A former special assistant to President Clinton who was named by The Advocate as one of its Ten People of The Year in 2005 will speak at Denison. Harvard Law School graduate Keith Boykin will speak on this year's theme "Dissonance and Harmony" at 11:30 a.m., on Thursday (Oct. 19), Slayter Auditorium. The lecture is sponsored by the McGregor Connections Initiative and is free and open to the public.

Boykin is host of the BET television show "My Two Cents," and has had three books on The New York Times bestseller lists; "Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America" (2005), "Respecting The Soul: Daily Reflections for Black Lesbians and Gays" (1999), and "One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America" (1996). Each of the three books has received a Lambda Literary award by the Lambda Literary Foundation. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School and a former board president of the National Black Justice Coalition.

Boykin also is an adjunct professor at American University (Washington, D.C.). He was appointed to the U.S presidential trade delegation to Zimbabwe in 1997. Boykin writes a column for Gay.com and is an associate producer of the new feature film "Dirty Laundry" (2006).

The McGregor Connections Initiative is a grant-sponsored program with the goal of spotlighting interdisciplinary connections by initiating and supporting collaborations, artists, speakers, and other events that fall under an annual theme. The program is funded by the McGregor Fund's Program for Private Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities grant, a three-year grant that Denison received in 2005.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- The McGregor Connections Initiative presents Keith Boykin to speak on this year's theme "Dissonance and Harmony"; 11.30 a.m., Thursday (Oct. 19), Slayter Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Call 740-587-6206 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575