The University of West Georgia’s Culture Lab will host a variety of discussions from one of its most popular event collections this spring, the Other Night School. Offering intelligence and complimentary wine, the Other Night School is a dynamic, community-based lecture series featuring the very best artists and scholars from the arts, humanities and sciences, speaking about the topics that interest them most.
“True to the etymology of the word, a university is a place that contains ‘the universe,’ that attempts to participate in the world of ideas from as many angles as possible,” said Dr. Chad Davidson, executive director of global engagements and cultural programming, about the series. “We see our role as twofold in that process: one, to provide opportunities for community members to partake in that world of ideas; and two, to enhance the university’s offerings through strategic partnerships with donors and businesses in the area, who are first attracted to the university through our programming.”
Davidson said that a typical Other Night School lecture should be aimed at a curious, intelligent but general audience, and that speakers calibrate their talks in that way.
“We say – somewhat jokingly – that our lectures are part TED talk and part stand-up comedy,” he concluded. “That is, they are smart, choreographed lectures on a myriad of topics of interest to the general public, but they also strive to be entertaining.”
The Other Night School is made possible through the generosity of the Hollis Trust of Newnan, Georgia, as well as Milestone Investment Management, LLC, in Carrollton, Georgia. Davidson extended special thanks to UWG’s partners at the Carrollton Center for the Arts and UWG Newnan.
If you are interested in any of the following events, please register online.
The Most Dangerous Sewer and the Greatest Site for a Sports Stadium: An Atlanta Story
Tuesday, Feb. 4
UWG Newnan
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Dr. Andy Walter, professor of geography, UWG
All cities build infrastructures to manage flows: of people, money, wastewater, electricity, information, and more. As this story of Atlanta’s southside neighborhoods reveals, what sounds like a mundane fact of cities is an ongoing real-life drama featuring power plays, secretive plotting, gross injustice, heroic underdogs, and existential questions.
Miked Up Vol. II: Mattison on the Blues
Tuesday, Feb. 11
Carrollton Center for the Arts
7 p.m.: prepurchase tickets
Join us as we welcome back Mike Mattison, two-time Grammy Award-winner and member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, for the next installment of our blues masterclass. Mike will go under the hood of well-known blues songs to reveal how the genre works and where it has left its most striking imprint. As always, the event is 50% concert, 50% seminar and 100% entertainment.
Tickets must be prepurchased. Main event is $20; Main event with afterparty and private concert is $70. All proceeds go to support UWG student scholarships.
Method and Madness on Stage and Screen
Tuesday, Feb. 18
UWG Newnan
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Dr. Pauline Gagnon, professor of theatre, UWG
What exactly is “method acting”? Do actors really go beyond the edges of madness just to create characters? What is the false narrative of this seemingly American type of instruction, and what does that have to do with a bunch of performers from Moscow? Come and learn more about just how hard it is to make performance look easy.
Down the Rabbit Hole: The Appeal of Conspiracy Theories
Tuesday, Feb. 25
UWG Carrollton, Adamson Hall
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Dr. Jenna Morris Harte, assistant professor of general education, UWG
We might wonder what secrets lurk behind UFO and bigfoot sightings. In fact, most of us likely believe in some aspects of at least one conspiracy theory, and maybe a bit of healthy skepticism helps keep systems of power in check. When, though, does curiosity tip into paranoia? Join us to find out.
Napolean, in His Time and Ours
Tuesday, March 4
UWG Newnan
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Dr. Charles Lipp, assistant professor of history, UWG
The man in that hat and big coat, with his hand jabbed between the buttons, remains instantly recognizable, while so many of his counterparts and rivals have been relegated to obscurity. But how did Napoleon build such a lasting image? Why does he still resonate? Join us as we get into the long – and the short – of it all.
An Evening with Yxta Maya Murray, Winner of the 2025 Blackwell Prize in Writing
Tuesday, March 11
UWG Newnan
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Wednesday, March 12
UWG Carrollton, Adamson Hall
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Please join us for a reading by Latina author Yxta Maya Murray, author of nine novels and numerous other works of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. An award-winning writer who combines stylistic ingenuity and profound social awareness, Murray also serves as professor of law at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Michael & Andrea Stone Visiting Artist Series: Italian Poet and Translator Pietro Federico
Tuesday, April 1
UWG Carrollton, Adamson Hall
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Join us in welcoming to campus Rome-based poet and translator Pietro Federico, whose latest collection, “Most of the Stars,” comprises 50 poems, one for each state of our union. UWG professor of creative writing Greg Fraser and Emory University lecturer of Italian Angela Porcarelli will interview Federico on his complicated relationship with the U.S. and why he still finds in it fertile imaginative terrain.
(Mis)Adventures in the English Language
Tuesday, April 8
UWG Newnan
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
Drs. David Newton and Chad Davidson, professors of English, UWG
“England and America,” George Bernard Shaw once declared, “are two countries separated by the same language.” Despite his sense of humor (or is it humour?), real differences exist and, indeed, persist. Join us as we differentiate our common tongue and attempt to define, if possible, what makes American English distinctly American.
Sewell Lecture Series: UWG Alumnus and Journalist Matthew O’Brien
Tuesday, April 15
UWG Carrollton, Adamson Hall
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. talk: register
The UWG Culture Lab is proud to welcome to campus history alumnus Matthew O’Brien ’95, whose treatment of the homeless communities living in the storm drains under Las Vegas has captivated audiences. In conversation with UWG professor of political science Sal Peralta and professor of creative writing Alison Umminger, O’Brien will discuss his journey from Carrollton to Vegas and ultimately to El Salvador, where he works as an educator and editor.
An Evening with Artina McCain, Winner of the 2025 Blackwell Prize in Music
Tuesday, April 22
UWG Newnan
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. performance: register
Sunday, April 27
UWG Carrollton, Humanities Building Atrium
6 p.m. reception/6:30 p.m. performance: register
Please join us for an intimate performance by Artina McCain, winner of the inaugural Blackwell Prize in Music. The New York Times has called her a “virtuoso pianist,” and she has performed at Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre in London, Weill Hall at Carnegie, Merkin Hall in New York City and many more.
