FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ms. magazine editor to speak at Bates

LEWISTON, Maine -- Highlighting the 12th Annual Maine Women's Studies Conference at Bates College on Nov. 15 will be the 1 p.m. keynote address in the Chapel by Marcia Ann Gillespie, editor in chief of Ms. magazine. The day-long interdisciplinary program Ñ titled "Making Connections (Among and Between)" Ñ features papers, panels and workshops related to feminist research and political activism. The program also includes a 10 a.m. performance in the Chapel by Libana, a seven-member ensemble of women that celebrates the power and passion of women through song and dance. The public is invited to attend Gillespie's address and the performance by Libana free of charge. To register for the conference and reserve a box lunch, call the Bates Office of Special Projects at 207-786-6077.

Gillespie, former editor in chief of Essence magazine, has written extensively on the issues of gender and race. During her tenure at Essence, the publication won the National Magazine Award and Gillespie was named one of the "Fifty Faces for America's Future" by Time magazine. Among her numerous projects, she has created a publishing seminar series at the University of the West Indies and has been appointed editor of a book on the global impact of AIDS by the United Nations Development Programme. Currently, she is working on a history of the U.S. women's movement to be used as a high school textbook.

Recognized nationally since 1979 for their perspective on world music, Libana's exquisite harmonies, dance and rhythms take audiences on a musical journey that circles the globe. From Argentinean love songs to Bulgarian harvest songs and graceful Hawaiian hulas, Libana's performances capture the strength of the world's women.

The conference, sponsored by the Maine Women's Studies Consortium and hosted by the Women's Studies Program at Bates, begins at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 15 with registration and coffee. The first sessions start at 8:30 a.m., registrants will receive box lunches from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the last session ends at 5:45 p.m.