University of Mary Washington

The University of Mary Washington's 2012 Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series continues on Thursday, Feburary 9, with a lecture on Christopher Columbus by Laurence Bergreen, author of Columbus: The Four Voyages.

Christopher Columbus, said a New York Times reviewer of Laurence Bergreen’s biography, was a “terribly interesting man - brilliant, audacious, volatile, paranoid, narcissistic, ruthless and (in the end) deeply unhappy.” Part explorer, part entrepreneur, part wannabe-aristocrat, Columbus initiated the most important period in Western history as a result of an error. Laurence Bergreen, a frequent lecturer at major universities and symposiums, also serves as a featured historian for the History Channel.  Among his many other books are biographies of Magellan and Marco Polo.

All lectures in the university's Great Lives series are free and open to the public.

For more about the life of Christopher Columbus check out these resources from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.

The University of Mary Washington's 2012 Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series continues on Tuesday, January 31, with a lecture on the Marquis de Lafayette by Marc Leepson, author of Lafayette.

The American Revolution attracted volunteers from far away. One of the most famous is the legendary Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. Marc Leepson has published a crisp new portrait of Lafayette with the emphasis on his life as a military man. According to one reviewer, Leepson’s “eye for the telling detail and his devotion to journalistic brevity shine in all his work, and his affectionate Lafayette is the latest example.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch. The author is a journalist, historian, and the author of seven books.

All lectures in the university's Great Lives series are free and open to the public.

For more about the life of the Marquis de Lafayette check out these resources from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.

The University of Mary Washington's 2012 Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series kicks off on Tuesday, January 24, with a lecture on Kurt Vonnegut by Charles J. Shields, author of And So It Goes.

And So It Goes is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut, author of the now-classic Slaughterhouse Five: Vonnegut’s World II experiences turned into fiction. Published in November 2011, Charles J. Shields’ biography has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and been widely acclaimed by reviewers. Shields is also the author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee (2006), which spent 15 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In August 2011 he was named associate director of the Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series.

All lectures in the university's Great Lives series are free and open to the public.

For more about the life and works of Kurt Vonnegut check out these resources from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.

This interview airs beginning October 5.
Dr. Crawley is the Distinguished Professor of History who brings the story of the university to life. He is the author of author of University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History, 1908 to 2008. With fascinating anecdotes and an insider’s perspective, he talks with Debby Klein.

Find out more about CRRL Presents.

This interview airs beginning September 7.
The University continues its efforts to seek a student population that is more inclusive and represents the wide range of interests and experiences it offers. With the addition of Dr. Leah Cox to the administrative staff, many new opportunities have been created. Debby Klein meets with Dr. Cox to learn what this inspiring direction means to Mary Washington’s future. CRRL Presents is a Central Rappahannock Regional Library production.

This interview airs beginning June 15.
Several books of her poetry received praise and recognition even before Claudia Emerson received a Pulitzer Prize for Late Wife. She is a former Poet Laureate of Virginia and also an inspiring teacher at the University of Mary Washington. Debby Klein visits Claudia to listen to her poems and share her experiences on CRRL Presents, a Central Rappahannock Regional Library production.

This interview airs beginning March 30.
The opening of the 2010-2011 school year at the University of Mary Washington features students arriving to take up residence in the lovely Eagle Landing apartments. Offices, retail establishments, and restaurants will soon open in Eagle Village to serve the entire community. Debby Klein talks to UMW Foundation CEO Jeff Rountree about this first phase of the university project on CRRL Presents, a Central Rappahannock Regional Library production.