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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
How is the Free Minds Project changing lives through the humanities? The Alcalde poses this question in a terrific article about Free Minds, and our January newsletter reminds us that the humanities are at the heart of what we do.
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Free Minds Featured in The Alcalde
The Alcalde, the alumni magazine of The University of Texas at Austin, published an article about Free Minds, "Minds on Fire," in their January/February issue.
Also check out the web-only feature profiling student writings!
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Spring Semester Kicks Off
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Student Eva Marie Perez flips through the new course reader.
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On January 11, Free Minds students and faculty took their first steps into a fast-paced and exciting semester. We began our journey with an interdisciplinary class on Zora Neale Hurston's essay "How It Feels to Be Colored Me." Students discussed the Great Migration, women in the Harlem Renaissance, the power of labels, and the potency of a well-placed image.
And that was just the first night. This spring, Toni Morrison takes her place beside Elaine Tyler May's book on birth control and women's rights; UT professor and novelist Oscar Casares will rub shoulders with poets ranging from e.e. cummings to Elizabeth Bishop; and Sherman Alexie and Amy Tan will be interpreted on celluloid. Though wide-ranging, the curriculum will center on questions of inclusion and exclusion. What does it mean to embrace difference? When is freedom not enough?
Along the way, students will write essays, perform their works on stage at ACC's Carnival Ah!, and learn how to fill out FAFSA forms and take the next steps to college. An ambitious four months lie ahead.
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| A Night at the Museum
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Student Tiffany Eagan and son Anthony: "What do you see?"
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"Art offers us an opportunity to slow down and look at things a little differently," Annette Carlozzi, deputy director at the Blanton Museum, told Free Minds students when they toured the museum on January 19. It was a busy night, with groups taking in the last days of the striking exhibit, El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa.
Students had a unique chance to encounter the West African
artist who is considered one of the preeminent of his generation. Using artifacts otherwise considered trash, Anatsui composes striking metal wall sculptures resembling tapestries of color and shape.
Standing before the large piece "The Stressed World," Carlozzi encouraged students to trust their own responses when approaching art. "What do you see?" she asked.
Read more >>
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Special Thanks
This month we want to recognize the support of our friends and colleagues at the Community Engagement Center, where Free Minds makes its home. Thanks for editing our newsletters, assembling our mailings, and affirming the importance of serving our community. Special thanks go to:
Rev. Freddie Dixon, Director | Angela Gooden, Assistant Director | Dr. Eric Tang | Ellen Moutos-Lee | Julie Gutowski | Caley Burton | Kendra Hughes
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.
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YOUTUBE: Stacey Kennedy, Free Minds '12, and her son Richmond talk about their journey from homelessness to college.
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Minds in Motion
Archive
December 2011 "You gotta keep going to school till you're old and old and old!" November 2011 Students share their stories: Balancing work, motherhood, and school. October 2011 Philosophy class, writing workshops, and a double dose of Shakespeare. |
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Spring Schedule of Alumni Events
All events are free and, unless otherwise noted, will take place at the Community Engagement Center (1009 E. 11th St. #216).
TUES, JANUARY 31
American Indians and the American Imagination, 7 PM
A master class with Dr. Pauline Strong, UT Dept. of Anthropology
THURS, FEBRUARY 16
A Valentine's Day Literary Event, 7 PM
A master class with Drs. Patricia Garcia and John Gonzalez, UT Dept. of English
WED, FEBRUARY 29
College Fair, 6:30 PM
Foundation Communities' M Station Apartments (2906 E. MLK)
TUES, MARCH 20
Batsheva Dance Company, 8 PM
UT's Bass Concert Hall (23rd and Trinity) . TUES, APRIL 24
Celebrate National Poetry Month, 7 PM
A master class with Lyman Grant, ACC Dean of Arts and Humanities
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The Final Word
Dr. Domino Perez on What Flannery O'Connor Can Teach Us
  
Ruby Turpin, the protagonist in Flannery O'Connor's short story "Revelation," is not a nice person. To assure her own place in the world, she creates categories of humanity based on race, class and physical attributes. She is a petty, vain, racist who judges everyone around her, even her own husband.
So why pick this story above countless others to include in a Free Minds literature class?
When faced with the whole of literary history, choosing a few selections is never easy. I have taught courses in literature, film, popular culture, and cultural studies for the last 19 years. Regardless of the class, I always include the works of writers and artists from as many different ethnic, cultural, and social groups as possible so that the materials best reflect the many faces of the U.S.
For example, one conversation might include Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, William Goyen, and Sandra Cisneros so that students can trace the themes of belonging and community. Students begin to see that the issues represented in literature are not the sole intellectual or emotional property of any one group or time period.
So again, why "Revelation?" What can Flannery O'Connor teach us? As one of the greatest American short story writers, she did not shy away from human cruelty, injustice, or violence. In repeatedly focusing on grotesque characters such as Ruby with very human flaws, O'Connor shows us that even the most loathsome are not excluded from forgiveness and grace.
Not always an easy lesson, but, as offered by students during discussion, a powerful one.
Dr. Domino Renee Perez is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and the Director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. This is her second year teaching the literature unit with Free Minds.
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A program of the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, in partnership with the UT Humanities Institute, Austin Community College, and Foundation Communities, Free Minds offers a two-semester college course in the humanities for Central Texas adults who want to fulfill their intellectual potential and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Free Minds Project
Community Engagement Center
1009 East 11th Street, #218
Austin TX 78702
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Project Assistant/AmeriCorps VISTA: Hana Silverstein
Ph: 512-232-6093 F: 512-236-1729
www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/freeminds |
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