Queens University of Charlotte issued the following announcement on Oct. 21.
"I've found that writing stories provides a way for people to walk in someone else’s shoes. This is how we can experience empathy. I can get people to feel something about another human’s experience that they might not have normally ever gone near," New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova told an audience of nearly 800 during a talk hosted by the Queens University of Charlotte Learning Society at the Sandra Levine Theatre at the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement this week.
Genova is the author of the novel Still Alice, about a Harvard University professor who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The book was adapted into a movie starring Julianne Moore. Genova's first work of nonfiction, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, published March 2021, is a fascinating exploration of the intricacies of how we remember, why we forget, and what we can do to protect our memories.
"Our brains have evolved to remember what is meaningful, emotional, surprising, new, and what we repeat, rehearse, or practice. But the truth is, most of our lives are spent doing routine, habitual, inconsequential things," Genova said.
The Harvard University-educated neuroscientist went on to detail "four kinds of everyday forgetting" and why they are totally normal. Her talk was met with laughter and applause as it was rooted in relatability.
Genova's extensively researched fiction focuses on people living with neurological diseases and disorders, people who tend to be ignored, feared, or misunderstood, portrayed within a narrative that is accessible to the general public. Through fiction, she is dedicated to describing with passion and accuracy the journeys of those affected by brain diseases and conditions, thereby educating, demystifying, destigmatizing, and inspiring support for care and scientific research. Genova has written novels about Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington's disease, and ALS.
"It is such an honor to have someone of Dr. Genova's stature and influence share her knowledge of the human brain and medical conditions like Alzheimer's in such layman's terms and so personably," said Rebecca Tanner, director of the Learning Society. "Her incredible experience, coupled with her ability to captivate an audience through storytelling, is exactly why we work so hard to bring diverse, compelling – and sometimes provocative – speakers to share their experience with Queens students and the greater Charlotte community. It’s also why, thanks to the commitment and generosity of our members, the Learning Society has thrived for more than three decades."
Since 1988, the Learning Society has hosted renowned thought leaders such as David Brinkley, Steve Forbes, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mary Matalin, Dan Rather, Janet Reno, Condoleezza Rice, Cokie Roberts, Charlie Rose, Lesley Stahl, George Stephanopoulos, and many others.
Beyond the podium, the semiannual series is magnified by weeks of student engagement and immersion in the speaker's topic and background. The on-campus student discussion before the evening program has become a signature student experience.
On April 22, the Learning Society presents "A Conversation with Mark Hyman," healthcare expert and best-selling author of "Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet - One Bite at a Time" moderated by restauranteur, author, and chef Carla Hall.
Original source can be found here.
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