Speaker: Matt Hodge
Come discover the fascinating histories at the heart of these beloved magical words: “ONCE UPON A TIME...” Join us for an entertaining and enlightening conversation with Matthew Hodge, an award-winning author, professor, and arts scholar. Hodge’s presentation will have fun interactive audience participation components and will approach fairy tales from both a whimsical child-like imaginative perspective and adult historical/cultural perspectives of how fairy tales powerfully connect us to our ancestors and communities around the globe. From ancient folktales to classic Disney movies, Hodge will compare and contrast global interpretations of established fairy tale story structures to demonstrate how humans have evolved the same stories over centuries to reflect their unique cultures and regions (using numerous beloved stories as examples, such as Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood). Hodge will show, “We don’t just have a world of fairy tales to tell; we have fairy tales to tell us about our world.”
Matthew Hodge is an award-winning bestselling author, award-winning composer, theatre practitioner, and professor. He has worked with Oscar, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winners on projects including film, television, theatre, and publications. He has also published numerous books, volume chapters, and journal articles with over half a dozen international publishing companies. Additionally, he has ranked as a winner, finalist, and semifinalist in nearly a dozen international competitions and is a frequent judge for competitions at the regional, national, and international levels. He is currently a professor at William Peace University, where he teaches courses in the arts and humanities. He has earned B.A., M.A., and M.F.A. degrees. To learn more, visit his official website www.matthodge.com.
