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March 21: Crimson Reads celebrates past year of WSU authorship

The published works of Washington State University authors will be recognized at the WSU Libraries’ ninth annual Crimson Reads, starting with a 1 p.m. presentation on Monday, March 21, in the Terrell Library atrium. Crimson Reads is part of WSU Showcase, the annual celebration of faculty, staff, and student excellence.

The presentation is titled “Reflections of Home: Contextualizing Meaningful Spaces Through Literature.” Speakers will be Trevor Bond, WSU Libraries’ associate dean of digital initiatives and special collections and author of “Coming Home to Nez Perce Country: The Niimíipuu Campaign to Repatriate Their Exploited Heritage”; Nakia Williamson-Cloud, director of the Nez Perce Tribe’s Cultural Resources Program; and Cameron McGill, WSU assistant professor of English and author of the poetry collection “In the Night Field.”

“In the Night Field” charts the complex relationship between mental health and place, “mapping the emotional coordinates of physical locations as a way of making legible the intimate regions of memory and of better understanding those memories: their startling artistry, varied discontents, and casual fallibilities,” McGill said.

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WSU Insider

Distinguished Faculty Address: The power of live music post‑COVID

Keri McCarthy.
McCarthy

Discover music from the past and present with Professor Keri McCarthy, Core Fulbright Scholar and internationally recognized chamber musician, soloist, teacher, and clinician.

The COVID‑19 pandemic made live musical performances less accessible to many people. Professor McCarthy will discuss how live music creates a sense of shared experience, uniting diverse and even divergent populations, during the Showcase Distinguished Faculty Address at 4 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the Kimbrough Concert Hall. The event will be livestreamed via experience.wsu.edu.

As people emerge from their COVID silos, live music can play a powerful role in strengthening communities worldwide. With the help of all-star faculty ensembles, Professor McCarthy will take you on a toe-tapping exploration of the role of music in local and global communities. She and her colleagues will present music that spans two centuries, four continents, and a multitude of genres. Her address will not only discuss, but demonstrate, the immeasurable value of musical performance.

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WSU Insider

‘This piece is thrilling’: Spokane Symphony to perform ‘Carmina Burana’ with three local opera singers at the Fox

You won’t have to wait around long to hear a familiar tune in Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” In fact, the opening notes form one of the most recognizable musical sound bites in existence. From films to commercials to talk radio intros, “O Fortuna” is used so often that if you say you’ve never heard it, you must be either living under a rock or lying.

The Spokane Symphony and the Spokane Symphony Chorale will perform Orff’s masterpiece at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Aaron Agulay.
Agulay

The rest of the piece, while nowhere near as ubiquitous as the first movement, is no less powerful, said baritone soloist Aaron Agulay. A professor of music at WSU, Agulay will be making his debut with the Spokane Symphony.

“It’s a real test of stamina,” Agulay said. “But with the range that it uses, there are so many special moments…. Hearing ‘Carmina Burana’ for the first time, I just thought, ‘This is out of this world … who can possibly sing this?’ ” Agulay sings almost from start to finish, oscillating between soaring high notes and some of the lowest required of a baritone.

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The Spokesman-Review

Trust in government linked to work attitudes

People with high levels of trust in government felt more secure in their jobs, had higher employer loyalty and were more likely to go out of their way to help co-workers, according to a recent study.  

Tahira Probst.
Probst

“It may come down to what it means psychologically to be able to trust in entities other than yourself, whether that’s the federal or state government, your organization or your supervisor,” said Tahira Probst, a psychology professor at WSU Vancouver and co-author on the study. “It’s these internalized beliefs that another entity cares about my well-being and has good intentions—that kind of trust is crucial to facilitating relationships with other individuals and organizations.”

The researchers say the findings do suggest that the government—and employers—would do well to bolster trust at all levels. One way to do that is to communicate clearly and transparently, Probst said.

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WSU Insider
The Hill

WSU archaeologist plays major role in UN climate report

The United Nation’s latest climate change report forecasts bad news for a host of issues from rising food insecurity to increasing social inequality in North America unless steps are taken now to reduce global carbon emissions.

Tim Kohler
Kohler

There is perhaps no one in the Inland Northwest who understands the dire consequences laid out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) report better than Tim Kohler, a Washington State University emeritus professor of archaeology and evolutionary anthropology.

“One of the things archaeologists see that most other IPCC authors do not is that the changes are going to come more rapidly than we have ever seen in the past,” Kohler said. “Contributing to the report is really a small breakthrough for archaeology and shows that the IPCC is starting to take longer sweeps of history into account when assessing the significance of the coming climate changes.”

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Mirage News
WSU Insider