When & Where: Thursday, May 8, 2025, 6:30 pm

UCLA, Kaplan Hall 311 (third floor) 415 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Parking: The closest parking structure is Lot 2

RSVP: Please register HERE

About the Book and Event:

To survive totalitarianism and retain their humanity, Czech women writers went underground to write, paint, sculpt, and create supportive communities. This event discusses Women Artistic Dissidents: Repelling Totalitarianism in pre-1989 Czechoslovakia and pays tribute to creative women dissidents. It explores fiction, poetry, and life-sustaining activities of Eva Švankmajerová, “Mother of Czech Surrealism,” and Eda Kriseová, journalist, fiction writer, essayist, and activist who served in President Václav Havel’s first Cabinet, among other Czech women who wrote and engaged in dissent during the years when Czechoslovakia ached under Soviet rule. This event highlights and unearths the work of women that is often undervalued and unacknowledged. Flanagan and Waisserová explore a variety of ways in which women resisted through literature and ecological activities, shedding new light on the ways in which individuals and communities can retain their humanity even as they resist and repel dictatorial regimes in their countries.

Bionotes:

Dr. Hana Waisserová is an associate professor of practice of Czech and Central European Studies and an affiliate of the Harris Centre for Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She  studied at Spelman College, GA, earned Ph.D. in Anglophone transnational literature from Palacky University, CR, and Gender Graduate Certificate from TAMU, TX. She has published articles concerning South Asian and Central European women's transnational literature, women's totalitarian experiences, women dissidents and their activism, medieval Czech literature, and Czech-American culture in Nebraska. Prior to working in academia, she lived in India and traveled widely in Europe, Asia, and East Africa, where she worked as an outdoor guide and a publicist. With Flanagan,  co-authored a book, Women’s Artistic Dissent. Repelling Totalitarianism in Pre-1989 Czechoslovakia (Lexington Books, 2023).

Dr. Brenda Flanagan is a professor of creative writing, Caribbean and African-American literature. She has received numerous awards, including three Hopwood Awards, three NEH Fellowships, and a Michener Fellowship. A cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, she has traveled extensively, particularly in Central Asia and the Middle East, often as the first American writer sent to certain regions in decades. She fell in love with the Czech Republic, which she regularly visits for many years. She has become an honorary member of the Prague Surrealist group and formed strong friendships with Eva and Jan Svankmajer. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in various journals, and her published works include two novels, a short story collection, and a play. Recent activities include representing the U.S. at international book fairs and lecturing at universities globally. She co-authored a book,Women’s Artistic Dissent. Repelling Totalitarianism in Pre-1989 Czechoslovakia (Lexington Books, 2023)

Thank you:
The event is co-organized by the UCLA Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures, Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies, and UCLA Department of Comparative Literature. Special thanks to Igor Pilshchikov, Susan Kresin.