Carmen Tafolla will present at MLK Symposium ANN ARBOR—Noted author and keynote speaker Carmen Tafolla will present a one-woman theatrical performance as a moving mosaic of barrio voices that include the first-grader, the elderly, the GI, the dropout, and the professional to deliver messages of acceptance, exploration, and celebration of diversity at the University of Michigan on Jan. 15.

Tafolla tailors her dramatic “With Our Very Own Names” to the experiences and perspectives of each audience. She selects the particular “voices”—actually dramatic monologues—that will compose the performance and then constructs their order in such a way as to reach each audience.

This dramatic portrait of the struggles, perspectives, and experiences of the culturally diverse in our schools, universities, and society has been performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Tafolla has authored four books of poetry, including her latest, “Sonnets and Salsa“; seven television screenplays; a book on racism, sexism, and Chicana women; and numerous short stories, articles, and children’s books.

Author Alex Haley called Tafolla a “world-class writer.” She has been included in Outstanding Young Women of America, the Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Foremost Women of the Twentieth Century.

The event is co-sponsored by the University Library, the School of Information, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Tafolla’s presentation will take place on Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. in the Michigan Union Ballroom on 530 South State St.

[Map of Central Campus, Michigan Union lower left]

For more information about the many events planned for the “14th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium,” access the Web at http://www.mlksymposium.umich.edu/

Carmen TafollaWith Our Very Own NamesSonnets and SalsaAlex HaleyUniversity LibraryMap of Central Campus