Events

Fall 2024

September 12, 2024

2024 Fall Launch.

4:30 pm, Reaud Event Space (Room 101).

Come learn about how the Center for History and Culture fosters research and creativity that enriches our understanding of Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf region. Director Jimmy Bryan will talk about resources available to students and faculty, preview the Center's fall programming, announce the theme of the 2025 Greater Gulf Symposium, and introduce the interim assistant director. Refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.

NPCA

October 7, 2024

A Night of Big Thicket History with the National Parks Conservation Association.

7:00 pm, Beaumont Botanical Gardens (6088 Babe Zaharias Dr, Beaumont, TX 77705).

The Center for History and Culture is supporting an event organized by the National Parks Conservation Association to mark the 50th anniversary of the Big Thicket. A panel of experts and conversation takes place Monday, October 7, 7:00-9:00 pm, Beaumont Botanical Gardens (6088 Babe Zaharias Dr, Beaumont, TX 77705). Attendance is free, but NPCA requests pre-registration which you may do at the follow link:

National Parks Conservation Association

October 10, 2024

Jim Sanderson and the Memoirs of Carl Parker.

6:00 pm, Tyrrell Historical Library (695 Pearl St, Beaumont, TX 77701).

Lamar University Writer-in-Residence Dr. Jim Sanderson will talk about his work with Carl Parker in writing his memoirs Turtle on a Post (Lamar University Literary Press, 2024). Parker (1934-2024) was born in Port Arthur Texas and served thirty-three years (1962-1995) as a Democrat in the both the Texas House of Representatives and in the State Senate. Sanderson is an award-winning author of eight novels and numerous short stories and a teacher of creative writing. His work features crime fiction set in West Texas. Refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.

Settling St Malo

October 21, 2024

Settling St. Malo with Randy Gonzales.

5:00 pm. Reception with refreshments in the Dishman Art Museum Main Gallery.

5:30 pm. Presentation in the Dishman Art Museum Auditorium.

Dr. Randy Gonzales will read sections of his poetry, talk about the history and culture of the Filipino American community in Louisiana, and discuss his experiences in writing "documentary" and "found" poetry. His collection Settling St. Malo won the 2024 Summerlee Book Prize-Creative from the Center for History and Culture which also named him a Research Fellow for 2024-2025. Dr. Gonzales is an associate professor of English and holds the Dr. James Wilson/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Professorship in Southern Studies at Louisiana State University-Lafayette. The US Congress designated October as Filipino American History Month. Select students from Dr. Katherine Hoerth's class will read poetry that intersects by Dr. Gonzales's work. Reception with refreshments at 5:00 pm in the Dishman Art Museum main gallery. Presentation, poetry reading, and discussion in the Dishman Auditorium at 5:30 pm. Free and open to the public.

View Recording

Love in Lavender

November 7, 2024

Love in Lavender: The LGBTQ+ History of Southeast Texas.

5:00 pm, Dishman Art Museum Auditorium.

Cassandre Broussard will share the result of her research gathering interviews and documenting the history of the LGBTQ+ community in Southeast Texas. She is a lecturer in history at Lamar University, a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for History and Culture, and a 2022-2023 Research Fellow of the Center. Refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.