The Givens Foundation for African American Literature presents: Nommo Forum 2004 featuring Dr. Tricia Rose who will launch an on-going series beginning Thursday April 8, 2004. Rose will bring to light the first oral history of black women’s sexual testimonies in her latest book “Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk About Sexuality and Intimacy” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003). The book began as an attempt to answer the question: how has the history of race, class and gender inequality in this country affected the way that black women talk about their sexual lives.

Tricia Rose is widely known as the “Ph.D. Diva,” for being the first person in the country to write her dissertation on hip-hop which later became the basis for her first book “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America” (Wesleyan Press, 1994). The professor of American studies at the University of California-Santa Cruz, specializes in Twentieth Century African American Culture and Politics, Social Thought, Popular Culture, and Gender Issues. Her essays have appeared in several edited book collections and magazines including: Essence, Vibe Magazine, The Village Voice, Women’s Review of Books, and Boston Book Review. “We are excited to have Dr. Rose as a guest speaker and look forward to the compelling conversations that will stem from ‘Longing To Tell’s’ subject matter,” said Program Director Patrice Snead of the Givens Foundation.

Sponsored in part by the University of Minnesota and The Minneapolis Foundation, the Nommo Forum engages top African American authors and community members in critical dialogue through the experience of “nommo,” a Swahili translation meaning the magic power of the word.

About The Givens Foundation
The Givens Foundation for African American Literature is located in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. The mission of the Givens Foundation is to enrich cultural understanding through programs that advance and celebrate African American literature and writers. For more information about the Givens Foundation visit: www.givens.org

Who: Dr. Tricia Rose -“Politics of Black Women’s Sexuality In America”
What: The Givens Foundation for African American Literature - 2004 Nommo Forum Lecture Series
When: Thursday April 8, 2004, 7:00 pm
Where: University of Minnesota McNamara Alumni Center-Memorial Hall
200 Oak St. SE Minneapolis, MN
Cost: $8 students with valid ID, $12 general public (tickets will be sold at the door)
Parking: University Avenue Parking Ramp
FFI: Please contact Patrice Snead, Program Director at (952) 831-2555