Release date: Feb. 12, 2008

Candler School of Theology Hosts Author Pearl Cleage

Photo by Albert Trotman

Contact: Elaine Justice, 404-727-0643, elaine.justice@emory.edu
Contact: Kelly McLendon, 404-727-4481, kelly.mclendon@emory.edu

Critically acclaimed Atlanta-based author Pearl Cleage will speak at Emory University's Candler School of Theology at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20 in Cannon Chapel.

Cleage's play "Flyin' West" was the most produced new play in 1994. Her first novel, "What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day," was an Oprah Book Club pick and spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her new novel, "Seen It All and Done the Rest," will be published by Ballantine/One World in March.

Cleage's writings "reflect the soul strivings of peoples of African descent in America," says Renee K. Harrison, interim director of Candler's Black Church Studies program, the event's sponsor. "She is particularly interested in the struggles, hopes, dreams and flourishing of black women."

As a scholar-residence at Spelman College and a renowned poet, playwright, novelist and lecturer, "Cleage's work expresses the depths of the black experience in America," Harrison says. "She writes about women's experiences with great finesse, style, vitality and truth."

Cleage's latest work, "A Song for Coretta," is currently in production at Atlanta's 7 Stages through Feb. 24.

Cleage's appearance is part of Candler's Anna Julia Cooper Lecture Series. Cooper, a former enslaved woman of African descent, was born Annie Julia Haywood in 1858. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1884, becoming the second black woman to complete a four-year course of study at an accredited American college. Cooper received her doctorate in French from the Sorbonne in Paris at age of 65, becoming the fourth African-American woman to earn a doctoral degree. Cooper was dedicated to education and held various academic positions, including president of Frelinghuysen University in Washington, D.C., an adult education night school that offered academic, religious and trade programs.

Emory University (www.emory.edu) is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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