Exploring the Case of Mayotte Capecia

Date: October 16, 2014
Contact: David Malone, 315 568-2991 ext. 3002

Seneca Falls, NY-In 1948 Paris, a young woman from the French Caribbean published the story of her life, became an instant celebrity, and then fell into oblivion. This is the story of Mayotte Capecia, who became known as a writer around the world.In a society and at a time when female respectability largely rested on marital status, how can a woman twice disenfranchised –as a teenager forced to leave school in order to make a living and as a woman abandoned by the fathers of her children -- become renowned in the world of literature?

On Thursday, October 23rd, Women's Rights National Historical Park and Hobart and William Smith Colleges will co-host Marie-Helene Koffi-Tessio, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies who will offer a lecture titled, "Hearing the Voice of the Subaltern: the Case of Mayotte Capécia."The program will be offered from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the park visitor center at 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY.

After the program, the public is invited to take a horrifying after dark guided tour of the park's new exhibit "It's Alive!It's ALIVE!" Women in the Genre of Science Fiction and Horror, from Frankenstein to The Hunger Games.Join the tour… if you dare.This tour is NOT for the faint of heart!

For more information, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/wori or call [phone]. All sites within Women's Rights National Historical Park are free and open to the public. Follow the park's social media sites for Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/womensrightsnps) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/WomensRightsNPS) to learn more about our upcoming programs.