Next & Last Seminar of the Season, May 7th

Narrative Genetics Seminar on May 7. Usual time and place: Rm 801 International Affairs Building, 118^th St. & Amsterdam Ave.. 5:30-7:30pm.

Clones, Chimeras, and Other Creatures of the
Biotechnological Revolution: Toward a Genomic Creation Myth

Priscilla Wald from Duke University will be our guest. You can read her article on our Google Site http://sites.google.com/site/narrativegenetics/Home or on the ISERP Narrative Genetics Seminar site www.iserp.columbia.edu/workshops/genetics.

May 7 will be our last seminar for this season. We will have a new series of seminars during the academic year 2009-2010. Please help us think about topics and guests for the seminars next year. Email them to me at marsha at marshahurst dot com or post them to the Google site.

The next NG Seminar is Thursday

NARRATIVE GENETICS SEMINAR
APRIL 2, 6-8PM
Room 801 International Affairs Building
420 West 118 St, 8th Floor, Columbia
This event is free and open to the public

Our guest will be Alice Wexler from UCLA, who will talk about genetic disease narratives, using her work on Huntington’s Disease as a case study.

Suggested readings include Alice’s first book, Mapping Fate and an article by Alice, “Chorea and Community in a Nineteenth-Century Town,” that is an early version of part of her second book, The Woman Who Walked into the Sea. This article and other recommended readings, including Nancy Wexler’s article, “Genetic ‘Russian Roulette’: The Experience of being ‘At Risk’ for Huntington’s Disease,” are accessible on the Narrative Genetics Google site (open to the public): http://sites.google.com/site/narrativegenetics/Home
Fore more information: http://iserp.columbia.edu/workshops/genetics

Sprout Film Fest at MET

I am passing along this email from Ellen Greenebaum:

Dear Samantha,
I think that you might be interested in knowing about and alerting your faculty, staff, students, and patients to a wonderful film festival by and about people with developmental disabilities and autism: Sprout Film Festival.

The Film Festival's website is http://www.gosprout.org/film/sff2009/index.html

It takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and begins Friday May 1, 2 - 9PM, goes on through Saturday 11:30AM - 9 PM, and finishes Sunday May 3, 12 - 4PM. -During intermissions I wander the museum exhibits and enjoy the snacks provided by Sprout.

I have attended the festival nearly every year for the last 6 years and in my opinion, the films are superb; almost all are new each year, and they come from all over the world.

Often, film makers, actors, subjects of the films, and their families attend and hold a Q&A.

Some ARC agencies bring groups of developmentally disabled individuals. Many educators and clinicians attend too. But most folks come just out of general interest and curiosity.

Sprout is an organization that sponsors recreational activities locally (893 Amsterdam@104th St. NYC) and also offers trips to all sorts of exciting (or relaxing) places.

My brother Michael is 52 year old and has gone on many trips with Sprout over the years, most recently a cruise to Bermuda.
Full disclosure: My brother is my only connection to Sprout, aside from being in awe of the director Anthony DiSalvo who founded Sprout from scratch 30 years ago.

Sprout's website is http://gosprout.org/

The Film Festival's website is http://www.gosprout.org/film/sff2009/index.html

There will be a discount for students, seniors, & disabled (and faculty and staff of course- though it doesn't say so).

Thanks, Ellen Greenebaum BA (Barnard) MD (P&S) MPH (Mailman School of Public Health)