UWF to host world-renowned poet at Women’s Studies Conference
The 17th annual Women's Studies Conference will be held in the UWF Conference Center, Building 22, on Friday, March 23 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. This is an interdisciplinary event with a focus on diversity and inclusivity. The conference will feature scholarly papers, poster presentations and visual and performance art pieces by graduate and undergraduate students. Students will address topics related to women, gender and sexuality.
The 17th annual Women’s Studies Conference will be held in the UWF Conference Center, Building 22, on Friday, March 23 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. This is an interdisciplinary event with a focus on diversity and inclusivity. The conference will feature scholarly papers, poster presentations and visual and performance art pieces by graduate and undergraduate students. Students will address topics related to women, gender and sexuality.
During a noon luncheon, the 2018 Mary F. Rogers Award will be presented to Dr. Kelly Bushnell, a visiting instructor in the Department of English at UWF. The award is given annually to a faculty member who has made significant contributions to the field of women’s, gender, and/or sexuality studies at UWF. Bushnell is a member on the Women’s Studies Faculty Advisory board.
She was one of the organizers of the 2017 Pensacola Women’s March and a panelist for the film screening of “Equal Means Equal,” a documentary that explores the history of equality for women in the United States and examines the modern need for a new Equal Rights Amendment.
At 6 p.m., a keynote address will be delivered by spoken word artist, Andrea Gibson. Gibson is a world-renowned spoken word poet who began one of the most celebrated and successful poetry careers in the field in 1999. Gibson then leapt to the forefront of spoken word poetry when they won the first ever “Woman of the World Poetry Slam” in 2008. Author of three collections of poetry and seven full-length albums, Gibson continues to bring art to audiences around the world by focusing on de-stigmatizing mental illness and bringing greater visibility to the queer community.
Gibson will also be conducting a separate workshop focused on gender theory on Saturday, March 24 in the UWF Field House, Building 54, Room 164 at 10 a.m. Both events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Lunch will be served from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for those who register for the conference online.
