Feminist Book Club Session #1
2025-09-24 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Friendly City Books, 501 5th St N, Columbus, MS, United States
At the club’s first session, members will discuss Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me. Lessa Harvey, an 1884 Fellow in the Women’s College, created this feminist book club after working at Friendly City Books as a Nancy Yates Community Engagement Fellow in the summer of 2025.

Reclaiming Pleasure with Catherine Simone Gray
2025-10-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Memorial Library
Catherine Simone Gray–also called “Unsilenced Woman” and author of Proud Flesh: A Memoir of Motherhood, Intimate Violence, and Reclaiming Pleasure–gathers women, mothers, and caregivers to explore how writing can be an ally in our living and loving. Part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. All are welcome.

Fireside Chat with W Alum Kimberly Griffin
2025-10-15 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Memorial Library
Kimberly Griffin is a seasoned revenue generation expert with over two decades of fundraising, marketing, sales, and advertising experience. She is also the founding publisher and chief revenue officer of the Mississippi Free Press, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet focusing on solutions-based journalism. She received her B.S. in journalism from The W. Read her full bio at the Mississippi Free Press. Griffin will be sharing the inside scoop on her struggles and successes in building the non-profit newsroom at Mississippi Free Press. The conversation will be moderated by 1884 Scholar and Spectator reporter Merry MacLellan. Part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. All are welcome.

Feminist Book Club Session #2
2025-10-22 16:00 - 17:00 | Friendly City Books, 501 5th St N, Columbus, MS, United States
At the club’s second session, members will discuss The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. Lessa Harvey, an 1884 Fellow in the Women’s College, created this feminist book club after working at Friendly City Books as a Nancy Yates Community Engagement Fellow in the summer of 2025.

Invest Like a (Girl)Boss: A Financial Literacy Workshop
2025-11-04 17:00 - 18:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Memorial Library
Want to learn how to make your money go further? The first step is to ensure that you’re not spending everything you earn and that you’re earning as much as you should. In these back-to-back workshops, a representative from Regions Bank will first review personal budgeting before The W’s own Ali Glasgow covers salary negotiation. This event is the first in a two-part series on financial literacy co-sponsored by the Women’s College and the Career Services and Professional Development Center.

Women's Health & Entrepreneurship with Amy Bogue
2025-11-05 16:00 - 17:00 | GPG Multi-Purpose Room – MUW Library
Amy Bogue is president and founder of Allegro Family Clinics, which recently expanded its services to include obstetrics and gynecology. Named one of the top 50 CEOs in MS, Bogue has also launched a hub of resources at Allegro to help combat human trafficking. Part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. All are welcome.

Feminist Book Club Session #3
2025-11-19 16:00 - 17:00 | Friendly City Books, 501 5th St N, Columbus, MS, United States
At the club’s last fall session, members will discuss Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. Lessa Harvey, an 1884 Fellow in the Women’s College, created this feminist book club after working at Friendly City Books as a Nancy Yates Community Engagement Fellow in the summer of 2025.

Art History in the Making: Three Southern Women Artists
2026-02-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail Gunter Multi-Purpose Room
Sheryl Jefferies, independent scholar and oral historian, will speak about three contemporary southern women artists, including MUW alum and Columbus native Elayne Goodman. Sheryl is a contributing author for Beyond Discards: Junk Appropriation in Global Art and editor and producer of a podcast. This event is part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. The theme for the Spring 2026 colloquium series is “Women and the Arts,” which honors the Women’s College’s inaugural study away trip to New York City with The W’s Art Department.

1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey's Feminist Book Club: Session 1
2026-02-25 16:00 - 17:00 | GPG Multi-Purpose Room – MUW Library
But what about men? The spring sessions of 1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey’s Feminist Book Club begin with Caitlin Moran’s examination of masculinity in What About Men? Join the book club for a conversation about the ways contemporary culture influences masculinity. 1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey started this book club as part of her Nancy Yates Community Engagement internship.

Special Performance by Julia Mortyakova
2026-03-04 16:00 - 17:00 | Fant Memorial Library, 1100 College St, Columbus, MS, United States
Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at The W, Julia Mortyakova will discuss how she founded the International Music by Women Festival. She will also perform songs by a female composer. This event is part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. The theme for the Spring 2026 colloquium series is “Women and the Arts,” which honors the Women’s College’s inaugural study away trip to New York City with The W’s Art Department.

