LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2006) — Florida Southern College’s Center for Florida History welcomes Diane Roberts to the Florida Lecture Series on March 16.  Diane will discuss “Pioneer Mothers, Confederate Daughters, Citrus Princesses and Other Florida Wild Women” at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on the Florida Southern campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

An 8th generation Floridian and a specialist in Southern culture and literature, Roberts earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English at Florida State University, and a second bachelor’s degree in English and a doctor of philosophy degree in literature at Oxford University. Professor of English at the University of Alabama, Roberts is the author of several books including her most recent and highly acclaimed “Dream State: Eight Generations of Swamp Lawyers, Conquistadores, Confederate Daughters, Banana Republicans, and other Florida Wildlife” (New York, 2004).

“We are pleased to welcome Diane Roberts to help us celebrate Women’s History Month at Florida Southern,” noted James M. Denham, director of FSC’s Center for Florida History. “Her fast-paced, action-packed, humorous—even zany—depiction of the Sunshine State, all delivered through the lens of eight generations of her family, is an absolute delight!”

Roberts is the author of books on Southern womanhood and race, has written on Southern culture and literature for “Southern Living,” The New York Times, The London Times and “The New Republic,” and is a political columnist for The St. Petersburg Times. She is a frequent commentator on NPR and the BBC. Her awards include the Gustavus Meyer Center for the Study of Human Rights Award, two Associated Press awards for radio, and two Society of Newspaper Editors prizes for editorial writing and sports commentary. Roberts divides her time between Tuscaloosa, London and Tallahassee.

About the Florida Lecture Series 
The Florida Lecture Series is produced by the Center for Florida History under the direction of Dr. James M. Denham. The program brings speakers to the Lakeland campus who approach the issue of “Florida Life and Culture” from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community, faculty, and student body to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists of the state’s history and culture.
 
About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.