CONTACT: MARY GERAGHTY
100 Old Public Library
Iowa City IA 52242
(319) 384-0011; fax (319) 384-0024
e-mail: mary-geraghty@uiowa.edu

Release: Immediate

Journalism professor to discuss experiences as a black woman at UI

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- In honor of Black History Month, Venise T. Berry, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Iowa, will present a lecture titled, "Black and Female at Iowa: Spiritual Connections." The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room of the UI Main Library.

Berry, an authority in the area of African-American cultural criticism, will share her experiences at the UI as an undergraduate and graduate student in the 1970s and as a member of the faculty in the 1990s.

Berry is the author of the best-selling novel So Good and of the non-fiction work Mediated Messages: Contemporary Issues in African-American Culture. In her research work, Berry explores the influence of African-American images and messages in the media. Prior to returning to Iowa City to join the UI faculty in 1991, Berry completed a doctorate in radio, television, and film at the University of Texas-Austin and worked as a radio newscaster and news director at stations in Houston and Austin.

The lecture is sponsored by the UI Libraries Iowa Women's Archives and the

African-American World Studies Program. For more information, contact the Iowa Women's Archives at (319) 335-5068.

2/17/98