Arkansas State University in Jonesboro announces the 2005-06 Lecture~Concert Series season with nine events, beginning in September and continuing through April.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Reporter Amy Schlesing will launch the season with her presentation, “A Year With America’s Infantry: An Inside Look Into Life at War,” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Student Union Auditorium. Schlesing was entrenched with the Arkansas National Guard’s 39^th Infantry Brigade in Iraq for nearly a year, making her the longest embedded reporter since Ernie Pyle in World War II. 

E. Lynn Harris will present “Writing and Achieving Your Dreams” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27, in the Student Union Auditorium.  Harris is the author of five bestselling novels: “Invisible Life,” “Just As I Am,” and New York Times bestsellers “And This Too Shall Pass,” “If This World Were Mine,” and “Abide With Me,” an NAACP Image Award finalist.

On Friday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m., Morton Subotnick will perform a laptop concert using instruments and other electronic media, including interactive computer music systems to compose music. He is one of the acknowledged pioneers in the field of electronic music. The performance will be in the Fowler Center, Drama Theatre.

David Corn, longtime Washington editor of “The Nation,” the oldest political weekly in America, and Fox News Channel contributor will discuss “What’s the State of the American News Media,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Student Union Auditorium. His political writing has focused on President George W. Bush, former president George H.W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, Colin Powell, Rush Limbaugh, and Enron as well as several federal agencies and organizations.

Sir Harold Evans will discuss his critically-acclaimed book, “They Made America: Innovators from Steam Engines to Search Engines” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30, in the Student Union Auditorium.  Evans spent the last four years researching and writing an original account of the people in history who changed technology to bring in the modern world.  “The American Century,” his latest work and a companion to “They Made America,” is a provocative history of America’s realization of freedom from the American Revolution to 1889.

Philip Deloria will present, “The Secret History of American Indian Modernity” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, in the Drama Theatre of Fowler Center.  Deloria will discuss his book “Playing Indian,” and how Americans perceive and mimic American Indian identities. He will also discuss how those mimicries have changed history and how Indian people have reacted to the whole idea of “playing Indian.”

The Merling Trio will perform chamber music in classical, jazzy style at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006, in Riceland Hall of Fowler Center. The trio brings together musicians from Polish, Japanese, and Dutch backgrounds with an impeccable blend of sound and magnificent precision.

On Tuesday, March 14, 2006, the Christopher Watson Dance Company will perform a classical modern dance recital at 7 p.m. at The Forum in Downtown Jonesboro. Described as buoyant, lyrical and dramatic, the Christopher Watson Dance Company’s art remains alive and deeply personal.

Greek-born classical guitarist Antigoni Goni will complete the 2005-06 Lecture~Concert Series at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 5, 2006, in Fowler Center, Riceland Hall. Goni has been deemed “one of the most compelling talents today” by “Guitar Review Magazine.” She is regularly featured on National Greek Radio, Bavarian Radio, National Public Radio, and two of New York City’s most prominent classical music stations, WQXR and WNYC.

The Lecture~Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region. All programs are free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Dr. Gil Fowler, associate dean for The Honors College at 870-972-2308 or via email at gfowler@astate.edu.