WHAT: “The ‘Invisible’ Forces of Haiti — How Can Books and Culture Help the Reconstruction Process?” Elizabeth Pierre-Louis, Library Program Coordinator at the Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL), Haiti
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Room 126, 501 E. Daniel St., Champaign
From the event announcement: “In Haiti the “invisible” are the deities of the voodoo religion, the forces among us that exist but we cannot see. Powerful, these forces guide the believers all their lives. Haiti had been at the head of headlines in 2010, for the devastating earthquake that touched, killed and displaced hundreds of thousands, the cholera epidemic, the hurricanes, and now the political turmoil with the general elections and the return of Baby Doc. Little is said of the vital forces of Haiti’s culture whether in literature, painting, sculpture but also all of the related institutions, libraries, museums, foundations and individuals that strive to maintain our creativity and humanity. This presentation will focus on this sector often neglected, “invisible” but ever so present in Haiti not in the aesthetic perspective but as a force of change.”
WHAT: “The Challenge of Asian Carp: A Symposium,” Glenn Sandiford, Moderator,
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UIUC
WHEN: Friday, April 8 @ 1 p.m.
WHERE: Plym Auditorium, Room 134, Temple Buell Hall
Our own Robert Hirschfeld is working on this issue as part of the Prairie Rivers Network, and this is a great opportunity to learn more about the underlying forces at work in trying to solve the problem of this invasive species.
From the event announcement: “The controversy about Asian carp will be the subject of a symposium hosted by the Department of Urban & Regional Planning (DURP) on Friday April 8. Asian carp are large, invasive fish that have rapidly spread upstream through the Illinois River since the 1990s. Their recent arrival in Chicago-area canals have sparked concerns that the fish might invade the Great Lakes and damage the region’s multi-billion-dollar fisheries. Four speakers prominent in the controversy will present their perspectives on Asian carp. The presenters are Shamel Abou-el-Seoud (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), Mark Biel (Unlock Our Jobs), Josh Ellis (Metropolitan Planning Council), and Reuben Keller (University of Chicago).”
You live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time. Get your learn on, as they say, and join the cognoscenti. It’s free, you know. Plus, sometimes there’s free food, too!
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Tuesdays when classes are in session.