Performance Artist and Professor Holly Hughes to Appear at WC

Chestertown, April 14—Holly Hughes, whose National Endowment for the Arts grant was denied because of the content of her work, will perform selections from her work at 7 p.m., Friday, April 21 in the Tawes Theatre on the campus of Washington College. Admission is free.

Critics consistently praise Hughes's work. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner writes, "She's phenomenal. When you encounter a mind like Holly Hughes, it wakes you up." The Chicago Tribune calls Hughes "One of the most insightful, funny and entertaining storytellers around."

The Raleigh-Durham Spectator called Hughes "part pundit, part comedian, and part exhibitionist. A gifted comedian, she has a fresh and very funny point of view, and her wry observations on contemporary society appeal to a wider audience than she might imagine."

Hughes is an Obie-winning writer, performer and teacher and is considered a central figure in America's culture wars.In 1990 Hughes became what some have called "a notorious poster girl of the free speech movement" when she and three other artists were denied funding by the National Endowment for the Arts. After recommending Hughes for a grant, the NEA reversed its decision on the grounds that Hughes's work was too "controversial." The artists sued and settled successfully out of court.

Hughes's performance is sponsored by the Drama Department of Washington College and the Robert Julian Emory Memorial Fund.

National Book Award Winner Speaks on Andrew Jackson

Chestertown, MD — Ever the controversial figure, Andrew Jackson's success as a military leader of the Battle of New Orleans will be the subject of a lecture by Robert Remini, distinguished professor of history emeritus at the University of Illinois, Chicago. The lecture takes place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday March 22 in the Hynson Lounge at Washington College. Beginning at 4 p.m., preceding the lecture, Remini will sign his latest book, "The Battle of New Orleans."

Remini, who has been called "an historian in love with his subject," says that the Battle of New Orleans, fought after a peace treaty ending the War of 1812 had been ratified by Britain and the United States, "was one of the great turning points in American history" because it "produced a President and an enduring belief in the military ability of free people to protect and preserve their society and their way of life." Carlo D'Este, writing in "The New York Times Book Review," calls Remini's latest work, "an exceptional book that combines impressive scholarship with a riveting narrative." The book has also received rave reviews from readers.

Remini's three-volume biography, "Andrew Jackson," won the National Book Award and was reissued in 1998 as a Main Selection of the History Book Club. He is also the author of biographies of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster.

"Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans" is sponsored by the Washington College History Department. Washington College Phi Beta Kappa Associates, theCampus Events and Visitors Committee and the Robert Julian Emory Lecture Fund. It is free and open to the public.

Illustrated Lecture Brings Chinese Geisha Life To Light

Chestertown, MD — The lives and accomplishments of Ming dynasty geishas will be the subject of an illustrated talk by Victoria C. Cass, associate professor of Chinese at the University of Colorado, Boulder, at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 29 in the Sophie Kerr Room, Miller Library at Washington College.

"Brilliant Outcasts: On Being a Chinese Geisha in the Ming" features slides of paintings by geishas, portraits of geishas, maps, and other images of the dynasty. The Ming, which flourished from 1368 to 1644, marked a period of native Chinese rule between eras of Mongol and Manchu dominance. The dynasty extended the Chinese empire into Korea, Mongolia, Turkistan, Vietnam, and Myanmar (Burma). Before its overthrow in the 17th century, the Ming marked a time of lush prosperity, autocratic rule, and unprecedented stability.

Cass, a noted expert on women in Chinese literature and Chinese language, recently published Dangerous Women: Warriors, Grannies and Geishas of the Ming (Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham, Md., 1999). Her talk, sponsored by the Julian Emory Fund, The O'Neill Literary House, and the Gender Studies Program, is free and open to the public.