Author to discuss art, geography and community during Fall Arts Celebration

Acclaimed author Rebecca Solnit will serve as this year's Fall Arts Celebration distinguished academic lecturer at Grand Valley. During her presentation, Solnit will discuss the intersections between art, geography and community.

Solnit will present "Seeing the Invisible: Journeys through the Overlooked, Unheard, Outside and Insurrectionary" on Monday, November 14, at 7 p.m. in the Eberhard Center (2nd floor). A book signing and reception will follow the lecture.

A San Francisco-based writer, historian and activist, Solnit is the author of 15 books about a variety of topics, including geography, community, art, politics, hope and feminism. One of her benchmark publications, Men Explain Things to Me, is credited with launching the term "mansplaining," which describes when a man explains something to a woman in a condescending or patronizing manner. It has also been labeled as a touchstone of the feminist movement.

"Solnit is very much a public intellectual who believes in the value of the communal, and also, even in the midst of grim times, the power of art and hope," said Beth Peterson, assistant professor of writing. "It seems especially fitting with the water crisis in Flint looming largely in Michigan to bring in a writer who connects art and activism, and who is interested in considering how citizens can engage with their communities."

For more information about all of this year’s Fall Arts Celebration events, visit www.gvsu.edu/fallarts or call (616) 331-2185.