PLYMOUTH – Dust off your chain mail, strap on your gauntlets, sharpen your broad sword and brush up on your ‘ye’s and ‘thou’s, the spirit of the middle ages is descending on Plymouth State University.
The 27th annual medieval and renaissance forum will be held on Friday April 28th and Saturday the 29th here at PSU. Round’s hall is the central point for this history filled event. Rounds will be decorated with medieval coats of arms, be host of intellectual lectures, and play storefront to a host of vendors on the first floor.
The theme for this year, “Friends, Foes, and Lovers” is colorfully introduced on the forums website: “Love and hate, fascination and revulsion, romantic ideals and earthy realities coexisted easily in the Medieval and Renaissance world, where lives could be hard or luxurious, and wars could be ended by bloodshed or marriage between enemies.”
The faces behind this forum are the Director of the medieval forum Dr. Naomi Kline, and the associate director Prof. Matt Rolph.
Being one of the longest running medieval forums in the country, the Forum here at PSU draws medieval enthusiasts and scholars from all over the country.
Specialists and authorities on medieval history come together to speak on a wide range of topics. Some of the topics to be discussed this year include: Arthurian Romance, Chaucer, art history, the French and Hispanic perspective, women in medieval history, and many more.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Debra Higgs Strickland from the center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. Dr. Higgs Strickland holds a Ph.D. in art history and a M.A. in Anthropology. She also has produced many publications during her career and has instructed at numerous universities in the US. All lectures are open to students.
In addition to scholarly discussion there will be luncheons, dinners, a Celtic Art workshop, and Celtic and Period music provided by Jodee James and Seven Times Salt, respectively.
During the course of the forum there will be various ‘Medievaly’ themed activities that are not only open to all students free of charge, but also to any member of the public who wishes to join in the fun.
The second day of the forum will conclude with a Medieval Feast, which encourages costumes and includes a cocktail hour.The Medieval forum depends on the hard work of many PSU students. Diane Blaisdell, a fifth year English major, is part of the Medieval society here on campus and has helped set up the Forum for the last four years.
“I’ve been helping out with Medieval Forum for the past four years and it’s been getting better every year.” Says Blaisdell. “Every year we dress up and shine our chain mail and get together with professors and fellow students from all over the country for a weekend of learning and fun.”
Students in the Medieval studies program have a very active and important role for the event. They help by decorating Rounds hall with banners and coats of arms as well as making sure the rooms are set up for our presenters.
Then members lead the procession Friday morning for the opening ceremony which traditionally includes a welcoming address to visitors, a reading from Chaucer by English Professor Robin Bowers and everyone’s favorite song Gaudeamus Igitur (in Latin).”
Blasdell says that she is looking forward to the human chess match, which will be held on the Alumni green in front of the HUB at 3 pm on Friday. Everyone is urged to come be somebody else’s pawn, or to just watch the checkerboard-ed carnage from the sidelines. For more information and a schedule of the lectures taking place, please visit http://www.plymouth.edu/medieval/forum.htm