Poetry Reading: Body Rhymes
Donna Emerson
Monday, August 31, 6pm
Connie Mahoney Reading Room
Petaluma Campus &
Monday, November 2, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

Local poet Donna Emerson’s second chapbook, Body Rhymes, has been selected for publication by Finishing Line Press in its annual New Women’s Voices competition. Emerson emphasizes the body’s wisdom, whether speaking as a young child, a daughter, preteen, lover, mother, or clinical social worker helping others. Donna Emerson is a college teacher, licensed clinical social worker, photographer, and writer of poetry and prose. Her most recent literary award is “Best of the Best,” from the California State Poetry Society. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as So To Speak, Phoebe, and South Carolina Review among many others.  Her prose has appeared in Stone Canoe, Passager, Tiny Lights, and Of A Certain Age: Voices of Experience, among others.  Sponsored by SRJC Foundation Friends of the Petaluma Campus
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Living Under the Trees: The World of Indigenous Mexican Migrant Workers
David Bacon
Monday, September 14, 2009 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

This presentation will analyze the political economy of migration. It will begin by examining the economic, political and social reasons for the displacement of communities in developing countries, especially Mexico.  It will highlight the role played by trade agreements and structural adjustment policies.  It will then discuss the use of U.S. immigration policy to criminalize migrants, and to provide a labor supply for employers.  It will conclude by examining alternative policies that would reinforce the human rights of migrants, reduce the pressure for displacement, and a common ground among working people based on rights and jobs.David Bacon is an award winning journalist and documentary photographer. He is the author of Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants.
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So What? Now What? Lessons for a World in Crisis from the Study of Language and Consciousness
Matthew Bronson, PhD
Monday, September 21, 2009, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

Anyone who has been paying attention will have noticed that the world is undergoing a period of unprecedented crises on multiple fronts. This presentation will summarize key learnings from recent research in linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, and the anthropology of consciousness, emphasizing practical application to the issues of our day and the problems of living during a time of massive systemic breakdown. Educational linguist Matthew C. Bronson, PhD, will provoke you through humor, story and information to a deeper reflection on the role of language and consciousness in your own life. Dr. Bronson holds a BA and MA in linguistics from UC Berkeley and a PhD in education, with an emphasis in language, literacy and culture from UC Davis.
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Stagolee
Cecil Brown, PhD
Monday, September 28, 2009, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

Although his story has been told countless times--by performers from Ma Rainey and Cab Calloway to Ike and Tina Turner and James Brown --no one seems to know who Stagolee really was. Stack Lee? Stagger Lee? He has gone by all these names in the ballad that has kept his exploits before us for over a century. Delving into a subculture of St. Louis known as “Deep Morgan,” Cecil Brown emerges with the facts behind the legend to unfold the mystery of Stack Lee and the incident that led to murder in 1895. Cecil Brown has a B.A. from Columbia University in comparative literature, an MA in English from the University of Chicago, and a PhD from UC Berkeley in narrative, African-American literature, and folklore.
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The Danish Welfare System
Henrik Kureer
Tuesday,September 29, 2009, 7pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

How can a country like Denmark, with the world’s highest tax burden, be one of the wealthiest and most competitive countries in the world while at the same time providing free education and free health care to its residents?  Is it possible to have a dynamic society with a big government sector? Professor Henrik Kureer, who in the Danish system pays 51% of his income in personal income tax, gives his personal view on how it is to live in a welfare state like Denmark. Professor Kureer is an associate professor at Koege Business College in Denmark.  He received his Master’s Degree in economics from the University of Copenhagen and is the author of several textbooks, including the best selling Danish textbook in international economics. 
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The Border As History: Immigration Debates Past and Present
David Montejano, PhD
Monday, October 5, 2009, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

This presentation will examine major themes in the history of American immigration policy over the last century, explore the causes for reforms and changes such as the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, and will analyze the reasons for the recurring backlash against Mexican and Latin American immigration such as occurred in California during the early 1990s. The presentation will conclude with an assessment of recent legislation and policy intended to address immigration, labor, and border security issues. Dr. David Montejano is professor of ethnic studies at UC Berkeley and author of the award winning book, Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas 1836-1886.
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It’s New Orleans Piano Night in Petaluma
Featuring Joshua Q. Paxton, from New Orleans
plus Bay Area musicians: John Allair, Sarah Baker, Sasha Smith, and Dr. Joel Rudinow
Friday, October 9, 2009, 8pm
Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma Campus

