Events

LEXINGTON, Ky.—American legal history and constitutional law expert Paul Finkelman will give the winter 2013 John Marshall Harlan Lecture at Transylvania University on March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the William T. Young Campus Center. The lecture, “‘But I need Kentucky’: Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Importance of the Bluegrass State,” is free and open to the public. The campus center is located on the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street. Finkelman is the President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy and Senior Fellow at the Government Center at Albany Law School in New York. He is the author of more than 150 scholarly articles and more than 30 books. His op-eds and shorter pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and on the Huffington Post. He was recently named the ninth most cited legal historian in Brian Leieter’s Law School Rankings. Finkelman is an expert in constitutional history and constitutional law, freedom of religion, the law of slavery, civil liberties, the American Civil War and legal issues surrounding baseball. He has written extensively on Thomas Jefferson and on Abraham Lincoln. He was the chief expert witness in the Alabama Ten Commandments monument case, and his scholarship on religious monuments in public spaces was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry (2005). His scholarship on the Second Amendment has also been cited by the Supreme Court. In 2002

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Lexington community is invited to stop by Transylvania University’s second annual Local Food Fair Friday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Clive M. Beck Athletic Center, at the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street. Farmers from Elmwood Stock, Triple J, Gaffney, Stone Hedge, Acres of Harvest, McMaine’s Riverhaven and Greeley Farms will be available to talk about how their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs work. Visitors will learn how they can buy seasonal produce directly from local farmers. The farmers will also have items for sale. CSA customers pledge to support a farm by purchasing a “share” of harvested products, usually early in the year. Then, throughout the growing season, customers receive a box or basket of seasonal produce or other products from the farm. CSA programs typically offer produce, but they may occasionally offer eggs, meat or dairy products. Marksbury Farm, Seedleaf Farm, the Good Foods Co-op, the Bluegrass Farmer’s Market, the Lexington Farmer’s Market and Food Chain will also be present at the event, which is sponsored by Transylvania’s Office of Sustainability, is free and open to the public. Lunch will be available for purchase. Free parking is available. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120 or Angela Dossett at (859) 608-9218.

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A spoken word and musical performance featuring Affrilachian poets Frank X Walker, Ricardo Nazario y Colón, Jeremy Paden and Bianca Spriggs, and musical guest, The Sisters of the Sacred Drum, will be Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. in Transylvania University’s Carrick Theater. Affrilachian poetry offers glimpses into life in the American Black South and the Appalachian region, dispelling the notion of an all-white Appalachian region and culture. The poetry draws on traditions such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and the experiences of the African Diaspora.  Affrilachian poetry celebrates African heritage and rural roots while encompassing themes of racism and Black identity. In this performance, the theme of ancestry is explored through the poets’ original work. Frank X Walker is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets and is the author of four poetry collections. He co-produced the documentary “Coal Black Voices: the History of the Affrilachian Poets.” He currently serves as associate professor in the department of English at the University of Kentucky and is the editor and publisher of “PLUCK!, the new journal of Affrilachian Art and Culture.” In 2002 Transylvania University awarded Walker an honorary Doctor of Letters Degree. Nazario y Colón, co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets, was featured in the PBS documentary “Coal Black Voices” in 200. His work has been featured on the Bob Edwards show and the Kentucky NPR Affiliates WFPL and WUKY, as well as in the program

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Rabbi Michael Cook, the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judeo-Christian Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati campus, will speak at Transylvania University on Sunday, Feb. 17. His talk, “‘Gospel Dynamics’: When the Jewish Jesus Isn’t Enough,” is at 7 p.m. in Carrick Theater in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center and is free and open to the public. Cook is possibly the only rabbi in North America with a full-professorial chair in New Testament. In 2003, he was one of seven scholars internationally selected by the Catholic Bishops to assess the accuracy of the advance script of Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ.” His best-selling book, “Modern Jews Engage the New Testament: Enhancing Jewish Well-Being in a Christian Environment,” is in its third printing. He has also written about the evolving Jewish views of Jesus and Paul, studies on the various Gospels and on a wide spectrum of specialized subjects including the trial of Jesus, images of Judaism in Christian Art, the history of anti-Semitism, and the role of Passover in modern Christianity. He serves on many advisory boards in Jewish-Christian relations and has received an Excellence in Teaching Award, sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities. He travels widely, speaking to Jewish and Christian audiences, including congregations as well as university academicians, clergy and seminarians throughout North America and Europe. Cook’s lecture is part of the Franklin B. Moosnick Lectureship in Judaic

Read ““‘Gospel Dynamics’: When the Jewish Jesus Isn’t Enough” Feb. 17, at 7 p.m.; free and open to the public.”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s vocal ensembles will present “An Evening at the Cabaret: Disney,” Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Carrick Theater in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Both shows are free and open to the public. “An Evening at the Cabaret,” featuring the Transylvania Choir, the Transylvania Singers, the Pioneer Voices, a capella groups TBA and Grace Notes and several soloists, will include a variety of songs from Disney movies “The Lion King,” “Newsies,” “Tarzan,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Toy Story 2” and many more. For more information, contact the fine arts office at (859) 233-8141.