Emergency Info |
On Saturday, April 2nd the Marshall University Women’s Studies Program will host the first annual “Stand for Women” Conference at the Pullman Plaza Hotel in downtown Huntington. This event was conceived to be a regional academic conference dedicated to crossing boundaries between disciplines and exploring a wide range of women’s issues. With the theme “Stand up. Stand out. Stand With. Stand for Women,” the works presented at the conference are an exploration of the role that activism plays in women’s lives. As such, the presentations examine both the historical roots of women’s activism as well as present day activists. They examine the global context of women’s lives, and they examine the personal and political consequences of policies that affect women.
“This is going to be a wonderful conference filled with exciting panels, presentations, and discussions. Through a variety of mediums (art, literature, social inquiry, etc.), the presentations will examine women’s action, and we hope it will inspire people to take action of their own” said Dr. Wendy R. Williams, Director of the Women’s Studies Program and Conference Organizer. Leslee Browning, who is the Graduate Assistant for the Women’s Studies Program, added “It is a great opportunity for students to present their work, as well as to network with other people interested in women’s issues and activism.”
Currently, there are 70 people pre-registered for the conference, representing six states (West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Indiana) and one international country (Australia). The opening session will be beginning at 8:15am and the conference will end at 7:30pm. At lunch, author Marie Manilla will give the Plenary Talk including reading from her highly acclaimed new novel “Still Life with Plums.” The conference will also feature a Keynote Speech by Zohreh Sullivan, who will be discussing her book, “Exiled Memories: Stories of the Iranian Diaspora.”
Additional support for the conference was provided by the Marshall University Women’s Center, Multicultural Affairs, the College of Liberal Arts, and the English Department, as well as by two outside sponsors West Virginia Free and Planned Parenthood.
Space is still available to attend the conference, and individuals wishing to register for the conference can contact the Women’s Studies Program Director, Wendy R. Williams via email at williamw@marshall.edu. More information on the conference can also be found on the Women’s Studies homepage, www.marshall.edu/womenstu.
