Alice Walker To Speak At Millersville

Alice Walker To Speak At Millersville

by Lisa Hummel

Distinguished poet and novelist Alice Walker will present a public lecture at Millersville University on April 19. Best known for penning “The Color Purple,” her breakthrough novel-turned 1985 Steven Spielberg film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Walker will appear at the University as part of its Women’s History Month lecture series.

The daughter of Southern sharecroppers, Walker graduated from Spelman and Sarah Lawrence Colleges, where she first became involved in the literary world. During her senior year at Lawrence, Walker wrote her first volume of poetry in a span of one week; calling it “Once: Poems,” the works were published in 1968. Walker’s first foray with fiction came in the form of 1970’s “The Third Life of Grange Copeland” and 1976’s “Meridian.” A look at the emotional life of the African American male and the struggle for Civil Rights of the 1960s-era African American woman, respectively, the novels — specifically “Meridian” — signified a leap for Walker, establishing her as an author and sealing her position as a voice for the African woman, a figure that has been her recurring central character. That position was furthered with the release of “The Color Purple” in 1982. An in-depth and haunting look at slavery and the treatment of women, “Purple” is far and away Walker’s most famous work, having earned her the American Book Award Pulitzer Prize for fiction, among other honors. Though the novel was released nearly a decade ago, it continues to inspire passionate controversy, especially in terms of its depiction of African-American men. Walker responded to this and other criticisms by publishing ”The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult.” Released in 1996, “River” is a collection of Walker’s essays as well as her original, unused, screenplay of the novel, articles on the novel and film, and selection of letters sent to her by her readers, an audience with whom she has always felt an intimate rapport.

In addition to “River,” the ’90s also brought about the novel “Possessing the Secret of Joy,” a collection of essays, remarks, and speeches entitled “Anything We Love Can Be Saved: A Writer’s Activism,” and her most recent work of fiction, 1998’s “By the Light of My Father’s Smile.”

At Millersville, Walker will present, “Zora Neale Hurston: Readings and Reflections on the Harlem Renaissance,” a look back on the life of the African American female writer and anthropologist best known for the work “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Walker had this to say on the topic of her speech. “My feeling is that Zora Neale Hurston is probably one of the most misunderstood, least appreciated writers of this century. Which is a pity” she was quoted as saying. “She is great. A writer of courage, and incredible humor, with poetry in every line.”

Walker will speak in Alumni Hall’s Lyte Auditorium on the campus of Millersville University in Lancaster. Admission to the presentation is free, although tickets are required. For tickets and information, call the ticket office at 872-3811.