Biographer/Former NY Times Journalist To Speak at Calvin

Summary: Former New York Times journalist and biographer Jane Fletcher Geniesse will speak at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 12, at Calvin's Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

Jane Fletcher Geniesse's lecture, titled "The Empire Wore Skirts" will highlight the contributions of strong women to western imperialism in the Middle East. Geniesse's lecture draws from her biographies of Anna Spafford and Freya Stark.

Geniesse's most recent book, "American Priestess: The Extraordinary Story of Anna Spafford and the American Colony in Jerusalem" (2008), illuminates 19th-Century revivalism: the way it encouraged Zionism and the impact that has had on the people of Palestine.

"I'm thrilled to be able to bring her perspective and familiarity especially to students whose curiosity about the Arab world is on the upswing," said Bert de Vries, professor of history at Calvin College.

For more information, contact de Vries at 616-526-6273 or at dvrb@calvin.edu

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Received on Sat Oct 10 08:49:17 2009