Athens, Ga. – The editors of a new volume of essays about women’s role in Georgia history will speak Nov. 11 at the University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.
The talk, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History: Georgia Women Shape the Twentieth Century,” will feature Kathleen Ann Clark, an associate professor of history at UGA, and Ann Short Chirhart of Indiana State University, who will discuss the collection, “Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times-Volume 2” at 3 p.m. in Room 285 of the Russell Special Collections Building.
“Women were leading actors in 20th century developments in Georgia, yet most histories minimize their contributions,” said Lisa Bayer, director of UGA Press, which published both collections. “The essays in the second volume of Georgia Women vividly portray a wide array of Georgia women who played an important role in the state’s history, from little-known Progressive Era activists to famous president-day figures such as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.”
Georgia women’s contributions have been wide-ranging in the arena of arts and culture and include renowned blues singer Gertrude “Ma” Rainey and nationally prominent literary figures Margaret Mitchell, Carson McCullers and Flannery O’Connor, in addition to Walker. Other essays profile educators, activists, aviators and entrepreneurs.
“Collectively, the life stories portrayed in this volume deepen our understanding of the multifaceted history of not only Georgia women but also the state itself,” Bayer said.
Clark said the essay collection seeks to remedy omissions from the historical record and connect women’s stories with larger historical events. “More often than not, Georgia women’s stories are marginalized, dismissed or misunderstood,” she said.
A reception will follow the talk. The event is open free to the public. Copies of both volumes of essays will be available for purchase.
This event is part of the UGA Spotlight on the Arts festival and is co-sponsored by the UGA Libraries and UGA Press. For more information, contact Amanda Sharp at asharp@uga.edu or 706-542-4145.
Spotlight on the Arts
Presented by the UGA Arts Council, the third annual Spotlight on the Arts features more than 60 events in the visual, literary and performing arts. The nine-day festival, scheduled for Nov. 6-14, includes museum tours, discussions with writers and concerts. For the complete schedule, see www.arts.uga.edu. Follow the Arts at UGA on Facebook or Twitter.
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Note to editors: An image of the book cover is available at http://multimedia.uga.edu/media/images/Georgia_women_book_cover.jpg.
