Special Presentations

Special Presentations:
2024 Fall Term

Tea & Talk
Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.

James Joyce's Ulysses and Book Banning in America

John Rickard, Bucknell University

In 1922, the Irish writer James Joyce published his groundbreaking novel Ulysses. However, "The Scandal of Ulysses" had begun years earlier as Joyce published chapters of the book in periodicals, which were subsequently seized and banned. Joyce's startling frankness resulted in Ulysses being banned in so many English-speaking nations that he was forced to publish the book in Paris. This talk places Joyce's controversial novel into historical context by examining its path from banned book to legal publication in the United States in 1934.

JOHN RICKARD is an emeritus professor of English at Bucknell. He specialized in modern Irish and British literature until he retired in 2019, and has published and edited books and articles on James Joyce and other modern and contemporary writers.

Tea & Talk
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 at 3:30 p.m

(Un)Predictable: What We Know and What We Don’t Know About Voters and the 2024 Election

Scott Meinke, Bucknell University

Scholars have good evidence on how campaigns, candidates and the political context usually shape presidential elections. As we approach the 2024 election, what do we know about how voters will respond to the choice they face? What aspects of this election — aside from the candidates — are familiar and likely to follow predictable patterns? What elements of this year's election are new and potentially more difficult to predict, and how might we think about them? This presentation offers some facts from political science research to shed light on the extremely consequential choice the country will make this November

SCOTT MEINKE is a professor of political science at Bucknell University. In his research on the American political system, he has authored two books on congressional parties and leadership as well as numerous research articles on Congress, electoral processes and other topics. At Bucknell, he teaches courses on Congress, the presidency, the courts and a senior seminar on polarization in the U.S.

Tea & Talk
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.

What Is "The Blues"?

Bonnie Tallman, Billtown Blues Festival

What is "love"? What is "air"? What is "blues"? Each of these holds different meanings and significance to individuals, based on personal experiences, perspectives and cultural backgrounds. Just as love and air have diverse interpretations, the blues encompasses a range of emotions, experiences and artistic expressions for different people. We will explore the birth of the blues in the Mississippi Delta, the mystery and magic of the art form and its evolution to modern-day music.

BONNIE TALLMAN is an artist career manager and live music producer. Growing up in the ‘50s she was drawn to Louie Armstrong, Hank Williams, Sr. and Elvis. Years later she was drawn to the blues as each of these musicians were taught by bluesmen in their youth. Thus began her 35-year career devoted to blues music in multiple capacities, including 34 years of producing the Billtown Blues Festival. In 2004 Bonnie was honored by the National Blues Foundation in Memphis with a Keeping the Blues Alive award.

Lunch & Learn
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2023 at noon

Excavation and Preservation of Antiquities

Kevin Daly, Bucknell University

Archaeological excavation in the lands associated with Greek culture had a spectacular and somewhat troubled start with the work of Heinrich Schliemann. Archaeology in its traditional sense is a destructive enterprise and tension has long existed between the quest to know more and the desire to preserve what might not be fully understood. The realities of local and international politics and economics add further strain. Especially in its early years, classical archaeology and cultural (or actual) colonialism walked on parallel paths. Focusing on several case studies and his own experience, Daly will discuss the challenges, obligations and opportunities of excavation.

KEVIN DALY is professor of Classics and Mediterranean Studies at Bucknell University. Kevin went to UCLA as an undergraduate and to Harvard for graduate school. Kevin has lived and worked in Greece almost every summer of his professional life. He excavated in Corinth for 15 years in the Athenian Agora and he and his spouse, Stephanie Larson, have co-directed an excavation in Thebes since 2011. Kevin regularly teaches Ancient Greek, Greek history and Greek archaeology.