Renee Ann Cramer, associate professor and chair of law, politics, and society at Drake, will discuss her book, Pregnant with the Stars, on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room. The conversation and a reception following are free and open to the public.

“Check out that baby bump!” Online and print magazines, television shows, and personal blogs are awash with gossip and speculation about pregnant celebrities. What drives our cultural obsession with celebrity baby bumps? Pregnant with the Stars examines the American fascination with, and judgment of, celebrity pregnancy and exposes how our seemingly innocent interest in “baby bumps” actually reinforces troubling standards about femininity, race, and class, while increasing the surveillance and regulation of all women in our society.

This author event is sponsored by Cowles Library.

—Leslie Noble, Assistant to the Dean and Manager, Library Support Operations

Softball
Drake vs. Creighton
April 12 at 4 p.m.
Ron Buel Field

Track & Field
Jim Duncan Invitational
April 15 at 3 p.m.
Drake Stadium

Track & Field
Jim Duncan Invitational
April 16 at 8 a.m.
Drake Stadium

Softball
Drake vs. Missouri State (Doubleheader)
April 16 at 12 p.m.
Ron Buel Field

Softball
Drake vs. Missouri State
April 17 at 12 p.m.
Ron Buel Field

On Tuesday, April 12, faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to listen to a selection of stories from incarcerated individuals and discuss what it means to be incarcerated in America. Four Drake students traveled to California to go inside San Quentin State Prison in December 2015 and heard these prisoners’ stories firsthand. The event begins at 7 p.m. at the Pomerantz Stage in the Olmsted Center.

—Renee Cramer, Associate Professor Law, Politics, and Society

Apartheid Week
Join Drake’s Middle East Peace and Prosperity Alliance in raising awareness of the ongoing human rights abuses in Palestine and drawing important connections back to South African Apartheid with events March 28–31:

• Monday, March 28: We will be making and flying Kites in Helmick Commons 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
• March 29–30: We will be setting up a “Mock Wall” representing the divisiveness between societies. This will be an awesome opportunity to ask questions and experience the effects of the wall here at home.
• Thursday, March 31: Dr. Maria Filippone will speak about her recent trip to Gaza.
• Friday, April 1: We’ll be holding a vigil for all of the lives lost in this tragic conflict.

—Mollie Clark

1st Annual Poetry Slam
Come to Pomerantz Stage at 6 p.m. on April 8th for the 1st Annual Poetry Slam, presented by DU Spoken Word. Sign up to compete in the event by April 5—the fee to sign up is $3. There will be two rounds of competition, prizes, and refreshments. Sign up to compete today. Find more details on our Facebook event.

—Anoushe Seiff

The sun is setting on fossil fuels
Come join in on the conversation! On Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., Drake Environmental Action League (DEAL) will be hosting a fossil fuel divestment conversation at Pomerantz Stage in Olmsted. Come discuss what divestment is and what we can do about it on campus, all while enjoying locally made snacks!

—Gabriella Lafevre

Feeling Adventurous?
Sextival: A Fair For The Adventurous, will be held on Friday, April 1, 1–4 p.m. in the Olmsted Breezeway and Pomerantz Stage area. Stop by the Residence Hall Association booth for “Flirty Floats,” play games and enter to win awesome prizes like a Beats Pill, and grab tons of free giveaways and promotional items all while learning about healthy relationships and sexual wellness from Drake organizations as well as Des Moines-area vendors!

—Kaitlin Brueggen