What's Happening in Springfield, MA…

Anna Deavere Smith, an actor, playwright, and educator, will be speaking at Springfield College later this month as part of the Arts and Humanities Speaker Series.

This is the ninth year of the series and made possible by Calton Sedgley, class of 1963, and his wife, Lucille. Such special events are often promoted throughout a college campus and surrounding communities with poster printing.

In 2012, Smith was awarded the National Humanities Medal. This recognizes groups or individuals whose works have increased the understanding across the country of the humanities and broadens the engagement of its citizens with literature, languages, history, and other subjects in the humanities.

Smith is known for creating one-woman shows where she turns her hundreds of interviews into scripts and becomes many characters on stage during her performances. Her speaking events typically cover the many identities of the country, and she includes in her talks depictions of the people she has interviewed to demonstrate points of view on controversial issues and the diversity of emotions people express. Smith is currently in “For the People,” a legal drama, and “Black-ish,” a series, both on the ABC network.

The talk will take place at 7:30 pm on Thursday, September 29 in the Wellness and Recreation Complex Field House. It is free and open to the public.