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.
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 Mondays.
WHAT: “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism,” and “Race Relations in the Obama Age” by guest-in-residence James Loewen
WHEN: Monday, Sept. 14 and Tuesday, Sept. 15 @ 7 p.m. each evening
WHERE: Main Lounge of Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory, Urbana
Loewen started his residency at Allen Hall last night with a talk about his new book, Teaching What Really Happened. The well-known author of Lies My Teacher Told Me is sure to provide a thought-provoking critique of race relations in the U.S.
WHAT: “The Geopolitics of Oil and Gas Production and Transmission: Why the Price We Pay at the Pump is Affected by U.S. Foreign Policy,” by Ambassador Stephan Minikes
WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 15 @ 2 p.m.
WHERE: Armory Room 331, 505 East Armory Ave. (3rd Floor, North Corridor)
Minikes, a former ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, is now working as a private contractor for Defense Solutions, Inc. No blood for oil? Not on his watch!
WHAT: “Carr Reading Series presents John T. Edge“
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 16 @ 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Illini Union Bookstore — Authors Corner
Caleb Curtiss will have a full interview with Edge tomorrow morning on Smile Politely, so keep on the lookout for that.
Until then, here’s an intro from his Wikipedia page: “John T. Edge is a food writer and commentator and the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. John T, as he is known, has authored numerous books detailing how America eats, including, Fried Chicken: An American Story, Apple Pie: An American Story, Hamburgers & Fries, and Donuts: An American Passion.
WHAT: “Sustainability Seminar series — Greenhouse Gas Emission Shifts with Changes in Modes of Transportation” by Cynthia Hoyle
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 17 @ 12 noon
WHERE: llinois Sustainable Technology Center, One E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign
Ms. Hoyle is involved in several sustainability organizations both locally and nationally, including Safe Routes to School, and she will have an informed viewpoint on multimodal transportation.