Friday, October 07, 2005
Woolf scholar/memoirist DeSalvo presents Community of Scholars lecture
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Dr. Louise DeSalvo will describe the differences between writing about the famous and the obscure in the Community of Scholars lecture, “Writing Obscure Lives: From Virginia Woolf to my Immigrant Ancestors,” on Thursday, October 27, at the University of Southern Indiana. DeSalvo specialized in writing about Woolf during the early part of her career, publishing "Virginia Woolf’s First Voyage: A Novel in the Making" and "Melymbrosia," an edition of an early version of Woolf’s first novel, "The Voyage Out"; and co-editing "Vita Sackville-West’s Letters to Virginia Woolf." Her acclaimed and controversial biography "Virginia Woolf: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on her Life and Work"; was named one of the most important books of the 20th century by The Women’s Review of Books. After its publication in 1989, DeSalvo lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad on the impact of sexual abuse and trauma, and made many television and radio appearances on the subject. Her latest book, "Crazy in the Kitchen: Food, Feuds, and Forgiveness in an Italian American Family," is a memoir in which DeSalvo relates her family history through its relationship with food. DeSalvo’s mother and Italian step-grandmother turned the kitchen into a battleground over what constituted good food. “It’s about how people use food to comfort, but also to retaliate,” said Julia Galbus, associate professor of English. “Food becomes a tool to manipulate, but also to console. “As an adult, DeSalvo became focused on never having a bad meal again, because she realized there is something nurturing about good food.” DeSalvo’s other works include the memoirs "Vertigo," "Breathless," and "Adultery"; and "Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives." DeSalvo graduated from Douglass College in 1963 and took her Ph.D. from New York University in 1977. From 1977 through 1982, she taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University, in the Master of Arts in Teaching program. She joined the faculty of Hunter College in 1982, where she is currently the Jenny Hunter Endowed Scholar for Creative Writing and Literature. Douglass College awarded her The Douglass Society Medal for Distinguished Achievement in 1990. She was Distinguished Visiting Writer in Residence at the University of South Carolina during spring 2001. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in Carter Hall in the University Center. The College of Liberal Arts engages a speaker for the Community of Scholars presentation each fall. The English Department hosts the 2005 program. For more information, contact Galbus, associate professor of English, at 812/465-1225 or jgalbus@usi.edu. |
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