Feminist Fright Fest
During this season of Halloween and horror flicks, the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity presents our second annual FEMINIST FRIGHT FEST at the Lawrence Public Library.
Join your hosts Eric Havens, Miguel Roel, and Megan Williams for the Emily Taylor Center's featured films and stay for our post-screening discussions analyzing them from an intersectional feminist perspective.
For a preview of this year's festival published in The Pitch, check out Nick Spacek's article "Feminist Fright Fest looks at horror from another perspective."
Wednesdays, 7 - 9:30 pm
Lawrence Public Library, Auditorium
707 Vermont Street
October 2nd
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
October 9th
October 16th
Blackenstein (1973) with Kevin Willmott
Join our special guests Jody Willmott and Kevin Willmott for a screening an discussion of Blackenstein.
JODY WILLMOTT (she/her)
A former Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity staff member and current volunteer, Jody studies Political Science & Government and African American Studies at the University of Kansas.
KEVIN WILLMOTT (he/him)
With work on titles like BlacKkKlansman (2018), William Allen White: What's the Matter with Kansas (2018), Chi-Raq (2015), Jayhawkers (2014), Destination: Planet Negro (2013), The Only Good Indian (2009), C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004), and Ninth Street (1999), among others, Kevin Willmott is an award-winning filmmaker and KU Film and Media Studies Professor. A native of Junction City, Willmott graduated from Marymount College with a BA in Drama and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in Dramatic Writing. Earlier this year, Willmott and Spike Lee shared the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the duo’s collaboration on BlacKkKlansman.
October 23rd
October 30th
About Your Hosts
ERIC HAVENS (they/them)
Eric is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist whose work includes, Call Girl, The Stylist, A Message of Hope From the Terminally Depressed, and The Devil and Me. They have won several ‘Best Screenplay’ awards from an array of film festivals as well as placing in the quarterfinals of the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. Their novels have been praised as “the right blend of brains, heart and pulp,” “captivating from the first page,” and “apocalyptic and hard-boiled.” An internet commenter even once claimed that, “Havens is truly, truly terrible.” Eric is also a longtime critic and journalist for several film sites such as Downright Creepy and Boom Howdy. Recently, Eric and their colleagues launched a successful Kickstarter Campaign to turn their multi award-winning short horror film The Stylist into a feature-length film.
MIGUEL ROEL (he/him)
Miguel is a local educator, activist, and community organizer. A founding member of Lawrence Revolution School and Sanctuary Alliance, Miguel works to promote revolutionary change in the Lawrence community. He is also an amateur film critic and co-creator of the Everyday Aficionados Movie Reviews YouTube Channel.
MEGAN WILLIAMS (she/her)
Megan is the Assistant Director of the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity at The University of Kansas. She earned her PhD in American Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) from KU. A feminist scholar and former professor, Megan has published academic work and taught college courses exploring representations of gender, race, class, sexuality, and dis/ability in Hollywood films.