The Glory of Texas Women to Be Released In New Book
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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (March 16, 2015) – Growing up in the Lone Star State, one is bound to known plenty about Texas history, but what about the women in the story?
A new anthology of the lives of Texas women, “Her Texas: Story, Image, Poem & Song,” by Rosemary Catacalos, Texas Poet Laureate, and Naomi Shihab Nye, internationally known writer, will be celebrated in a release from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, in Armstrong Browning Library.
“Our hope is that women who read “Her Texas” can find other women with whom they can identify — and that men who read it will find it helps them better understand the women in their lives,” said Cassy Burleson, Ph.D., editor and senior journalism lecturer in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences.
“Her Texas” is a collection of of literature, art and music produced by 60 Texan women from across the state. Some have families who have lived here for generations.
“The visions of Texas collected here are as varied and vibrant as the state itself,” said Rachel Crawford, a Baylor graduate who works as a teacher, editor and writer.
“Her Texas” can be purchased for $29.95. Proceeds benefit ovarian and breast cancer research in honor of the late Lou Rodenberger and anthology contributors now battling breast and ovarian cancer.
“Lou Rodenberger realized early the role of women in Texas literature and brought together the stories of women,” said Donna Walker-Nixon, Ph.D., editor and retired professor of English in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. “When she died in 2009 of ovarian cancer, she was in the process of writing her memoir, which she planned to call ‘Her Texas.’ Her husband Charles generously permitted us to use that title for this book.”
Elizabeth Bates, Ph.D., assistant professor of journalism, public relations and new media in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, is the mother of a 3-year-old and breast cancer survivor.
“My husband cried when he read what I wrote. I expressed the devastation I felt after being diagnosed, but also the hope I have now because I have him and my son to fight for,” Bates said. Her story is one of 60 multicultural, multiethnic and multidisciplinary works by artists who cover a multitude of diverse experiences and identities across a generation.
The release will showcase live music by Tish Hinojosa and poetry readings by Catacalos and Nye. A reception and a book signing by presenters and co-editors Walker-Nixon, Burleson and Crawford will take place from 7:30 to 8 p.m.
Armstrong Browning Library is located at 710 Speight Ave. in Waco.
by Sarah Czerwinski, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
For more information regarding this event, please contact Carlye Thornton at Carlye Thornton
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.