WVU\'s Festival of Ideas series to focus on Abraham Lincoln

January 22nd, 2007

In recognition of the opening of Lincoln Hall, West Virginia Universitys new residential college, the 2007 Festival of Ideas series will focus on Americas 16th president, Abraham Lincolnthe man, the myth, the martyr and American hero.

Throughout an eight-week period from February to April, a wide array of experts will come to WVU to discuss why Lincoln matters and examine Lincoln as a politician, historical figure, leader and cultural icon.

Panels and speakers will share many insights and experiences with WVU students and the community, highlighting all aspects of Lincolns legacy, including his crafting of legislation that created the state of West Virginia and the formation of WVU as a land-grant university.

The revived Festival lecture series took place shortly after WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. took office in 1995. It was inspired by events Hardesty organized as WVU student body president in the 1960s.

Each year since, the Festival of Ideas has brought key figures from the fields of sports, politics, business, entertainment, research, scholarship and culture to Morgantown.

The series, which is coordinated by students through the WVU Office of Arts and Entertainment, will also explore Lincolns history, influence and legacy across American and international culture and politics

The seven-event lecture series begins Feb. 16 and continues through April 11. This years dates and speakers include:

  • Friday, Feb. 16 Mark Russell, a political humorist and syndicated columnist, best known for his PBS specials. Russell is known for playing the piano and singing in between periods of talking. He takes popular songs and rewrites satirical versions. Russell was featured in the Simpson episodeMr. Lisa Goes to Washington,where the character sang three songs in the style of Russells political satires songs. Russell is frequently asked if he has writers. He typically responds,Oh, yesI have 535 writers, 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 21 James McPherson, author ofBattle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era,who won a Pulitzer Prize for the work. The book has sold more than 600,000 copies. McPhersons book is credited with combining the complexities of the war while maintaining the narrative that made it appealing to the American public. McPherson has written several books about abolition, Abraham Lincoln and the Reconstruction. His latest work isFor Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought I the Civil War,which won the Lincoln Prize in 1998. For that book, McPherson combed through 25,000 letters and diaries of soldiers who fought in the war.
  • Thursday, March 1 Panel discussion on the history and future of the American penny and the ongoing battle between legislators and citizens to eliminate or save it.
  • Thursday, March 8 Joshua Shenk, author ofLincolns Melancholy,which describes the full story of Lincolns lifelong battle with depression, how he managed it and how it came to fuel his epic work. It also features an examination of the role of mental illness in the successes and challenges of American leaders. The book has been called among the best of 2005 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Abraham Lincoln Institute. Shenk has written for The New Yorker, Harpers Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, Mother Jones and other publications.
  • Tuesday, March 13 Panel discussion of the impact, influence and future of land-grant universities.
  • Monday, April 2 Gore Vidal, novelist, playwright and essayist, who wrote the script for the television mini-seriesLincoln.Vidal stirred controversy from his correspondence with Timothy McVeigh, the convicted Oklahoma City terrorist. He also sparred with William F. Buckley Jr. as co-political analysts of the 1968 presidential elections for ABC News. For six decades, Vidal has written about a wide variety of socio-political, sexual, historical and literary themes. Vidal will also appear in Charleston April 3.
  • Wednesday, April 11 Sarah Vowell, author, journalist and cultural historian, who regularly contributes to the radio programThis American Lifeon Public Radio International. Vowell will discuss her latest book,Assassination Vacation,a road trip into the history and ethnography of violence and the American presidency. Vowell has appeared onNightline,The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,The Late Show with David LettermanandLate Night with Conan OBrien.She has been published in The Village Voice, Esquire, GQ, Spin, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.

Two additional Festival events are still being finalized and will be announced at a later date.

All presentations are free, open to the public and begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. Seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 304-293-SHOW.