Cherríe Moraga, a renowned writer, feminist activist, poet, essayist and playwright, will present her lecture titled “They Are Falling All Around Me — A Borderless América Reimagined” for Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality’s (CSWGS) Gray/Wawro Lecture in Gender, Health and Wellbeing beginning at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18. The center will also hold a reception and book signing with Moraga at 5:30 p.m. in the Martel Lobby of Duncan Hall.
Known for co-editing the groundbreaking anthology “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color” and writing the now-classic “Loving in the War Years: Lo Que Nunca Pasó Por Sus Labios,” Moraga has helped shape contemporary thought and literature in the feminist, queer and Chicana (which Moraga reconceptualizes as “Xicana”) communities.
“Cherríe Moraga’s profound contributions to literature and activism have not only enriched academic discourse but have also ignited vital conversations about identity, justice and resilience,” said Lora Wildenthal, director of CSWGS and the John Antony Weir Professor of History. “Her visit underscores the importance of continuing to engage with diverse voices that push the boundaries of conventional thought and illuminate the complexities of our shared experiences. We are honored to host such a distinguished and influential figure in the Chicana, feminist and queer communities.”
Who: Cherríe Moraga, Chicana writer, feminist activist, poet, essayist and playwright
What: Gray/Wawro Lecture in Gender, Health and Wellbeing
When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, reception at 5:30 p.m., lecture at 6:30 p.m.
Where: McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
Moraga’s literary works include “A Xicana Codex of Changing Consciousness: Writings 2000-2010,” “The Last Generation,” “Waiting in the Wings: Portrait of a Queer Motherhood” and her recent memoir “Native Country of the Heart.”
Her accolades are numerous, including the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship for Literature, the American Studies Association Lifetime Achievement Award and the PEN West Award. In recent years, she has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and two Fund for New American Plays Awards, and her play “The Mathematics of Love” premiered at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco.
Moraga is a professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, she co-founded Las Maestras Center for Xicana[x] Indigenous Thought, Art and Social Praxis with her artistic partner Celia Herrera Rodriguez.
Support for this lecture is generously provided by Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro.
Registration for the free event is encouraged. You can do so here.