Arts Briefs

Grand Valley Writers Series

On Oct. 1 at 4 p.m., the Grand Valley Writers Series is welcoming Marcia Aldrich to visit, talk about her life as a creative writing professor at Michigan State University until 5:15 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center and then move to the Cook-DeWitt Center and do a reading and book signing. Aldrich is the former editor of “Fourth Genre” and the author of the memoir “Girl Rearing,” which was selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers Series, and “Companion to an Untold Story,” which was selected for the 2011 AWP Award in Nonfiction. For more information about the Writers Series, visit www.gvsu.edu/writing.

Arts at Noon

GVSU’s Arts at Noon series continues on Oct. 7 with Dale Cockrell. Cockrell is a professor emeritus of musicology from Vanderbilt University and a specialist in 19th century American music. He will be presenting his lecture “Blood on Fire: Sex, Music and Dance from Minstrelsy to Jazz.” The lecture will look at the connection between prostitution in the U.S. from 1840 until 1917, music, dance, sexuality and the underground cultural economy at the time, all of which laid the grounds for the later development of 20th century American popular music. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/music.

Bra Decorating

The GVSU chapter of the Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority are celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout October. They will be holding a bra decorating event Oct. 6 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. People are invited to come out and showcase their creativity by decorating a bra in the name of raising awareness for breast cancer. The decorated bras will then be hung up on display at Bras Across the Grand on Oct. 24. 

Bras Across the Grand is part of the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K that is put on by the American Cancer Association. For more information, visit www.makingstrides.acsevents.org.

Outdoor Movie presented by Spotlight Productions

As part of Family Weekend, Spotlight Productions will be showing “The Duff” for free outside on the east lawn of the Kirkhof Center, by the Zumberge Pond. The movie is free for all students, popcorn and drinks will be provided. The show will start at dusk around 8 p.m.

“Pinkwashing Exposed” film showing 

“Pinkwashing” is a term used when countries with humans rights violations promote themselves a “gay friendly” to improve their public image. Israel is one country that has been accused of doing this. “Pinkwashing Exposed” is a film that explores how pinkwahing works and what local activists in those different countries are doing to fight it. The film will show on Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. in the Pere Marquette room of the Kirkhof Center.