Among New Orleans’ distinctive contributions to American and world culture is a rich and highly original tradition of piano music.  Join us as we celebrate this still living tradition in the manner of the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival’s Piano Night, with New Orleans’ own Joshua Q. Paxton.  Like much of the great music to come out of New Orleans, Joshua Paxton’s playing defies one-word description.  Starting with conservatory-trained technique, he combines the accessibility of blues and soul with the harmonic sophistication of jazz, sprinkled with the intricate rhythmic energy of funk and Afro-Cuban music.  From his study of New Orleans legend James Booker he learned the art of getting the fullest possible sound from the piano by creating distinct, multiple parts -- playing with two hands what would seem to require at least three.  He applies these elements to both his original compositions and his surprising, fresh interpretations of standards.  Also performing will be Petaluma’s John Allair. Piano tuner to the stars by day, long-term ivory tickling sideman to Van Morrison, and bandleader by night, John Allair’s piano performances are always dazzling. Sonoma State University Professor Sarah Baker has a long and storied history as a piano player in the Redwood Empire.  On this occasion Sarah will represent the music of Lil Hardin-Armstrong - piano player, composer, arranger and wife of Louis Armstrong - the most prominent woman in early jazz. Also, Sebastopol piano prodigy Sasha Smith, now blazing a name for himself in Los Angeles, makes a triumphal return to Sonoma County.  SRJC’s Dr. Joel Rudinow, an alumnus of Elvin Bishop’s touring band, will also perform. Funded by a grant from the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation – Randolph Newman Cultural Enrichment Endowment.

Tickets: $17 advance; $20 day of show
Tickets available online @ www.brownpapertickets.com
Santa Rosa Junior College Ticket Outlets:
Petaluma Campus: Accounting Office, Room 110 John M. Jacobs Hall, 680 Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Petaluma.
Santa Rosa Campus:  Community Education Office, 1990 Armory Drive (at Elliott Avenue), or by phone with Visa or Mastercard at (707) 527-4372. 
Off-Campus Ticket Outlets (cash only):
The Last Record Store, 1899 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa; Backdoor Disk and Tape, 7665 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati; Peoples’ Music, 122 North Main Street, Sebastopol; Tall Toad Music, 43 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma.

To purchase a ticket online, go to:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/78324

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Master Class in the New Orleans Piano Tradition
Joshua Q. Paxton
Saturday, October 10, 2009, 10am – 3pm
Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma Campus

The New Orleans piano tradition is one of the richest, most colorful, energetic and distinctive traditions of piano music in existence.  Learn the secrets of New Orleans piano from one of the small handful of contemporary masters of the style.  Besides backing up the Wild Magnolias at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and performing his own original compositions at Jazz Fest Piano Night, Joshua Paxton has released a new CD collection of solo piano performances entitled Alone At Last, and published two volumes of crucial transcriptions of New Orleans piano music, The James Booker Collection and The Professor Longhair Collection with the Hal Leonard music publishing house.  The Master class will consist of a 2-hour morning lecture/demonstration, and an afternoon session of open individualized hands-on tutorials.  Enrollment limited to ten students.

Register for section #9224 through SRJC’s Community Education Office. 
www.santarosa.edu/communityed and click on category: Music
FEE: $50 (no refunds for this class)

Auditors may register for section #9229. There is a $10 auditing fee. Auditors will observe only and will not participate in the demonstrations or the hands-on tutorials.
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Jungle Medicine: From Medicine to Magic
Constance Grauds
Monday, October 12, 2009, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus &
Monday, October 12, 2009, 7pm
Carole Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma Campus

Connie Grauds is a pharmacist who has worked in the world of conventional Western medicine for nearly thirty years, and is also a shamana who has apprenticed in the world of “non-rational” healing for nearly a decade. Her story of visionary spirit doctors and their healing powers, which she experienced in the ancient sacred rituals of an apprenticeship with a Peruvian Amazon jungle shaman, will be illustrated with a dramatic slide presentation of colorful exotic animals and powerful medicinal plants. Grauds is president of the Association of Natural Medicine Pharmacists; on the faculty at the University of Minnesota, Center for Spirituality and Healing; and is Director of Allied Health at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
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The Life and Times of CoCo Chanel
Annette Baldwin
Saturday, October 17, 2009, 7pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus
Tickets: $10 per person (does not include parking permit)

The 20th Century’s most influential designer, and one of the most influential women of all time, is as lively as ever through a historical portrayal performed by Chicago-area historian and actor Annette Baldwin of Moments in Time. Baldwin’s Coco shares the story of her rise to fame while expounding on her fashion theories and innovations, including the creation of Chanel No. 5 fragrance. She is also candid about competitors and the men in her life. A slide presentation chronicling the career of Chanel is included. Her historical characterizations, lectures, and Readers Theatre productions have been presented to scores of historical societies, museums, colleges, and universities. Funded in part by a grant from the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation – Randolph Newman Cultural Enrichment Endowment.

