RICHARDSON, Texas (April 2, 2002) - Author and lecturer Dr. Caroline Brettell will present “Writing Women’s Lives: Life History, Biography and Autobiography” as part of the Claire Rich Lecture Series at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in the Jonsson Performance Hall on Tuesday, April 16 at 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

In her presentation, Brettell will discuss the intersection of biography and autobiography when a daughter writes about a mother, with particular emphasis on the life history she wrote about her mother, entitled Writing Against the Wind: A Mother’s Life History.

Brettell is a professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Previously, she served as director of Women’s Studies at SMU. She is also currently the principal investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded project entitled “Immigrants, Rights and Incorporation in a Suburban Metroplex,” a three-year study of recent immigration to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Claire Rich Lecture Series was established in honor of Claire Rich, who was a graduate teaching assistant of freshman Rhetoric at UTD when she died tragically in 1997. The series brings a renowned scholar in humanities to UTD each year to present a lecture.

For more information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UTD, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu, or visit the School of Arts and Humanities’ web site at www.utdallas.edu/ah. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982. Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.