Author, educator Gates to lecture Jan. 26

Gates will present "The New Black Renaissance," a lecture sponsored by Critical Inquiry, a scholarly journal published by the Press. The lecture is free and open to the public.

On the day of his visit, Gates will receive Critical Inquiry's Distinguished Editorial Achievement Award in recognition of his service to the journal. A frequent contributor and a member of the journal's editorial board since the early 1980s, Gates has also edited two special issues -- "Race, Writing and Difference" and "Identities" -- that have subsequently been reissued as books by the Press.

He is also the author of several books, most recently the memoir Colored People. His theoretical books -- for instance, The Signifying Monkey, published by Oxford University Press -- have played a key role in shaping contemporary African-American studies, in part through their introduction of French theory, particularly deconstruction, to the field.

For more information, call 702-8477.