Conference on World Affairs coming to the University of Colorado

The 65th Annual Conference on World Affairs, sponsored by the University of Colorado at Boulder, begins Monday, and offers a wide array of panels, plenaries and performances that address multiple issues, including issues of concern for women. The Conference was originally founded in 1948 as a forum on international affairs, yet it quickly grew to include many issues that are of public concern, such as technology, human rights, medicine, the arts, and much more. This year’s theme, originally conceived by long time participant Roger Ebert, is “Everything Conceivable,” and if you attend, you will discover just that in the 100 participants and 200 sessions being offered over the course of five days. According to Ebert, “Why is this week like lifeblood for me? Once we settle into our life’s careers, most of us charge the line with our heads down. I have a tendency, for example, to think the world revolves around movies. Once a year at the Conference, I am forced to think on subjects not of my own choosing. I get to talk to people from other worlds” (University of Colorado).

Sessions of particular interest to women include:

The conference runs April 8th – April 12th. All conference sessions are free and open to the public. While there is very limited conference parking on campus, you can park for free on the second level of the Macy’s parking structure on Twenty-Ninth Street and take the free HOP bus to the conference. For more information, visit the conference site at www.colorado.edu/cwa.

Diane DeBella

As a writer, teacher, and speaker Diane has spent over twenty years examining women’s issues. She is the author of the collective memoir *I Am Subject: Sharing Our Truths to Reclaim Our Selves*, and editor of the anthology *I Am Subject Stories: Women Awakening*. As a long-time faculty member at the University of Colorado, she received the CU Women Who Make a Difference Award and the CU-LEAD Alliance Faculty Appreciation Award. Through her organization I Am Subject, Diane helps us understand how we—as women—are impacted by the society in which we live. By claiming ourselves as subjects of our own lives, we become empowered and also provide strong role models for other women and girls. In healing ourselves we help others—a beautiful way for women to create nurturing, supportive communities.

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