Playwright, poet Chin to keynote Oakton women's and gender studies conference

Noted LGBTQ+ activist, playwright and slam poet Staceyann Chin will deliver the keynote address "Intersect This! Poverty and Privilege Through the Lens of Gender and Sexuality," during the Women's and Gender Studies Conference at Oakton Community College next month.

The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the college's Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road.

Chin is best known as a co-writer and original performer in the Tony Award-winning "Russel Simmons Def Poetry Jam" on Broadway, for which she received a 2003 Drama Desk Award. She currently serves as the poet-in-residence at The Culture Project.

In 2009, Scribner published her memoir, "The Other Side of Paradise." Her work has also been featured in Essence, Jane, The New York Times, The South African Times and many other publications.

Advance registration for the conference is highly encouraged and can be found at www.oakton.edu/newsevents/events/WGS_conference19.php. General admission is $35, or $15 for non-Oakton students and free for Oakton students who register before March 3. For more information contact Lindsey Hewitt at lhewitt@oakton.edu.