Bronner to Discuss Bluesman in Lecture-Concert Series
JONESBORO – Simon J. Bronner, distinguished professor emeritus of American studies and folklore, will make a presentation at Arkansas State University Friday, April 12. His talk “Deciding Whether to Relocate: The Delta as Home and Hell for Bluesinger Eugene Powell” is part of the university's Lecture-Concert Series and a featured presentation for the 25th annual Delta Symposium.
Dr. Bronner is the author or editor of over 40 books on folklore, ethnology, and cultural history. Known for extensive writing on a great variety of topics, his most recent publication is the “Oxford Handbook of American Folklore and Folklife Studies.” Other major works include “Explaining Traditions: Folk Behavior in Modern Culture’ and “The Carver’s Art: Crafting Meaning from Wood.”
Bronner has been honored with numerous awards, including the American Folklore society’s Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Award and the Kenneth Goldstein Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Academic Leadership. His presentation is supported by the College of Liberal Arts and Communication’s Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages.
He will participate in two activities that are connected to the Delta Symposium. His Friday afternoon talk will begin at 1 p.m. in the Mockingbird Room of the Carl R. Reng Student Union. He will discuss his original research with the Mississippi bluesman Eugene Powell. Following this presentation, Professor Bronner will participate in a forum titled “Ghost Stories, Legends, and other Regional Narratives of Dislocation.”
The Delta Symposium begins on Wednesday, April 10, with a 12 p.m. A-State student presentation titled “People and Places in Arkansas Folklore.”
All of the events during the symposium are free and open to the public. It will conclude with the Saturday afternoon, April 13, Arkansas Roots Music Festival, to be held in Jonesboro’s West End at City, Water, and Light Park from 1 to 5.
The Lecture-Concert Series and the Delta Symposium serve Arkansas State and the surrounding communities by bringing notable guest speakers and performers of diverse backgrounds and wide appeal to the campus.
For more details about the series, interested individuals may visit the Lecture-Concert Series website, AState.edu/LectureConcert, or contact Dr. Tim Crist, chair of the Lecture-Concert Committee, tcrist@AState.edu or (870) 972-2094.
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