NY Times Film Critic Manohla Dargis to Reflect on Her Life and Career

On Monday, April 18 at 4:30 p.m. Purchase College, SUNY will welcome Pulitzer Prize nominee and Purchase alumna Manohla Dargis to give the Mary Edwards Memorial Lecture in conjunction with the Gender Studies program at Purchase.

Dargis, who is the 2015-16 Durst Distinguished Professor of Literature, will discuss her career path from her undergraduate years at Purchase College, where she earned her B.A. in literature, through her time at the Village Voice, LA Weekly, and The New York Times. An outspoken critic of how women are treated in front of and behind the camera in Hollywood, Dargis will also shed light on her own experiences as a woman working in the male-dominated field of film criticism.

The event, which is open to the public, will take place in The Red Room of the Student Services Building on campus. Tickets are free. Visit www.purchase.edu for more information.

“We are delighted to welcome Manohla Dargis for this event, which is the culmination of her year as the Durst Distinguished Chair in Literature,” says Louise Yelin, professor of literature. “It has been so inspiring for our students and faculty to hear from one of the most influential critics writing today. We’re grateful that Manohla Dargis has spent this year sharing her expertise on topics related to film, media, literature, and contemporary culture.”

About the Durst Distinguished Lecture Series and the Durst Distinguished Professor in Literature

The Durst Distinguished Lecture Series and Durst Distinguished Professor in Literature are funded by the Roy and Shirley Durst Distinguished Chair in Literature Endowment. The mission of the Durst programs is to infuse the experience and intellect of leading writers into the Purchase community, while providing diverse opportunities for these writers to interact with students and influence campus life.

About the Mary Edwards Memorial Lecture

Professor Mary Edwards was a founding member of the Purchase College faculty and was instrumental in developing the Women’s Studies Program. Following her death in 1994 her family and friends created an endowment to fund an annual lecture to honor Professor Edwards’s commitment to her students and to the elimination of social and political inequality.

About Purchase College–SUNY

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College–SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu