WT Event Roundup: Vocal Workshop, Latinx Poets, Great Books, Film Screening 

Chip Chandler

The Prairie News stock image (The Prairie News)

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected], and 1910 PR, [email protected]

 

CANYON, Texas — In addition to ongoing Homecoming Week celebrations, West Texas A&M University will host several different virtual and in-person events over the next several days that will cater to a variety of interests.

Each demonstrates ways in which WT is responsive to the region’s needs, as laid out in the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. That plan is being fueled by the historic, $125 million One West campaign.

 

Vocal Arts Workshops 

The WT School of Music will team with International Performing Arts Institute and educator Maryann Kyle to present two days of vocal workshops.

WT students and those from surrounding high schools, colleges and universities can register for the free workshops at maryannkyle.com or IPAIFairhope.com.

Kyle and IPAI founder Bruce Earnest will present “Belting 101: Conquering Belt, High Belt and Power Belt the Acoustic Way” at 10 a.m. Oct. 8 in Room 226 of the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex. Kyle then will present the solo workshop “Classical to Broadway: Cross Training for the 21st Century Performer” at 1 p.m. Oct. 8 in the Jerry Williams Acting Studio in the Fine Arts Complex.

Kyle, Earnest and Matthew Oglesby, WT associate lecturer in voice, will present “Preparing for Competition and College Auditions” at 10 a.m. Oct. 9 in the Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall. And, finally, that trio along with WT alumni Kelli Harter and Brandon Farren will present “Vocal Pedagogy: Understanding Collaboration with Voice Teachers and Choral Conductors” at noon Oct. 9, also in the Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall.

Auditions for IPAI’s Summer 2022 intensives will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.

 

For information, call Oglesby at 806-651-2850.

 

Latinx Poetry Distinguished Lecture

Latina poets Alessandra Narvaez Varela and Casandra Lopez will present “Latinx Poetry and the Crises of America” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 via Zoom.

The reading and discussion — centering on Latino/a poetic expression today in the face of the crises of immigration, culture, family and language within the U.S. — is sponsored by the WTAMU Distinguished Lecture Series.

“As a Hispanic Serving Institution, these issues affect the daily lives of a large portion of the WT student body,” said Dr. Andrew Reynolds, professor of Spanish and associate department chair for WT’s Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages. “With their creative work and through their innovative and powerful voices, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic students alike will gain a greater understanding of these local, regional and national issues.”

Varela is a poet and teacher who was born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, México. Her first book, “Thirty Talks Weird Love,” a young-adult novel in verse, will be published Oct. 12.

Lopez is a Chicano and American Indian writer and teacher. She recently published “Brother Bullet,” a book of poetry that brings attention to the unseen trauma in communities.

 

To attend, register here.

 

Great Books Series

A book celebrating the unusual characters in a small town will be in the spotlight for the next installment of WT’s Great Books Series.

Dr. Pat Tyrer, the Jenny Lind Porter Professor of English, will discuss “Hands,” one of the tales included in Sherwood Anderson’s “Winesburg, Ohio,” at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 via Zoom.

“The town of Winesburg itself is never fully realized with each of the characters forced beyond the atypical surface to the hidden truth of their ‘grotesqueness,’ yet with a soft touch of empathy and kindness,” Tyrer said. “‘Hands’ is particularly interesting as the lead story and one that typifies Anderson’s definition of the grotesque which the critic Bruce Falconer describes as ‘people who have fallen through the cracks of life, succumbed to weakness and doubt, and worst of all, closed themselves off from each other.’”

The discussion series — sponsored by the Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages — is open to those who either have or haven’t read the book, said Dr. Daniel Bloom, organizer and associate professor of philosophy.

WT professors and guest lecturers lead the monthly discussions.

The series began in 2011 and is traditionally held in person on the second Tuesday of the month at Burrowing Owl Books, 7406 S.W. 34th Ave., Suite 2B, in Amarillo. It shifted to Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic; a return to in-person meetings is expected to occur in 2021.

 

To register for the October discussion, email Bloom at [email protected].

 

‘Beyond Economic Impact’ Distinguished Lecture 

A sports management consultant will discuss ways in which communities can benefit from athletic competitions.

Dr. Jennifer Stoll will present “Beyond Economic Impact: How Sports Events Contribute to Community” at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Fairly Group Club at Buffalo Stadium. Admission is free.

“Dr. Stoll is a rising star in the field of sport management and our department is thrilled to bring her to WT,” said Blake Price, instructor in the Department of Sports and Exercise Sciences. “She has worked side-by-side with numerous industry leaders across the nation to develop practical solutions to issues currently seen at all levels of sport. She understands the impact sport has on all communities, large or small, and presents information in a way that all stakeholders can understand.”

Before creating her own consultancy, Stoll Sports Strategies, Stoll acted as the executive director of the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission where she attracted, enhanced, and built prominent sporting events, including the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships. Stoll also worked with the PGA of America and assisted with the 2008 Ryder Cup and two Senior PGA Championships.

The Distinguished Lecture Series was created to enhance education in the classroom by inviting people of national prominence to speak to WTAMU students and the community about important issues.

 

For information, call Blake Price at 806-651-3646.

 

Remnant Trust Film Screening

As part of the ongoing exhibition of texts on human liberty through the Remnant Trust, WT Department of History will host a screening of a film centering on the fight for women’s right to vote.

“Iron Jawed Angels” will screen at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 in Old Main 220. Dr. Jean Stuntz, Regents’ Professor of History, will introduce the film and moderate discussion. Admission is free, and popcorn and drinks will be available.

The film, made for HBO in 2004, stars Hilary Swank, Angelica Huston, Frances O’Connor and Julia Ormond.

The Remnant Trust’s exhibition “The Theme Is Freedom,” cosponsored by WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, will be on view in Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum’s Research Center and WT’s Cornette Library through Oct. 28. To reserve a time, contact Warren Stricker at[email protected].

For information, call 806-651-2426 or email [email protected].

 

 

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 40 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.