Terry Teachout presents
Kansas City, Mo. – Instructor Carolyn Benton Cockefair believed that everyone — not just traditional college-age students — should continue learning. In honor of this sentiment, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is hosting its 45th annual Carolyn Benton Cockefair Continuing Education Series.
Terry Teachout — a critic, biographer and blogger — will present “Does American Culture Have a Future?” at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3 at the University Center’s Pierson Auditorium, 5000 Rockhill Rd.
Teachout is the Wall Street Journal’s drama critic, Commentary’s critic-at-large and author of “Sightings,” a biweekly Journal column about the arts in America. In addition, he writes about the arts for National Review and on his blog, About Last Night.
Teachout is the author of “Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong,” “All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine,” “A Terry Teachout Reader” and “Satchmo at the Waldorf,” a one-man play about the life of Louis Armstrong. He is writing “Mood Indigo: A Life of Duke Ellington,” a biography that will be published in 2014 by Gotham Books.
Born in Cape Girardeau, Mo., in 1956, Teachout lived in the Kansas City area from 1975 to 1983, working as a jazz bassist, writing about music for the Kansas City Star and studying at William Jewell College. He lives with his wife, Hilary, in New York and Connecticut.
The Series, formed in 1966 by Cockefair’s former students, has brought such intellectuals as Tess Gallagher, James Michener, Jeane Kirkpatrick, John Updike and Tom Wolfe to Kansas City. Its purpose is to continue what Cockefair started when she first came to the then University of Kansas City in 1947.
Throughout her 17 years at the University, Cockefair drew a following from students and non-credited students who were attracted to her Socratic style of teaching and her ability to link history to current events.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.