May is indeed a merry month, with music, dance and theatrical performances, an art exhibition and thought-provoking lectures taking place at Connecticut College. The following events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted:

· May 1: “The Power of the Word: The Qur'an between Poetry and Politics,” a talk by Navid Kermani, 4:30 p.m., Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room in Shain Library. Kermani, a writer, is one of Germany's most prominent authors and specialists on Islam. For more information, contact Diane Monte at diane.monte@conncoll.edu.

· May 1: Dance Installations, 6 p.m., various locations in the College Center at Crozier-Williams. Three students in the Dance Department’s “Media in Performance” course will debut their class projects, including interactive and performance pieces. For more information, contact the Department of Dance at 860-439-2830.

· May 1: “Food Justice for a Small Planet,” a lecture by Frances Moore Lappé, 7 p.m., 1941 Room of College Center at Crozier-Williams. Lappé started a seismic shift in the sociopolitical aspects of food production and consumption with the publication of her 1971 book “Diet for a Small Planet.” Her talk will focus on food justice at both the local and global levels and the environmental impacts of our food choices. She will sign copies of her books, including anniversary editions of “Diet for a Small Planet” and her latest, “EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think to Create the World We Want.” Both will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, contact Keleigh Baretincic in the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment at 860-439-5417.

· May 1: Connecticut College Orchestra Spring Concert, 7 p.m., Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center. Featuring Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the winner of the College’s annual Concerto Competition, Emily Verschoor-Kirss ’15, soprano saxophone. Directed by Mark Seto, assistant professor of music. Tickets are $5 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors, and free to Connecticut College students, staff and faculty. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

· May 1: “May Day Teach-In: Social Justice Activism from Haymarket to Kent State and Jackson State to the Present,” 7 p.m., Hood Dining Room in Blaustein Humanities Center. On the anniversaries of both the Haymarket Affair and the shootings at Kent State, Mike Alewitz and others will discuss these historic events and their relevance to student activism on and beyond campus. Alewitz was a student leader at Kent State and an eyewitness to the massacre, as well as a leader of the national student strike that followed. For more information, contact Lauren Anderson, assistant professor of education, at landers8@conncoll.edu.

· May 1-2: “Seminar,” a Theater Department Senior Capstone Project, 7:30 p.m., Tansill Theater in Hillyer Hall. Theater major Scott Pulvirent ’14 directs “Seminar,” written by Broadway veteran Theresa Rebeck. The play follows four writers who take a writing seminar taught by a man with methods to his madness. For more information, contact the Theater Department at 860-439-2605.

· May 2-18: 2014 Senior Art Major Exhibition, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Cummings Arts Center Galleries. Nineteen students incorporated a diverse range of concepts and materials into works that reflect the culmination of studies in their major. Sculpture, photography, drawing, printmaking, painting and new media reflect themes of identity, beauty and community. The student artists will be on hand to discuss their work at the opening reception on Friday, May 2, from 5-7 p.m. The art major achievement, merit and purchase awards will be presented that evening at 6 p.m. For more information, contact the Art Department at 860-439-2740.

· May 2: Senior Recital with Anastasia Elliott ’14, 4 p.m., Harkness Chapel. Elliott will perform works by Bach, Chopin, Debussy and others on piano, harpsichord and organ. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

· May 2: Junior Recital with Emily Verschoor-Kirss ’15, 7 p.m., Fortune Hall, Cummings Arts Center. Verschoor-Kirss will perform solo and chamber works by Villa-Lobos, Hindemith and others on saxophone. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

· May 2: “Latino Poetry: From the Streets of El Salvador to Housing Projects and to the Halls of Academia,” a presentation by Jose B. Gonzalez, 4:30 p.m., Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library. Gonzalez is professor of English at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a renowned poet. His presentation will include pieces from his upcoming poetry collection, “Toys Made of Rock.” This event is part of the Latin@ Studies Speaker Series. For more information, contact Ana Campos-Holland at 860-439-2006.

· May 6: Percussion and New Music Concert, 7 p.m., Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center. Music by Varèse, Riley and other composers will be performed by students, faculty and guest musicians. Directed by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Peter Jarvis. Tickets are $5 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors, and free to Connecticut College students, staff and faculty. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

· May 7: Charles Shackford Memorial Student Composers Concert, 7 p.m., Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center. Premiering electronic and acoustic compositions by students of Arthur Kreiger, the Sylvia Pasternack Marx Professor of Music, and featuring student and faculty performers. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

· May 18: Connecticut College’s 96th Commencement, 11 a.m., Tempel Green, processional begins at 10:35 a.m. Legal scholar and author Noah Feldman will deliver the keynote address.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college’s 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.