In brief

Harvard Foundation to welcome Esmeralda Santiago

The Harvard Foundation will host a lecture by Esmeralda Santiago ’76, author of the memoirs “When I Was Puerto Rican” and “Almost a Woman,” and the novel “América’s Dream.” The lecture will take place April 10 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Harvard Hall (Room 104). A reception and book signing will be held in Ticknor Lounge from 5 to 6 p.m.

Co-sponsored by La Organización de Puertorriqueños en Harvard, the lecture is part of the foundation’s annual “Writers Series: Complexities of Color.” The program gives Harvard students an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with professional writers of distinction about the challenges and joys of writing on aspects of culture in literature. Past guest writers have included Jamaica Kincaide, Gish Jen, Arthur Ashe, and Alex Haley, to name a few.

HSPH releases recommendations on smoking in films

The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) recently released materials presented to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in a scientific briefing on the impact of youth smoking and the behavioral influence of films that depict tobacco use. The presentations (requested by the MPAA) were held in February in Los Angeles.

The presentations (accessible at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/mpaa/) lay the foundation for the recommendation of HSPH Dean Barry R. Bloom that the MPAA take “substantive and effective action to eliminate the depiction of tobacco smoking from films accessible to children and youths.”

“We appreciate that movies are expensive, complex, and demanding to make,” Bloom told the gathering. But actors smoking in movies, he said, “serve to make smoking socially acceptable to kids.” Bloom called on the MPAA to “take clear and effective action” to eliminate the depiction of tobacco use in films accessible to youths and for industry leadership to send a publicly accountable message to its members.

Free tour through ancient times

The Semitic Museum will sponsor a docent-led tour of its “Ancient Egypt: Magic and the Afterlife” and “Cyprus, the Cesnola Collection” exhibits on April 12 at 12:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

EALS accepting submissions

The East Asian Legal Studies (EALS) program of Harvard Law School (HLS) is accepting submissions of papers for the Yong K. Kim ’95 Memorial Prize. The prize is awarded to the author of the best paper concerning the law or legal history of the nations and peoples of East Asia or concerning issues of law as it pertains to U.S.-East Asian relations. The prize-winning author embodies Kim’s interest in and enthusiasm for fostering U.S.-East Asian understanding, plans a career that will further advance this, and has made contributions to EALS while a student.

The paper can be written in conjunction with a course, seminar, or independent study project at HLS. The prize includes a cash award and will be announced at Commencement. Two bound or stapled copies of the submitted work must be received at the EALS office (Pound Hall 426, Cambridge, MA, 02138) by May 4 and should include the student’s name, School, class level, e-mail address, and phone number.

Spring into health: Wellness classes now online

The Center for Wellness and Health Communication at Harvard University Health Services will offer several sessions and courses this spring ranging from yoga and Reiki to integrating feng shui in the workplace. For a listing of programs and to register, visit http://www.huhs.harvard.edu.