Bowers Writers House hosts activist, scholar, musician as Elizabethtown College explores power of service

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ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (11/09/2011)(readMedia)-- Writer/artist Ellen O'Grady discusses her strategy for writing and drawing nonfiction – especially as related to activist movements – as well as her personal thoughts about working in two mediums when she visits Bowers Writers House at Elizabethtown College for a workshop/craft talk at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.

At 8 p.m. Nov. 15, O'Grady will read from her own works "Stories from Occupied Palestine: Conflict in Context." The Middle East-perhaps no other region on the planet is so fraught with controversy, turmoil, struggle and conflict. As an artist, Ellen O'Grady possesses a unique, compassionate perspective on the people and relationships found in this troubled area. She'll discuss her experiences there, and her personal and artistic perspectives concerning life under occupation, the enduring human spirit.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, O'Grady presents "Outside the Ark: An Artist's Journey in Occupied Palestine," at Leffler Chapel and Performance Center and at 4 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 16, O'Grady heads up a roundtable discussion on "Can We Talk?: The Art of Citizen Diplomacy."

O'Grady is a painter, author, and activist who uses art and conversation as tools to share information, break down barriers and create change. Her book Outside the Ark: An Artist's Journey in Occupied Palestine is the culmination of almost eight years of living and working in the West Bank and Gaza. In this book, O'Grady interweaves personal observation, reportage and illustration to offer an unsentimental narrative that illuminates life in Palestine.

Dr. Mike Silberstein and Dr. Mark Stuckey discuss "The Time of Our Lives" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29. St. Augustine famously said: "What then is time? When not ask me I know but once you ask me and I try to explain it, I do not know." Despite all the knowledge acquired since the time of Augustine, we are still deeply puzzled about the nature of time. Indeed, it is one of the major road blocks to unification. Is time, as experienced, just a grand illusion generated by our brains? Is it built into the fundamental nature of physical reality, or does it "emerge" from something more fundamental in physics? E-town professors Mark Stuckey and Michael Silberstein share their research and scholarship into these ancient questions and tell the back story (a narrative in time) of how we got here, now.

Rounding out the fall season Bowers Writers House is a musical performance by John Rohrkemper and guests at 7 p.m. Dec. 5. E-town professor Dr. John Rohrkemper will play selected songs from his repertoire of music. John Rohrkemper, Associate Professor of English, has been a songwriter for most of his life. He has written well over a hundred songs and has performed them in bars, coffee houses, and from theater stages. He will talk about and perform songs written during the last 40 years, with several musical friends sitting in on some of the songs.

Bowers Writers House events are free and seating is on a first-come first-served basis, so arrive at least a half hour before the event. All events are at Bowers Writers House, 840 College Hill Lane, Elizabethtown, unless otherwise noted.

Bowers Writers House at Elizabethtown College, 840 College Hill Lane, was created with a generous gift by Kenneth L. '59 and Rosalie E. '58 Bowers to support a culture of creative curiosity and foster a new sense of excitement and enthusiasm for intellectual diversity. The Bowers Writers House is an interdisciplinary venue for presentation, performance, expression and study. The programs-from dramatic readings to interactive panels to musical performances-offer a dynamic variety of enjoyable and informative experiences. Visit www.etown.edu/centers/writershouse.

Elizabethtown College, in south-central Pennsylvania, is a private coed institution offering more than four dozen liberal arts, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, business, communications and education degrees. Through personal attention, creative inspiration and academic challenge, Elizabethtown College students are encouraged to expand their intellectual curiosity and are given the opportunity to become an important part of the bigger world through experiential learning-research, internships and study abroad. Elizabethtown College's overall commitment to Educate for Service is fulfilled as students are taught intellectually, socially, aesthetically and ethically for lives of service and leadership.

Visit www.etown.edu for more information about Elizabethtown College.

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