We Never Leave Home

Join us for a virtual speaker series like no other. Encompassing more than five disciplines, each speaker will present on a topic related to Crossroads: Change in Rural America. Sponsored by Hafer.

I grew up in the 1950s on a southern Indiana farm. As an avid young reader, my formative imagination transformed exotic story locations into relatable revisions. Oceans became the Ohio River. Deserts became grazing pasture. Weather was tornado-green, dry-leaf brown, overcast grey, or blinding-sunshine yellow. Birds were noisy starlings, the bright flash of cardinals, the rapid swoop of hawks. Forty acres held the wide world’s equivalence–in translation. Midwestern life informed everything I read and observed, ultimately shaping my internal map of self. Regardless of external influences and changes, that influence remains an immutable ‘place’ inside

For almost a quarter-century, Leisa has taught in the English Department of the University of Southern Indiana and the topic of geographical influence on both readers and writers has been a staple of her instruction. She holds degrees in literature and creative wiring and currently serves as Associate Editor of the Southern Indiana Review and has published and presented professionally her own work in genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Southern Indiana has been her home her entire life and its impact remains unchanged. She is a product of here, now and always.

Please register in advance for this program. To do so visit usi.edu/crossroadsspeakers. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.