In celebration of March as Women’s History Month, Cleveland State University will present Women and Spirituality: an International Interdisciplinary Symposium, from Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, March 14 on the Cleveland State campus in the Main Classroom Building, located at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 21st Street.

The conference begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. daily. An information fair, musical and performing arts activities, experiential workshops and a film series are included.

The opening session on Thursday includes a screening of the film "Ties That Bind: Connecting Communities Across Religious Boundaries," followed by a panel discussion. The 59-minute documentary was produced in 2006 by Films for the Humanities and Social Sciences and follows seven women - all leaders in Chicago’s Christian, Jewish, or Muslim communities - who have gathered to share views, express fears and concerns about the post-9/11 world, and build bridges of peace between their faiths.

Featured presenters during the three-day event include the Saturday, March 14 (Noon) keynote address by Selena Fox, psychotherapist, teacher, writer and activist, who is also a priestess and founder of Circle Sanctuary, a Nature Spirituality center in Wisconsin.

The conference includes presentations by local Buddhist nun Ani Palmo, who will provide meditation instruction; Julie E. Thomas, who will present Sacred Dance: Meditation in Movement; and Tracy Washington's interactive workshop entitled Don't Just Dress Up the Outside, Dress Up the Inside.

Other speakers include Patricia Monaghan, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, School for New Learning, DePaul University; Rev. Mary Ann Reiger, Reiki Master; Matthew Kosuta, Ph.D., Lecturer, College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand; and Ian Corrigan and Liafal, druids and folk music performers.

The conference is presented by CSU’s Women’s Comprehensive Program, Department of History, Dean’s Office of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the Initiative for the Study of Religion and Spirituality in the History of Africa and the Diaspora (RASHAD), Office of the Vice President for Institutional Diversity, and The President’s Advisory Committee on the Role and Status of Women.

Cost for the conference for all three days is $35. Parts of it may also be registered for separately. CEU’s are available. For more information and to register, please call Regennia Williams, Cleveland State University Department of History, at 216. 523.7182 or email her at spirituality@csuohio.edu.

# # #