This program is full to capacity and we are no longer accepting registrations. Please check out our other spring program here.
ABOUT THIS EVENT
Join us for this FREE (with RSVP) screening of Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond the Mask, a new documentary film directed by Ohio University professor Frederick Lewis, which has also screened at the Library of Congress and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
Beyond the Mask explores the life and legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African American writer to gain national and international fame. Born to former slaves in Dayton, Ohio, where he was boyhood friends with the Wright Brothers, Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) is best remembered for his poem “We Wear The Mask” and for “Sympathy,” which inspired the title of Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
The documentary touches on events such as the Wilmington Race Massacre of 1898, Dunbar’s tempestuous marriage to fellow writer Alice Ruth Moore, his struggles with alcoholism, and his premature death at age 33 from tuberculosis. It also provides insight into how his achievements are celebrated today by artists, writers, and musicians.
More than ten years in the making, Beyond The Mask received major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from Ohio Humanities.
Freshly popped popcorn (gluten and dairy free) and drinks will be available at the event for a small charge.
ABOUT THE Filmmaker
Writer and director Frederick Lewis is a professor in the School of Media Arts & Studies at Ohio University. His independent documentaries have been aired on PBS affiliates throughout the U.S. and screened at more than 100 cultural/educational venues, including the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
Event schedule
6:30pm - Doors Open (Popcorn and Drinks Available for a Small Charge)
7:00pm - Screening Begins
9:00pm - Brief Discussion and Q&A
9:30pm - Event Concludes
WHAT TO BRING
Feel free to bring your own favorite folding/camp chair (otherwise, a chair will be provided). This event will be held indoors.
Outside food/drinks are permitted. Freshly popped popcorn and drinks will be available for a small charge.
PARKING
On Jefferson Avenue: Free, easy street parking is available all along the Jefferson Avenue oval. Note: only the spots along the one-way oval are free; the spots along the two-way ends of Jefferson Avenue (near Broad Street and Long Street) are not free.
Off N. 11th Street (behind Thurber House): Free visitor parking is available in the small lot directly behind Thurber House, accessible off N. 11th Street and located here. There is no time limit as long as you are visiting Thurber House. All other parking lots do not belong to Thurber House and you may be towed.
ACCESSIBILITY
The first floor of Thurber Center is handicap/wheelchair accessible, including the first floor restrooms. How to reach the wheelchair ramp:
If you park on Jefferson Avenue: There is a slight curb (some wheelchairs can navigate this). The closest “ramp” cut is the entrance to the large parking lot on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Long Street (here). Follow the sidewalk through the Thurber Center front gate. Take the sidewalk around the porch on the right side of the building. The entrance to the wheelchair ramp will appear on your left, past the porch.
If you park in the Thurber House rear parking lot: Follow the sidewalk between the handicap parking signs (here). The sidewalk will take you around the north side of our multipurpose building, Thurber Center. The ramp will appear on your right and leads up to the front porch.
QUESTIONS?
For any questions, please email Jess Cox at jcox@thurberhouse.org or call 614-464-1032.
SPECIAL THANKS
Thank you to Thurber House volunteer Steve Andersson for coordinating, supplying, and running our fresh popcorn station!
DISCLAIMER
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.