A fundamental goal of Northeastern University Libraries’ Meet the Author program is to engage our community in exploring important issues that foster thought and discussion. The spring line-up will help us expand upon this goal by bringing published authors of a diverse body of work to campus. All of the talks in the Meet the Author program are free and open to the public. We invite you to join us for these exciting events.
Charles Enderlin: A provocative account of the struggle for power in the Middle East.
The Lost Years : Radical Islam, Intifada, and Wars in the Middle East, 2001-2006
Wed. 1.23.08 @ Noon
108 Snell Engineering Center
Charles Enderlin is a veteran journalist and expert on Israeli-Palestinian relations. Enderlin’s recent work draws upon his firsthand experience within the political arena of the Middle East in order to challenge decisions leaders have made over the past decade. Examining past and present political calculations and military doctrines, Enderlin chronicles the resulting events including the war in Iraq, the withdrawal from Gaza, and the electoral victory of Hamas. Kirkus Reviews describes The Lost Years as “An evenhanded view of a most partisan conflict.” Sponsored by the NU Libraries, the NU Middle East Center for Peace, Culture, and Development, and the NU Bookstore.
Jonathan Schell: Explosive! Schell speaks of the current state of nuclear affairs.
The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger
Thurs. 1.31.08 @ 7pm
90 Snell Library
Best-selling political writer and journalist Jonathan Schell will discuss his latest work, which presents a critical view of the status of nuclear affairs worldwide and argues that a revolution in nuclear affairs has occurred under the watch of the Bush administration. Schell warns of an increase in proliferation of global trafficking in nuclear weapons and embraces the idea of the United States using cooperative means rather than force to defuse this potentially explosive issue. The New York Times Book Review calls The Seventh Decade “a passionate and cogently argued case for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons.” Sponsored by the NU Libraries, the NU Philosophy and Religion Department, and the NU Bookstore.
Geraldine Brooks: Book lovers unite for People of the Book, so March to Snell Library!
People of the Book
Tues. 2.12.08 @ Noon
90 Snell Library
In her latest novel, Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist, focuses on the mythical and historical trajectory of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a rare illuminated religious text. Brooks intertwines past and present in this great historical adventure. The book follows the novel’s main character, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare book expert, as she decodes the Haggadah’s secrets. This novel weaves together Hanna’s adventures in 1996 with the exciting histories of the tome’s past owners—charting a course that reveals the Haggadah’s mysterious origins. Sponsored by the NU Libraries, the NU International Student & Scholar Institute, and the NU Bookstore.
Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein: Before Stephen Colbert there was Aristotle…
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington: Understanding Political Doublespeak through Philosophy and Jokes
Wed. 2.20.08 @ Noon
421 Snell Library
Cathcart and Klein continue in the vein of what the Boston Globe proclaimed to be “the zaniest bestseller of the year,” Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, mixing philosophy, politics, and comedy. Join us for some political humor as Cathcart and Klein unscramble rhetorical double speak such as the “With This, Therefore Because of This” fallacy to expose the bullying playground tactics couched in politico speak. Witty and humorous, Aristotle and an Aardvark will have you rolling with laughter. Sponsored by the NU Libraries and the NU Bookstore.
Steven Goldman & Christina Kahrl: Get the insider’s scoop!
Baseball Prospectus 2008
Wed. 3.12.08 @ Noon
322 Curry Student Center
Get the scoop from experts on who are this season’s top picks for your fantasy baseball lineup. Goldman and Kahrl will discuss player performance projections and break down all the stats you need to know. This is a must-read for fans of all stripes. “Baseball Prospectus continues to raise the bar for innovative baseball analysis every year.” – Mark Shapiro, General Manager, Cleveland Indians. Sponsored by the NU Libraries and the NU Bookstore.
Beth Helms: A thoughtful tale of cultural exploration.
Dervishes
Tues. 3.18.08 @ 6pm
90 Snell Library
Beth Helms, winner of the 2003 Iowa Short Fiction Award, presents this work. Helms draws from her childhood experiences living abroad in the Middle East to write this compelling story of a mother and daughter living in Ankara, Turkey, as the wife and child of an American diplomat. Restless within their closed community of Westerners and rich Turks, the two decide to venture outside the safety of their isolated community. Sponsored by the NU Libraries, the NU International Student & Scholar Institute, and the NU Bookstore.
Cynthia Baron: A behind-the-scenes look into photographic forgery.
Adobe Photoshop Forensics
Wed. 3.26.08 @ 4pm
90 Snell Library
Cynthia Baron, Associate Director of Northeastern’s Digital Media and Multimedia Studies program, reveals an interesting relationship between art and science as she describes how new technologies have assisted in the creation of altered images used for advertising, political propaganda, and even scientific fraud. In this work, Baron provides real historical examples and case studies of those who have used Photoshop to doctor photos for their own benefit and demonstrates the techniques used to deconstruct a photograph to detect fraud. This will be a fascinating discussion for anyone who enjoys shows like CSIor wants to learn more about advances in modern technology. Sponsored by the NU Libraries and the NU Bookstore.
Human Rights Panel: Uncertain freedoms—the struggle for human rights, with Editor Martha Davis
Bringing Human Rights Home
Thurs. 4.3.08 @ Noon
333 Curry Student Center
This anthology provides a history of the struggle for human rights in the United States and describes how the US has either promoted or discouraged human rights worldwide. This work also offers insight into the current political climate and describes how human rights activism is transforming domestic social justice work today. The panel will be moderated by Northeastern Law professor Martha Davis and will discuss both the anthology and its broader social implications. Sponsored by the NU Libraries, the NU School of Law Library, and the NU Bookstore.
For more information or for special needs assistance, please contact Maria Carpenter at m.carpenter@neu.edu or 617.373.2821.