Singer-Songwriters at The Gnu’s Room Dec. 1

Singer-songwriter Kathryn Scheldt and co-writer Frye Gaillard will perform at The Gnu’s Room at 7 p.m. on Thursday December 1.

Scheldt’s new CD, One Good Reason, has just been released by Lamon Records of Nashville. Produced by Mike Severs, “One Good Reason” features some powerfully expressive original songs and was recorded at Nashville’s finest studios and with a star-studded band.

Described as “an authentic voice from the Alabama Gulf coast and an expert songwriter,” Kathryn is an active performer, appearing in such legendary southern venues as the Bluebird Café in Nashville, TN, Eddie's Attic in Decatur, GA, and Thacker Mountain Radio in Oxford, MS, to name a few. Before beginning her recording career, she studied guitar under Grammy winner David Russell and is the author of two songbooks from Mel Bay Publications.

Frye Gaillard is best known as an award-winning writer of nonfiction, including Watermelon Wine: Remembering the Golden Years of Country Music and With Music and Justice for All. Both include essays on such music greats as Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, as well as insightful explorations of the Grand Ole Opry and the influences of southern country music.

Over the last two years, he and Scheldt have collaborated on song-writing, joining his gift for words and storytelling with her smokey contralto and exceptional musical abilities.

The performance is co-sponsored by The Gnu’s Room and the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts. It is open to everyone interested. There is no charge, but donations at the door for the artists are welcome. 

Join us for "If a Tree Falls"

On Thursday, November 17, 7 p.m., The Gnu’s Room will screen “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” a documentary from PBS’s POV Series. The screening is free and open to the public.

If a Tree Falls explores two of America’s most pressing issues — environmentalism and terrorism — by lifting the veil on a radical environmental group the FBI calls America’s “number one domestic terrorism threat.” Daniel McGowan, a former member of the Earth Liberation Front, faces life in prison for two multimillion-dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies. What turned this working-class kid from Queens into an eco-warrior? Marshall Curry provides a nuanced and provocative account that is part coming-of-age story, part cautionary tale and part cops-and-robbers thriller. A co-production of ITVS. Winner of Best Documentary Editing Award, 2011 Sundance Film Festival. (90 minutes)

Sharon Roberts, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Ralph "Shug" Jordan Professor of Writing, will lead a discussion following the film.

The Gnu’s Room, in partnership with the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts, will screen POV films throughout the year. PBS’s POV (Point of View) is television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films.

Political Science Professor to Discuss New Book

Kathleen Hale, professor in the Department of Political Science, will discuss her new book, How Information matters: Networks and Public Policy, on Monday, November 7 at 3:00 pm in the Special Collections & Archives Department of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

How Information Matters examines the ways a network of state and local governments and nonprofit organizations can enhance the capacity for successful policy change by public administrators. Hale examines drug courts, programs that typify the highly networked, collaborative environment of public administrators today. In a study that spans more than two decades, Hale shows ways organizations within the network act to champion, challenge, and support policy innovations over time. How Information Matters offers valuable insight into successful ways for collaboration and capacity building.