Ralph Gustafson Poetry Chair 2004: International poet appointed

The public is invited to hear Scottish poet, dramatist and feminist Liz Lochhead at a free poetry reading and lecture at Malaspina University-College on Thursday, October 21.

Lochhead is the international appointment to Malaspina’s distinguished Ralph Gustafson Poetry Chair for 2004. A performance poet known for her provocative and animated connection with her audience, Lochhead "brings a luminous wit and vast experience with both the written and spoken word," said Kate Braid of Malaspina’s Creative Writing department.

The evening lecture, "Sexual Etiquette and Scotching Myths" takes place in the Gustafson Theatre in building 355 (behind the library) at 7:30 pm. A cocktail reception will follow.

This year, in addition to the usual evening lecture and reading, there will be an afternoon reading and discussion with the emphasis on Lochhead’s performance poetry and drama. The Gustafson Committee is inviting participation from Malaspina’s women’s studies, theatre, art and English departments, as well as the Western-Edge Theatre Group, in "Almost Miss Scotland - Not!" on Wednesday, October 20 from 1 - 4 pm in room 211, building 355. This event is also open to the public.

Born in Motherwell, Scotland, Lochhead studied painting at the Glasgow School of Art. She taught fine arts for eight years before becoming a professional writer. She has won numerous national and international awards for her work, and presently lives in Glasgow. She has received honorary doctorates from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Stirling, Strathclyde, Dundee, and Edinburgh universities.

"Liz Lochhead’s writing is alive with the vigorous speech idiom known as Scots," said Braid. "Her most recent poetry book is The Colour of Black and White: Poems 1984-2003 (2003). Her plays include Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off and a rhyming adaptation into Scots of Molière's Tartuffe (1985).

"She has also written plays for television and radio, as well as several revues. Her work is permeated by an engaging sense of humour and fused with irony and the unexpected. Liz Lochhead’s presence is an honour to Malaspina and not to be missed."

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