blowin’ in
the wind: prof. ricks finds insights into
dylan
 Christopher
Ricks will talk about the music and poetry of Bob Dylan
in a lecture, “Bob
Dylan and Misogyny,” on Monday, Oct. 17, in Collins
Cinema. A reception will be held at 4:30 pm in Collins
Café; the lecture begins at 5:15 pm.
Ricks is the author of the 2004 book, Dylan’s Sins
of Vision, which is newly released in paperback. A professor
of humanities at Boston University, Ricks “allows
his own musings about Bob Dylan to go ‘blowin’ in
the wind’ in this love letter to the enigmatic
bard,” according to a review in Publishers
Weekly. “Focusing
on the centrality of the seven deadly sins (pride, anger,
lust, envy, sloth, greed, covetousness), the four virtues
(justice, temperance, fortitude, prudence) and the three
graces (faith, hope, love) in Dylan’s writings,
Ricks confirms Dylan’s poetic genius and elevates
the poet of the north country to canonical status alongside
Tennyson, Shakespeare and Milton.”
In The New Yorker, Alex Ross wrote that “Ricks’s
writing on Dylan is the best there is. Unlike most rock
critics — ‘40-year-olds talking to 10-year-olds,’ Dylan
has called them — he writes for adults.” In
the Times of London, Bryan Appleyard maintained that “Ricks,
one of the most distinguished literary critics of our
time, is almost the only writer to have applied serious
literary intelligence to Dylan.”
An online description of the book reads, “Bob Dylan’s
ways with words are a wonder, matched as they are with
his music and verified by those voices of his. In response
to the whole range of Dylan early and late (his songs
of social conscience, of earthly love, of divine love
and of contemplation), this critical appreciation listens
to Dylan’s attentive genius, alive in the very
words and their rewards. Dylan’s countless listeners
(and even the artist himself, who knows?) may agree with
W.H. Auden that Ricks ‘is exactly the kind of critic
every poet dreams of finding.’” For more
information, call x2591.
wcw
researcher to discuss ‘social fathers’
Demographic
trends such as growing numbers of nonmarital
births, increasing cohabitation, the delay
or diminishing incidence of marriage and high
rates of divorce have moved fathers and fatherhood
front and center politically in the United
States. Increasingly, men other than biological
fathers play important roles in the daily lives
of many children and families. Called “social
fathers,” these are men who help parent
other than their own children.
On Thursday, Oct. 13, from 12:30-1:30 pm in
the Wellesley
Centers for Women’s Cheever House,
researcher Michelle Bragg will present a free lunchtime
seminar, “Beyond
Dads: Other Men in Families.” Bragg received
her Ph.D. from the School of Public Policy at George
Mason University in January 2004. In keeping with
her interests in social policy and culture, her dissertation, “Social
Fathering Among African American Men and the Impact
on Child and Family Outcomes,” focused on the
influence of an important subgroup of fathers and
the current policy emphasis on “married fatherhood.”
Bragg will discuss how, as the context of American
families continues to change, normative definitions
of “father” and “family” need
to expand. Fatherhood initiatives and family-related
policies that define either too narrowly may leave
many social father families un-served or under-served,
she notes. For more information, go to www.wcwonline.org or call x2500.
helping the forgotten
 Refugee
rights activist Sasha Chanoff, founder and executive
director of Mapendo
International, a nongovernmental
group working to aid refugees and displaced people
of conflict-torn countries, will talk about “The
Crisis in Darfur” on Monday, Oct. 17, at
8 pm in Collins Cinema.
Chanoff
has traveled frequently to Africa, including
the Darfur region in Sudan. He will address the
genocide occurring there and suggest ways to help
to stop it. His organization, Mapendo International,
works to fill the critical and unmet needs of people
affected by war and conflict who have fallen through
the net of humanitarian assistance. The event is
sponsored by Amnesty
International. For more information,
e-mail kbundy@wellesley.edu.
music
performance to benefit hurricane victims
 A
concert featuring Romanian sacral music will
be offered Sunday,
Oct. 16, at 7 pm in Houghton
Memorial Chapel.
It will feature pan-flutist Nicolae Voiculet
and organist Giovanni de Cecco. A rising international
star, Voiculet
performs classical music inspired by
Romanian folk and traditional tunes, accompanied
by renowned Italian organist de Cecco.
“In a cross-national solidarity gesture,
this concert serves as a rememberance of the terrible devastation in Romania
during the floods of 2005,” said Bosnia native
Dubravka Colic ’06,
who is
organizing
the
event. The
concert is
sponsored
by
Slater
International.
For more,
e-mail dcolic@wellesley.edu.
horticulturist offers lunchtime
botanic garden tour
Botanic
Gardens
horticulturist
Tricia
Diggins
invites
one
and
all
to
a
lunchtime
walk
through
the
Hunnewell
Arboretum
and
Alexandra
Botanic
Garden
Wednesday,
Oct.
12,
from
noon-1
pm.
As
primary
caretaker
of
the
Botanic
Gardens’ outdoor
plantings,
Diggins
has
a
unique
perspective
on
the
trees
and
shrubs
that
thrive
there.
Walkers
will
enjoy
fall
colors
while
learning
valuable
tidbits
about
the
history,
growth
habits
and
suitability
of
woody
plants
for
home
gardens.
Among
the
sites
in
the
Hunnewell
Arboretum
is
an
open
area
presided
over
by
a
mighty fir,
the
traditional
site
of
many Wellesley
weddings.
The
delicate
foliage
of
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