To purchase a ticket online, go to:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/80475

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Psychological Suffering – Diagnosis and Social Responsibility
Jurgen Werner Kremer, PhD
Monday, October 26, 2009, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

A soldier returns from war in Iraq or Afghanistan and suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome. The burden of healing lies with the individual soldier. In her novel Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko describes an indigenous alternative to treating post-traumatic stress syndrome: healing by way of initiation or rite of passage. Western psychology and psychiatry operate within an individualistic paradigm that is notably different from indigenous communal paradigms. What does the understanding of psychological suffering in indigenous cultures have to contribute to our healing efforts? How can ritual and trance be used to enlarge healing efforts? Join Jurgen Kremer, PhD, Behavioral Science instructor at SRJC, as he explores the diagnosis and social responsibility of psychological suffering.
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The Journey of the Italians in America
Vincenza Scarpaci, PhD
Wednesday, November 4, 7 pm
Connie Mahoney Reading Room
Mahoney Library, Petaluma Campus

Italians have influenced American life since the beginning of the new Republic. In her new book, The Journey of the Italians in America, Vincenza Scarpaci takes a photographic approach towards unraveling the history and legacy of Italians and their presence in America. Examining more than four hundred unique photographs of Italian families, settlements, businesses, and celebrities, Scarpaci celebrates the ways in which this ethnic group has influenced many aspects of American life, including arts, agriculture, industry, religion, cuisine, sports, and politics.
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
Panel with SRJC English Department faculty
Monday, November 9, 2009, 12:15pm
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Campus

English Department Faculty will present a panel discussion of the Fall 2009 Work of Literary Merit, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Expect to be introduced to this landmark novel about love, struggle and self-exploration, published during the height of the Harlem Renaissance.
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Renaissance Glory
 A concert with Festival Consort
Thursday, December 3, 2009, 7pm
Carole Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma Campus

Founded in 1976, the Festival Consort is one of the Bay Area’s longest-performing early music ensembles. With acclaimed singers Carol Menke, soprano, Douglas Mandell, tenor, and Chris Fritzsche, countertenor, the Consort offers medieval and renaissance secular and sacred songs as well as instrumental works. The instruments used by the Consort are all authentic historical reproductions. The Consort’s David Hogan Smith maintains the double reed instruments and also researches works for the program, many being performed for the first time since the sixteenth century.  Joanna Bramel Young, a founding member of the Consort, and Alan Paul complete the ensemble. The Consort’s Christmas repertoire combines instrumental motets and fantasies with traditional yuletide carols.  Sponsored by SRJC Foundation, Friends of the Petaluma Campus.
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2009 Fall Cinema Series

The inaugural season of the Petaluma Film Alliance’s bi-annual cinema series begins September 2, 2009 in the new, state-of-the-art Carole L. Ellis Auditorium at the Petaluma Campus of Santa Rosa Junior College.   Films will screen on Wednesday nights at 7pm.  Guests are invited to attend a pre-film lecture at 6pm as well as participate in a post-screening discussion of film until 10pm.  Pre-film lectures are designed to enhance the audiences’ appreciation and understanding of the cinema by examining the film’s production history, learning about the players that brought the picture together, and examining the film techniques that will be showcased in the feature. 

TICKET INFORMATION
Single admission is $5 for general audiences and $4 for seniors, students (with a valid student ID card), and PFA members.  All tickets can be purchased at the box office beginning at 5:30pm on the night of the performance.  Parking permits ($4) are required to park on campus.  Permit machines take dollar bills and quarters.  Parking permits are also available at the Ellis box office.
Series passes may be purchased beginning August 3, 2009 at the Cashier’s Office on the Petaluma Campus.  Passes are $40 regular ($32 for students, seniors, & PFA members).  Series parking passes are available for an additional $20.
The Petaluma Film Alliance (PFA) is a strategic partnership between Santa Rosa Junior College, community businesses, and private individuals dedicated to creating unique community-based learning environments to discuss and analyze significant classic and modern cinema. 

More information available at petalumafilmfest.org