Jessica Hagedorn

Women's Studies Institute hosts novelist Oct. 6

(Oct. 4, 2004)--The UTSA Women's Studies Institute will host a lecture and book-signing by author Jessica Hagedorn at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 6 in the John Peace Library Building Assembly Room (4.03.08) on the 1604 Campus.

Hagedorn will discuss, "Dream Jungle," her new novel about late 20th-century Filipino cultural identity. Released Sept. 28 by Penguin Books, it tells the story of a country in crisis -- the beauty, spirit, corruption and desperation that was the tumultuous Philippines of the 1970s.

The book chronicles the clash and embrace of American and Filipino cultures and explores the universal themes of power, money, race and colonialism, while intertwining tales of four characters -- a wealthy but disillusioned landowner; a resourceful and intelligent daughter of a cook; a troubled, disillusioned and fading actor; and a young, female Filipino-American journalist.

Hagedorn is a novelist, poet, performance artist and screenwriter widely acknowledged as one of the leading Asian-American voices. She came onto the American literary scene in 1990 with the publication of her first novel, "Dogeaters," which was nominated for the National Book Award.

Born and raised in the Philippines, she moved to the United States in her teens and currently resides in New York City.

For more information, contact the Women's Studies Institute at 210-458-6277.

--Tim Brownlee