© 2026 University of North Alabama

A screening of Echoes of the Forks of Cypress
2026-02-17 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago) | Sign in to download the location
Film director/Mental Health Therapist Frederick Murphy has dedicated his career to exploring the intricacies of race and culture in America through a compelling and evocative lens. His work delves deeply into communities of color experiences, shedding light on historical and contemporary issues of racial identity, social justice, and cultural heritage. With a keen eye for storytelling and a commitment to authentic representation, Murphy’s films provide a nuanced perspective on the struggles and triumphs of marginalized communities. His dedication to this genre not only educates and informs but also fosters a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich tapestry of American culture, making his contributions both significant and transformative in the cinematic landscape. Refreshments will be provided. This event is brought to you by the Writers’ Series at UNA and The Office of Student Affairs For accommodations, please email English@una.edu — Event Details: https://una.campusgroups.com/rsvp?id=384585

Othello's Tribunal Performed by Sammie Byron
2026-03-04 12:00 - 13:30 | Wesleyan Auditorium, 11001 Harrison Rd, Lester, AL, United States
Please register here on Campus Groups. In this memoir, one-person play, Sammie Byron weaves Shakespeare’s Othello with his personal life, including experiences with the criminal justice system. After the performance, there will be a short audience talkback. Sammie Byron Bio: Sammie Byron is a Founding Member of Shakespeare Behind Bars at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in LaGrange, Kentucky. During his ten years with Shakespeare Behind Bars (1995-2005) Sammie played 20 of Shakespeare’s characters. Sammie appears in the Philomath Films award-winning documentary, Shakespeare Behind Bars, which follows the 2003 SBB production of The Tempest from the first day of rehearsal through the conclusion of the tour of the production to other Kentucky prisons. Sammie is employed full-time with Goodwill Industries as a Youth Training Facilitator at The Spot. Sammie teaches a course designed to equip young adults with social standards to enhance quality performance in workplace environments, as well as inspire value systems that are worthwhile, realistic, and attainable. Othello’s Tribunal is a 45-minute solo show in which Sammie explores his turbulent and transformative journey through playing the title role in Shakespeare Behind Bars’s 1999 production of Othello. The death of Desdemona mirrors the crime that brought Sammie to prison for 31 consecutive years. Learn more about Othello’s Tribunal on the Shakespeare Behind Bars website. https://shakespearebehindbars.org/programs/shakespeare-beyond-bars/othellos-tribunal-touring-program/ For accessibility request please email English@una.edu — Event Details: https://una.campusgroups.com/rsvp?id=384433

UNA Writers' Series Presents, John T. Edge
2026-03-09 11:00 - 12:00 | Sign in to download the location
The UNA Writers’ Series invites everyone to attend a reading and conversation with John T. Edge. Edge will read from House of Smoke, his new memoir. After the reading, there will be time for a conversation and book signing. John T. Edge Bio: John T Edge, author of the memoir, House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home, writes and hosts the National Emmy Award-winning television show TrueSouth, now in its ninth season. He has written or edited more than a dozen books including The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the American South. Edge is a widely published magazine and newspaper writer. He currently writes a restaurant column for the magazine Garden & Gun. Awarded an honorary doctorate by Centenary College, winner of the nonfiction prize from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters, and twice winner of the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, Edge is a fellow in the Georgia Writer’s Hall of Fame. In 1998, he founded the Southern Foodways Symposium at the University of Mississippi. From 1999 through 2021, Edge directed the Southern Foodways Alliance. At the University of Mississippi, he now leads development of Greenfield Farm Writers Residency and serves as Writer-in-Residence for the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. Edge lives in Oxford with his wife, the artist Blair Hobbs. Please register here on Campus Groups For accessibility request please email English@una.edu — Event Details: https://una.campusgroups.com/rsvp?id=384439
