Women’s issues addressed through poetry

By Julie Ann Matonis
Staff Reporter

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Women’s Resource Center is hosting a luncheon and tea today.

International Women’s Day is commemorated at the United Nations, and in some countries, it is designated a national holiday. This is the second year TCU has hosted a luncheon to honor the day.

Both the luncheon, “Women Poets from Around the World,” and the tea, “Tea and Conversation” will feature guest speakers.

Lisa Munger, a senior political science major, said the luncheon is an opportunity to hear an accomplished poet speak and to learn about the Women’s Resource Center.

“The great thing about (today) is to meet with members of the TCU community and begin a dialogue with people interested in the same issues,” Munger said. “The event works well with International Week because we can see how international concerns can be expressed through poetry.”

Marcy Paul, program coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center, said poetry was chosen for the event because it can have universal meaning.

“I try to think of issues that women of all nationalities have in common,” Paul said. “Poetry is something we all share, and it is also a way in which individuals express themselves.”

Dr. Eulalia Bernard-Little is the guest poet at the luncheon. Bernard-Little writes in English, Spanish and Creole. She was born in the Limon province on the coast of Costa Rica, and in addition to writing, she has worked as a cultural attaché to Jamaica and as a diplomat in the United Nations. Bernard teaches at the University of Costa Rica, and she established a bilingual education program in Limon to help students become fluent in Spanish.

This year’s focus at the Women’s Resource Center is how women define themselves. The Center is hosting its seventh annual symposium March 27-29.

Paul said she encourages faculty and students, female and male, to come together to promote women’s issues.

“The Center’s role is to provide a foundation for programming on women’s issues,” Paul said. “We deal with issues historically significant to women. We need to work together to end racism, sexism, ageism, and ethnocentrism.”

The luncheon will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m Student Center, Room 207. Tickets are $10 and can be paid for with meal cards, but reservations are required. The tea will be held at 4 p.m. in the Dee J. Kelly Alumni and Visitor’s Center. There is no cost to attend the tea. Both events are open to students, faculty and staff.

Julie Ann Matonis
j.a.matonis@student.tcu.edu