The Spring 2012 President’s Peace Commission will examine the many facets of the concept of equality, including financial, political, social and religious, in a program titled 99%: The Struggle for Democratic Equality. A highlight will be the presentation of the Art of Peace Award to Bryce Milligan, the award-winning author of five books of poetry, three young adult novels, three children’s books, and more than 2,000 essays and reviews.

The multi-day program runs Tuesday, March 27 through Thursday, March 29. The Art of Peace Award will be presented Wednesday, March 28 at 1:45 p.m. at the Java City Amphitheater.

The Art of Peace Award is given annually to an artist in any medium whose life work has promoted peace, justice and understanding. Milligan is the publisher and editor of Wings Press, which has published more than 140 titles including children’s books, novels, poetry, literary criticism, history and linguistics. Nearly half of his writers are Latinas and almost 70 percent are multi-ethnic. His authors include many unknown, first-book poets, and also a poet laureate of the United States, Donald Hall.

In 1985, Milligan co-founded with Sandra Cisneros the Annual Texas Small Press Bookfair, which evolved into the San Antonio Inter-American Book Fair. He also founded and co-directed with St. Mary’s Professor Gwendolyn Diaz, Ph.D., the Hijas del Quinto Sol: Studies in Latina Literature and Identity Conference. This conference continues today as Las Americas Letters.

The President’s Peace Commission was established in 1984 with a mission to raise awareness in the St. Mary’s and San Antonio communities about issues of peace and justice. The Commission develops and hosts multi-day programs each fall and spring semester for students, faculty, staff and the San Antonio community.

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