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.

Johnny Cash at The Gnu's Room

On Thursday, October 20, 7 p.m., The Gnu’s Room will screen “Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music” a documentary PBS’s POV Series. The screening is free and open to the public.

In this classic 1969 documentary, the Man in Black is captured at his peak, the first of many in a looming roller-coaster career. Fresh on the heels of his Folsom Prison album, Cash reveals the dark intensity and raw talent that made him a country music star and cultural icon. Director Robert Elfstrom got closer than any other filmmaker to Cash, who is seen performing with his new bride June Carter Cash, in a rare duet with Bob Dylan, and behind the scenes with friends, family and aspiring young musicians.

Jim Ryan, professor in the Department of English, 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 AU 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.

Coffee and pastries will be available for purchase. 

Civil War Lecture Series at Tuskegee University

On October 17, 18 and 19, a special public lecture series will take place at the Carver Museum in Tuskegee. Co-sponsored by the National Park Service, Carver Museum, Tuskegee University and Auburn University, each lecture will begin at 2 p.m.

This year commemorates the 150^th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. A time of enormous turmoil in the nation, the period remains a compelling topic for historians and researchers. Three noted speakers will address aspects of the war that shine a new light on the experiences and events of the period.

On Monday, October 17, Dr. Jennifer Trevino will give a talk entitled “Struggles and Hardships - Dedication and Commitment: Alabama Women's Experiences During the Civil War.” Trevino, who has a Ph.D. in history from Auburn University and teaches history at Troy University Montgomery, draws on writings by women who documented the Civil War, from secession through emancipation, through their own experiences.

On Tuesday, October 18, Dr. Turkiya Lowe will discuss the “United States Colored Troops and the Underground Railroad.” Dr. Lowe serves as Southeast Region Program Manager for the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, assisting communities, local and state governments, and Federal agencies with preserving, documenting, and interpreting sites, facilities, and programs associated with Underground Railroad history. The focus of her talk will be the USCTs who were also freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad.

On Wednesday, October 19, Jeffery Seymour will discuss the Civil War Navy in a talk entitled “Civil Navy at 150: Still Playing Second Fiddle.” Seymour is a curator at the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, Columbus, Georgia.

Printmaker Conrad Ross to Discuss New Book

Please join us on Wednesday, October 12 at 3:00 pm for a book talk by Conrad Ross, author of Perceptual Drawing, A Handbook for the Practitioner. The program will be held in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

Conrad Ross is Professor Emeritus of Art. From 1963 to 1997, Ross taught drawing, printmaking, and painting at Auburn University. Perceptual Drawing presents a practicum of 10 plus drawings, which lead the reader in a detailed explanation of various perceptual concepts considering line and tone. Perceptual Drawing is a study of seeing and drawing what-is-seen. Using geometric forms in various setups, it is an attempt to understand, in a comprehensive manner, those perceptual concepts useful to the practitioner.

Come One, Come All! A Celebration of Kathryn Tucker Windham and Her Last Book

On Thursday, October 6^th, 7 pm, The Gnu’s Room will host a celebration of beloved storyteller and writer Kathryn Tucker Windham’s life and work.

When Windham passed away this summer, just after her 93^rd birthday, her new book, She: The Old Woman Who Took Over My Life, was in production. In the wry, personal voice typical of Windham’s work, the new book offers a perspective on life and aging.

She, published by NewSouth Books, will be available for purchase on October 6th.

In addition to the book debut, The Gnu’s Room invites those who loved Windham’s Jeffery stories and those who enjoyed her tale telling in person and on the radio to bring their own ghost stories and reminiscences of Kathryn to share. Drs. Mary Helen Brown and Ed Williams, long-time friends and fans of Windham, will emcee the event. Both members of the Auburn University Communication and Journalism Department, they will bring their own tales to share. Listeners also welcome!