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The Power of Native Women
Throughout history, women have played an important role in the family and the community. But Native women have also helped shape our nation by fighting alongside warriors, becoming doctors and performing other courageous feats. Learn about the impact of these women from historian Heather Bruegl.
Heather Bruegl, inspired by a trip to Wounded Knee, South Dakota, quickly developed a passion for Native American History. Curiosity for her own heritage led her to Wisconsin, where she has researched the history of the Native American tribes of that region. Heather is a graduate of Madonna University of Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in U.S. History. She travels and lectures on Native American history, including policy and activism.
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Author Event | Graphic Novelist Box Brown
In Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, acclaimed New York Times best-selling graphic novelist Box Brown delves deep into the troubling history of marijuana and offers a rich, entertaining, and thoroughly researched graphic essay on the legacy of cannabis legislation in America. Join us for an audio and visual presentation of this highly-buzzed about book.
Box Brown is an Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and comic publisher from Philadelphia. His books include the New York Times best-selling Andre the Giant: Life and Legend and Tetris. Box Brown's independent comics publishing house, Retrofit Comics, was launched in 2011.
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Author Event | WWE Wrestler Zach Gowen
Michigan native Zach Gowen came to AADL to share his unique and inspirational story chronicled in his 2018 book High Risk Maneuvers: How I Turned My Handicaps Into Opportunities. Zach lost his left leg to cancer at the age of eight. It was his dream to become the first one-legged WWE Superstar, which he achieved in 2003. During his time with the WWE, he wrestled such stars as Brock Lesnar, the Big Show, and John Cena. In 2016, Zach was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior.
Zach's message of life being not about what happens to us, but about how we respond to what happens to us, permeates every aspect of his life. Zach has wrestled with demons, climbed the highest peaks, and has overcome some of the biggest obstacles life can offer.
Daring to defy the odds, expectations, and limitations society imposed on him, Zach became one of the most inspirational athletes in the world. He now travels the country sharing his message of hope and empowerment to people of all backgrounds.
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Author Event | Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior's Life and Legacy
Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown Sr. joins author William Matson at AADL to discuss their book, "Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior's Life and Legacy". The book is based on the Crazy Horse family's oral history, now being told publicly over a century after Crazy Horse's assassination. Floyd Clown Sr., a son to Edward Clown, who was a nephew to Crazy Horse and keeper of the sacred bundle and pipe, represents his family at the discussion.
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Living Off the Land: Pete Griffin, the Storytelling Ranger
Pete Griffin, speaker, storyteller, naturalist, and retired Forest Service Ranger joined us to deliver personal stories, photos, and short videos about living off the land in Alaska.
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Butter Extravaganza
The delicious topic of butter is the theme of Margaret Carney’s presentation “Butter Extravaganza.” Is there ever too much butter in our lives, recipes, and artwork? Of course there isn’t, so stories about butter, a celebration of butter, butter sculpture, butter dishes and related butter paraphernalia used in dining, and the International Museum of Dinnerware Design’s pop-up exhibition, Butter, was “on the table” for everyone’s enjoyment. Margaret Carney is the founder and director of the International Museum of Dinnerware Design, located in Ann Arbor.
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Iran by Bicycle
In August 2018, Stefan Koehler traveled by bicycle across Kurdish Iran, a tour which took him within three miles of the border with Iraq. Through unique photos and stories Stefan relates Iranians' amazing hospitality and reveals a side of Iran rarely seen in media portrayals.
Stefan Koehler is a German-American residing in Ann Arbor. An avid cyclist, he does not own a car and rides his bike all year round. He has cycled across many countries including India, Tajikistan, Rwanda, Uganda, Colombia, and Cuba. Stefan works for the University of Michigan in the Office of Technology Transfer.
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World Press Freedom Day | Rami Khouri
In honor of World Press Freedom Day, internationally acclaimed journalist Rami Khouri came to AADL to share his latest research on politics and economics in the Middle East. In this talk, Khouri focuses on the Middle East and the links between press freedoms and other destructive trends, such as growing poverty and declining political engagement. He also links Middle Eastern trends with global ones, showing that these are global problems and not specific to one area or culture.
In dialogue with Rami Khouri is Juan Cole, journalist and Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan.
Rami Khouri is a Palestinian-Jordanian and U.S. citizen whose family resides in Beirut, Amman, and Nazareth. He is a senior fellow and journalism professor at American University of Beirut and a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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Panel Discussion | Social Media, Politics, and the Fourth Estate
This event consisted of a panel, including those in the fields of journalism, communication strategy and politics. These panelists discussed the intersection of and tensions between journalism and the political sphere. The panel is followed by a question and answer session, in which the audience had a chance to interact with the panelists by asking them questions.
The purpose of this event is to consider the ever-fluctuating relationships between social media, politics and reporting. As we look toward the 2020 election, and as we see shifts in how political information is relayed to the public through the use of social media, we see fake news might not be the only issue facing reporting today.
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Who Holds the Power: Policing in Ann Arbor
Who holds the power in Ann Arbor when it comes to law enforcement? What does that mean for those who are not in power? How has this all changed over time? A panel of local experts discuss the role of police around the city and on the University of Michigan campus.
This was the second of a series series of discussions addressing the question: Who holds the power in Ann Arbor? The series, a partnership with the Michigan Daily, was made possible by the Poynter College Media Project.