CWU to Host Human Rights Activist for Virtual Presentation Next Week

The CWU College of Arts and Humanities will host author and human rights activist Richard Middleton-Kaplan on Tuesday, January 17, for a virtual presentation titled "Humanity in Print: Literature and Human Rights."

Human Rights Activist Richard Middleton-Kaplan

The 3 p.m. Zoom forum is part of CAH's ongoing Storytelling For Identity For Belonging series. The event is open to the public and attendees are asked to pre-register online.

Middleton-Kaplan's talk will invite attendees to explore the myriad ways in which literature can help humans connect with one another. By putting the reader in the shoes of the author, he will explain how literature can foster empathy for those who've been subjected to human rights violations, and help people explore the minds of those who have committed such atrocities.

The author's career has brought him in contact with many other human rights activists, and he will share their stories and perspectives on literature with attendees next Tuesday.

Middleton-Kaplan (he/him) is the former dean of arts and sciences at Walla Walla Community College. In 2011, he spent a sabbatical at the Centre for Applied Human Rights at University of York, helping to develop a course on literature and human rights. His publications include "Using Literature to Teach Peace" in Peace Research: The Canadian Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Read his biography on humanities.org.