The event is a collaborative effort between the Grammy Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and four distinguished universities. In addition to the University of Tulsa, Brooklyn College, the University of Southern California, and Pennsylvania State University will host events throughout the Guthrie centennial year. Each institution will highlight a particular phase of Guthrie’s life and enduring influence. The TU symposium will explore Woody Guthrie’s Oklahoma roots.

The Saturday symposium, with the deliberately ironic title of “Different Shades of Red,” will feature three panels, each with three speakers. The panels include “A Culture of Protest,” which examines the political and cultural environment that shaped Guthrie’s views; “Red Dirt Roots,” that considers Guthrie's musical influences; and “Echoes of Woody,” which focuses on the Guthrie's legacy as it pertains to Dust Bowl and Depression-Era Oklahoma.

Confirmed Speakers:
Worth Robert Miller (Missouri State University)
Jim Bissett (Elon University)
James Green (University of Massachusetts, Boston)
Guy Logsdon (Emeritus, University of Tulsa)
Thomas Conner (Chicago Sun-Times)
Hugh Foley (Rogers State University)
Wil Kaufman (University of Central Lancashire)
Mark Jackson (Middle Tennessee State University)
Jim Ronda (TU Emeritus)

With a Special Keynote Address by Jim Hightower
And a Concert at Tulsa's Historic Brady Theatre

For more information please contact: Brian Hosmer, (brian-hosmer@utulsa.edu), or Mark Dolph (mark-dolph@utulsa.edu)