OâBrien, âThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Timeâ by Mark Haddon, and âTrue Gritâ by Charles Portis.
For more information about this yearâs ReadThis! program, contact Gerard at 479-788-7560 or Christian.gerard@uafs.edu.
About the Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ”APP
The University of Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ”APP â Fort Smith is the premiere regional institution of Western Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ”APP, connecting education with careers and serving as a driver of economic development and quality of place in the greater Fort Smith region. Through a small campus, dedicated professors, and the universityâs unique bond with its community, students at UAFS are able to do more in the areas they are passionate about, both on- and off-campus, in a way that prepares them for post-graduate success. To find out how you can do more at UAFS, visit .