The English Department faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students joined their colleagues from the Institute of Medieval Studies to host the second annual Helen Damico Memorial Lecture Series (36th Spring Lecture Series), Re-Envisioning the Middle Ages on campus at George Pearl Hall.
The series kicked off on Sunday, April 24th with Department Chair, Anita Obermeier’s biannual medieval banquet. Each semester, Dr. Obermeier treats students, faculty, staff, and alumni to a feast fit for King Richard II of England by fixing historical medieval recipes from To the King’s Taste: Richard II’s Book of Feasts and Recipes Adapted for Modern Cooking by Lorna J. Sass. Faculty, staff, students, and this year’s guest speakers began the series in medieval fashion: with much feasting and merrymaking. The speakers included Roland Betancourt from the University of California, Irvine; Frederick S. Paxton from Connecticut College; Matthew X. Vernon from the University of California, Davis; and Suzanne Conklin Akbari from the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University.
This year’s banquet featured a diverse menu; and Chef Obermeier was assisted by graduate students Jessie Bonafede, Lukus Malaney, and Ford Peay.
