Northern Brown Bag lecture on vampires set for Wednesday

Press release

Montana State University-Northern will kick off its fall 2023 Brown Bag Lecture Series with a presentation by Associate Professor of English Valerie Guyant, Ph.D.

The event will be held Wednesday, Oct. 25, from noon to 1 p.m. in Hensler Auditorium in the Applied Technology Center, and it is open to the public.

The presentation is titled "Vampires & Other Blood Drinkers: Take a Bite Out of Literary History Across Time and Cultures." If someone says the word vampire, most people have an image that pops into their heads. However, few know the history that has led to that image, or the differences between the vampire Americans tend to imagine and blood drinkers in other parts of the world.

People can come learn more about the history of the vampire and how it has changed over time and across cultures, from a brainless demon to a romantic hero at times. Guyant will discuss the ways in which the vampire has transformed from a myth to a creature that hunted the unsuspecting, from a hideous beast to a sparkling heartthrob, and how blood drinkers are presented in numerous cultures.

Guyant is an associate professor in her eighth year at MSU-Northern. She earned her Master of Arts in the Teaching of English, with an emphasis in Renaissance female authors from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and her PhD from Northern Illinois University, with a dissertation examining female sexuality in vampire literature. She has also earned graduate certificates in women's studies from Northern Illinois University and in Native American Studies from Montana State University in Bozeman. Her research has been published in a number of journals and collections, and her areas of focus include speculative fiction, adaptation, and popular media, such as film adaptations, fairy tales, and serial killers in popular culture.

Sack lunches are provided but limited, so attendees who would like lunch provided are encouraged to RSVP by Monday, Oct. 23, at https://www.msun.edu/otle/brownbag.aspx. This event is sponsored by the MSUN Office of the Provost.