Acclaimed Author, Scholar, and Performance Artist to Deliver Convocation

E. Patrick Johnson, internationally-renowned scholar and performance artist, will deliver the weekly convocation at Carleton College on Friday, February 5 at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Johnson’s address is entitled “In Search of My Roots/Routes: Researching and Performing Sweet Tea.” Following his presentation, Johnson will sign copies of his books, available for purchase at the event and in advance at the Carleton College bookstore. This event is free and open to the public.

Johnson is currently touring the country performing his one-man show, “Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales,” based on narratives from his recent book Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, An Oral History (University of North Carolina Press, 2008). The performance offers a glimpse into the true-life stories of subjects from his book, and overturns numerous misconceptions about black gay subcultures thriving throughout the South. Johnson’s previous book, Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Authenticity (Duke University Press, 2003) has won several awards for its daring exploration of the relationship between race theory, gender, sexuality, and the performance arts.

Professor Johnson is the chair and director of the department of performance studies at Northwestern University. Johnson’s zeal for literature and performance art emulates through his one-man performance tours, which build off the narratives shared in his books. He toured and performed “Strange Fruit,” exploring the politics of identity, throughout the nation at more than 20 colleges and universities from 1999-2004. Self-identifying as black, gay, southern, and academic, Johnson incorporates personal narrative, poetry, dance, and visual media into his performances to challenge conventional notions of blackness, masculinity, and sexuality.

The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First and College Streets in Northfield. The Carleton Bookstore is located in the Sayles Hill Campus Center and can be reached at (507) 222- 4153. For more information regarding the convocation, please contact the Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4309.