A&M International Holds Primavera Conferece Mar. 3-4

The 17th annual "Primavera Conference" will be held at Texas A&M International University March 3-4. It is sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Minor Program at A&M International, and is held every March in celebration of Women's History Month.

Primavera will begin with a Poster Exhibit, "Brindis a la Mujer," and reception Friday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Room of the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library (room 319).

The Poster Exhibit will feature displays on issues relating to women or gender. "Brindis a la Mujer," a toast on behalf of women in the United States and Mexico, will be offered by two women, one representing the United States and one representing Mexico. A brief reception will follow the Brindis.

Native Laredoan Montserrat Fontes, author of First Confession and Dreams of the Centaur, will represent the United States during the brindis. In praise of her first novel, Barbara Kingsolver called Fontes "Carson McCullers with a Spanish Accent." The recently published Dreams, which tells the story of the exile and enslavement of the Yaqui Indians, has been compared by critics to Alex Haley's masterpiece Roots.

The Mexican brindis representative will be Mexico City native Maria Eugenia Llamas. An accomplished actor, television conductor and narrator, Llamas has appeared, along with Pedro Infante, on films such as Los Tres Huastecos and El Seminarista. She has traveled throughout the United States and Latin America as a representative of Mexican popular theater and oral narration. She has received numerous awards for her work including the "El Ariel" award by the Mexican Academy of Arts and Science for her acting part in the film, Los Hijos de la Calle (The Children of the Streets) in 1951.

Admission to the Exhibit, Brindis, and reception is free and open to the public.

Conference presentations will be held on Saturday, March 4 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. in Pellegrino Hall. Conference fees are as follows: free for students, lunch not included; $10 for students, lunch included; and $20 for all others, lunch included.

Themed "Women and Gender Studies on the Border of a New Millennium," Primavera will feature a variety of panel presentations examining issues of women and gender.

For further information on the Primavera Conference at A&M International March 3-4, please contact Dr. Norma Cantu at 326-2529. University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Information may also be secured via e-mail at necantu@tamiu.edu.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu