Coya Paz, Assistant Professor in The Theatre School at DePaul University and social commentator on Vocalo.org 89.5, will be our guest speaker.
From “Pew Research Determines Love is Dying in America” by Doug Barry
A new infographic from Pew, the think tank that sounds like a baroness’s delicate sneeze, shows that fewer Americans believe in marriage and are trying to fill the emptiness in their hearts with expensive Valentine’s Day gifts and fancy, last-minute dinners. While about 39% of all Americans (and 44% of all those cynical, emotionally numb 18-29 year-olds) say that marriage is obsolete, that won’t stop them from spending $17.6 billion this year…Valentine’s Day dinners will run Americans about $3.4 billion, a shade less than their jewelry purchases ($3.5 billion), and way more than they’ll spend on flowers ($1.7 billion).
Questions for Consideration
If less Americans believe in marriage, does that mean love is becoming obsolete or just the institution? Should marriage be equated with love? Why or why not? How is love being redefined in America?
Want to learn more?
- One’s a Crowd
- #Occupyvday: Love, protest, movies and whiskey
- Reservation for 1
- What Makes Us Spend On Valentine’s Day?
- How to be alone (video)
- Occupy Valentine’s Day provides different way to celebrate Hallmark holiday
More about our guest speaker
Coya Paz is a poet, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before moving permanently to the United States in 1987. Coya is a proud co-founder of Proyecto Latina and the director in residence for the Poetry Performance Incubator at the Guild Complex. She cofounded Teatro Luna in 2000, and served as co-Artistic Director until 2009. Coya is currently working with Free Street Theatre as the Resident Ensemble Director. She is an Assistant Professor in The Theatre School at DePaul University, and holds a PhD in Performance Studies at Northwestern University. Coya is a regular commentator on race, media and pop culture for Vocalo.org (89.5) and has published several articles on Latina performance, Latina/o identities, and public violence. She has been a featured reader at dozens of poetry events including: Proyecto Latina, Paper Machete, Palabra Pura, and Revolving Door. Coya was named one of UR Magazine’s 30 Under 30 (when she was under 30!), a GO-NYC Magazine 100 Women We Love, and received a Trailblazer Award for her service to LGBTQ communities. Most recently, she has been awarded 3Arts Residency at Ragdale. Above all, she believes in the power of performance and poetry to build community towards social change.