Free tickets available for ‘Native Voices’

Free tickets for a stage production planned as part of Saturday’s Bert Nash Building a Better Community Summit remain available.

Free tickets can be obtained by calling Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center at 843-9192 or Haskell Indian Nations University; otherwise, the tickets can be bought from Kansas University’s Lied Center.

This year’s third-annual summit, “Bridging Cultures: The Native American Experience,” will feature speakers and a stage production based on interviews conducted in Lawrence with American Indians. The production, “Native Voices — Secret History,” was written by award-winning playwright, Ping Chong.

The summit, which is Saturday, begins with speakers Luci Tapahonso and Iris Heavyrunner at 4:30 p.m. That part of the summit is open to the public. Attending the Ping Chong performance requires a ticket, and it begins at 7:30 p.m. It will be followed by a panel discussion, which is open to the public.

Kansas University

‘West Wing’ producer will visit Dole Institute

A producer and writer on the NBC television show “The West Wing” will speak at the Dole Institute of Politics next month.

Eli Attie, who has been with the show four seasons, will speak at 6:30 p.m. May 4 in the institute’s Hansen Hall. Free reservations can be made beginning today by calling 864-4900 or by e-mailing doleinstitute@ku.edu.

Attie previously worked in professional politics as senior communications adviser and chief speech writer to Vice President Al Gore from 1997 to 2000, as special assistant to President Clinton from 1996 to 1997, and as special assistant and chief speech writer to Dick Gephardt, House Democratic leader, from 1994 to 1996.

A question-and-answer session will follow the lecture, which was arranged by Steven Jacques, Dole Institute fellow who worked with Attie in the White House.