Toni A.H. McNaron to Hold Reading and Signing of LIVE AND DEAL WITH OTHERS BETTER: THE GIFT OF SHAKESPEARE'S ROMANCES

A book reading and signing for LIVE and DEAL WITH OTHERS BETTER: The Gift of Shakespeare's Romances by Toni A.H. McNaron will be held on Monday, September 30 6:30-9:30pm.

Toni writes, "I believe that Shakespeare, after writing his four great tragedies and a bunch of history plays, decided that giving lots of power to men made them unable to love themselves or other people. So, he wrote four plays in which people, most often men, make mistakes. Bad things happen. Sometimes, people even die. But at crucial moments, the men realize their errors and work to change how they act and react. These plays--Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest-- are called romances. I find these plays moving because they suggest that any of us can decide to 'live and deal with others better.' And they show that living may be more heroic than uttering powerful speeches but then dying."

Live and Deal is a free event but RSVPs are requested. RSVP through ILLUION's website: www.illutiontheater.org or phone 612-339-4944.

Location: ILLUSION Theater at the Center for Performing Arts

ILLUSION THEATER is located on the corner of 38th and Pleasant Avenue South, Minneapolis (3754 Pleasant Ave South). The Theater is wheelchair accessible. Please call the box office at 612-339-4944 for information and accommodation needs or go to ww.illusiontheater.org.

Toni A.H. McNaron is an educator, memoirist and lesbian feminist critic. She taught literature and Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota for thirty-seven years. Upon retirement, the University of Minnesota recognized her as a Distinguished Teaching Professor.

McNaron's critically acclaimed first memoir, I Dwell in Possibility, was published in 1992 as part of the Cross-Cultural Memoir Series from The Feminist Press. She also wrote Poisoned Ivy: Lesbian and Gay Academics Confront Homophobia (Temple University Press, 1996), a compelling ethnographic study of homophobia in the academy. She edited The Sister Bond: A Feminist View of a Timeless Connection and co-edited Voices in the Night: Women Speaking About Incest and New Lesbian Studies: Into the 21st Century.

While at the University of Minnesota (1964-2001), McNaron founded and chaired the Women's Studies Program, the Center for Advanced Feminist Studies, and the GLBT Studies Program. She won four Outstanding Teaching awards and an award for Outstanding Service to the Community. Her interest in women's spirituality, and more recently lesbian spirituality, has been a lifelong passion.

Bonnie and Michael were both students of Toni's, a beloved professor at the University of Minnesota English Department and founded and chaired the Women's Studies Program. Collaborating with Toni, the three did a performance at the Walker Art Center exploring three of Virgina Woolf's characters which lead to ILLUSION's critically acclaimed adaptation of Woolf's novel, ORLANDO. The play was named Orlando, Orlando.

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