Acclaimed playwright Suzan-Lori Parks to give eclectic presentation

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks will visit IU on Monday, to deliver a free lecture known as “The Suzan-Lori Parks Show.” \nThe presentation, set to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre, will feature a unique blend of Parks’ art \nand personality.\n“There’s a certain amount of uncertainty and unpredictability,” said John Kinzer, IU theatre department director of audience development, about the lecture. \nIn the past, Parks’s public events have included high-energy storytelling and performance, as well as advice on writing and life.\n“I just like to have fun,” Parks said. “I will be making a lot of strange sounds; I’ll explain that when I get there, and I have for you all some suggestions. And the rest is a surprise.”\nParks, who was the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002, has worked extensively in theater, and “ushered in a new style of play writing,” IU faculty member Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe said. \nCooper-Anifowoshe calls Parks’ plays “very controversial” and “challenging” but also acknowledges their commentary on culture and society.\n“When people look back in 100 years, they’re going to be reading her plays,” Cooper-Anifowoshe said.\nThough best known for her dramatic works, Parks has also worked in film, and she released her first novel in 2003.\n“I enjoy working in all mediums equally,” Parks said. “All kinds of writing, to me, are fun.”\nHer lecture will be an opportunity for students to speak with the writer personally. A question and answer session will follow her lecture, which Kinzer says will give students the “ability to ask questions and couch \na discussion.”\nParks’ most recent work, titled “Ray Charles Live!”, features her script, as well as a soundtrack made up entirely of Ray Charles’ music. This play and a production of August Wilson’s “Fences” directed by Parks will premiere on Broadway later this year. Though Parks said she is continuing to write her own plays, these two major projects will be her focus for the remainder of the year.\nParks said she strongly encourages students to come to her eclectic lecture and recommends that attendees bring a pen and paper to take notes.\n“We have fun, so try to work it into your schedule,” Parks said.\nAspiring young writers and artists should especially consider attending, said Parks, who believes students can learn from all different kinds \nof artists.\n“I learned from Shakespeare how to make a play, and I learned from Biggie Smalls how to say what’s on your mind, and maybe it will rhyme,” Parks said. “All artists out there have something to teach us.”