Rhondda Thomas, University of Maryland, will discuss "Beyond Moses, the Israelites and the Promised Land: Remapping Exodus in the African American Literary Tradition," Wednesday, April 26, 2006, at 3 p.m. in Hamilton Smith 101.

Thomas is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English at the University of Maryland. Her dissertation, "Exodus: Literary Migrations of Afro-Atlantic Authors, 1760-1903," is a study of the influence of Exodus and Exodus-inspired narratives on African American emigration movements and on the image of the African American writers and organizers as Mosaic leaders in the nineteenth century.

She has written biographical articles on a number of African American figures, and she has presented papers at several conferences. Thomas received a bachelor's in journalism from Columbia Union College, a master's in journalism from the University of Georgia, and a master's in English from the University of New Hampshire. She has received several awards for teaching and fellowships for research, and she was the 2005 Tribute to Women of Color Recipient of the African Student Union, University of Maryland. Conversation and refreshments will follow her presentation.