Three Years in the Life of Fannie Lou Hamer: An American Catalyst for Change
2026-03-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Library
Dr. J. Janice Coleman, a quilter, storyteller, and professor of English at Alcorn State University, will be speaking about and displaying her collection of quilts, cotton sacks, and pillows inspired by the life of Fannie Lou Hamer. One quilt she will be displaying features a life-sized image of Mrs. Hamer. To view some of Dr. Coleman’s works, visit her online museum, the Mississippi Delta Shotgun Sewn Arts Museum at https://mdssam.omeka.net. This event is part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. The theme for the Spring 2026 colloquium series is “Women and the Arts” and honors the Women’s College’s inaugural study away trip to New York City with The W’s Art Department.

Martha Swain Lecture: Reclaiming Women's Power in the American Revolution
2026-03-19 18:00 - 19:15 | Nissan Auditorium – Parkinson Hall
Join the Women’s Center for Research & Public Policy and the Ina E. Gordy Honors College for the 2026 Martha Swain Lecture. Dr. Jacqueline Beatty, Associate Professor of History at York College of Pennsylvania, will present “Reclaiming Women’s Power in the American Revolution,” based on research for her book, In Dependence, which explores women’s petitions for reprieve, economic support, divorce, and manumission over 70 years stretching before and after the Revolution. In cases from Boston, Charleston, and Philadelphia, she argues that women increasingly asserted rights claims, though they did so largely within the framework of an apolitical and dependent femininity. The Martha Swain Speaker Series brings a distinguished person to campus each March to address issues important to women’s interests, lives, and experiences. This year’s lecture is also part of the America 250 calendar of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The series is funded with a gift made in honor of Dr. Martha Swain, a scholar of Southern women’s history.

Meet the Author: Elise Smith
2026-03-24 12:30 - 14:00 | Gail P. Gunter Multi-Purpose Room
Meet Art Historian and Author Elise Smith, who will discuss her book Southern Women, Southern Landscapes: Cultural Reflections on the Garden, 1870-1970. All are welcome to attend, but lunch will be provided to the first 20 attendees.

Women’s History Trivia Night
2026-03-24 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Munson Brothers Trading Post, 301 S 2nd Ave, Columbus, MS, United States
Celebrate Women’s History Month with a fun, fast-paced Trivia Night hosted by the Women’s College in collaboration with Munson Brothers Trading Post! Test your knowledge of trailblazing women, landmark movements, pop culture icons, and lesser-known stories that shaped history. Grab a delicious slice of Munson Bro. pizza while you’re at it!

1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey's Feminist Book Club: Session 2
2026-03-25 16:00 - 17:00 | Friendly City Books, 501 5th St N, Columbus, MS, United States
Octavia Butler’s dystopian Parable of the Sower is the feminist book club’s next spring read. Whether you are new to speculative fiction or a long-standing fan, join this discussion of Butler’s prescient novel. 1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey began this book club as part of her Nancy Yates Community Engagement internship.

Making Money Moves: Women, Wealth, and Risk-Taking with Andrew Luccasen
2026-04-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Memorial Library
Want to learn how to make your money go further? Join Andrew Luccasen, Professor of Economics and Finance and advisor of The W’s TVA Investment Club, for a discussion of Invest Like a Girl, a new book from Jessica Spangler. Dr. Spangler’s guide is designed to provide “the essential information and … the game plans that women need to begin investing right away and according to their unique financial profiles.” This event is the second in a two-part series on financial literacy co-sponsored by the Women’s College and the Career Services and Professional Development Center.

Eudora Welty's Birthday
2026-04-13 00:00 - 23:30, 2027-04-12 00:00 - 23:30, 2028-04-10 00:00 - 23:30 | The W Campus, 1100 College St, Columbus, MS, United States
The W celebrates the birthday of our most famous alumna, Eudora Welty, born this day in 1909.

1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey's Feminist Book Club: Session 3
2026-04-22 16:00 - 17:00 | Friendly City Books, 501 5th St N, Columbus, MS, United States
The feminist book club’s final book pick of the spring is an introduction to contemporary feminism for the Instagram age. Florence Given’s Women Don’t Owe You Pretty points out the narratives that keep women from embracing their own power. 1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey started this book club as part of her Nancy Yates Community Engagement internship.
