The Friends of Fondren Library (FOFL) hosted its annual event Feb. 16 honoring Rice faculty, staff, alumni and FOFL members who have either authored a book, edited a journal published, composed a major musical work or mounted a one-person art show in 2021.
This year’s event, held in the library’s Kyle Morrow Room, recognized the authors of three recent books: Jacqueline Couti, the Laurence H. Favrot Professor of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, wrote “Sex, Sea, and Self: Sexuality and Nationalism in French Caribbean Discourses 1924-1948.” Rachel Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and professor of sociology, wrote “In Too Deep: Class and Mothering in a Flooded Community.” And Christopher Sperandio, associate professor of painting and drawing, wrote “Greenie Josephenie.”
Peter Caldwell, the Samuel G. McCann Professor of History, read last year’s long list of Rice-affiliated authors, editors and composers before introducing the three panelists. Julie Fette, associate professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, moderated a discussion between the authors on the topic of “Family Curators, Critics of Patriarchal Imperialism, and Green Superheroes: Writing about Women across the Disciplines.”
In appreciation of their participation on the panel, the Friends of Fondren Library gifted all three Rice-branded golf umbrellas — one of the more popular items the library loans out on a daily basis. (Photos by Katharine Shilcutt)