Women's History Month Events Set at Penn College

An emerging singer-songwriter who's been embraced by folk and pop critics alike, a stage hypnotist who's prospered in a field heretofore dominated by men and a therapist who weaves humor into her wellness lectures are the headliners for the Women's History Month events scheduled at Pennsylvania College of Technology in March.

The programs, coordinated by the College's Student Activities Office, begin Tuesday, March 21, at 8 p.m., when recording artist Beth Wood will perform at the Coffeehouse in the Bush Campus Center.

Wood, who grew up in Lubbock, Texas, is classically trained in piano, violin, harp and voice. She studied voice at Brevard College in North Carolina and acquired her first guitar while at the University of Texas, where she earned a degree in literature.

In 1996, when she was just a year and a half out of college, she self-produced her debut recording, Wood Work. Wood's second compact-disc release, New Blood, was issued in 1998. A third CD, Late Night Radio, was released in October.

Touring around the country, Wood has played with such artists as Shawn Colvin, David Crosby, John Gorka and Steve Winwood. Her song, Geometry, from the Wood Work CD, was featured on Fox Television's popular drama, Party of Five.

Wood, who has played a variety of club, festival and college dates, describes herself as "basically a rock 'n' roll person who reserves the right to be a folkie."

On Friday, March 24, at 9 p.m., Samantha "Sami" Dare will take the stage at Penn's Inn at the Campus Center and delight the audience with her hilarious hypnosis show. Audience participants may wind up demonstrating their skills in racecar driving, hula dancing or even eating giant ice cream cones.

But Dare explains hypnosis is a "cooperative experience" and says subjects "won't do anything they wouldn't do in their everyday life." She is a favorite on the college circuit and has thrilled audiences in comedy clubs from North Dakota to Texas.

The daughter of two Lutheran ministers, Dare became an elementary school teacher after graduating from Gustavus Adolphus College in her native Minnesota. But a career change beckoned in 1989, when she apprenticed with an internationally known stage hypnotist. Dare, who calls Minneapolis home, now travels extensively, bringing the entertaining aspects of hypnosis to audiences nationwide.

On Tuesday, March 28, at 8 p.m., Robin K. Blake, also known as "Doc Robin," will appear at Penn's Inn in the Campus Center and present "Living in Love with Yourself," a humorous, upbeat and interactive lecture that has made her a favorite with college audiences.

The lecture will demonstrate how self-esteem plays a pivotal role in determining whether individuals become introverts or extroverts, passive or aggressive. Doc Robin will explain how people can change the circumstances that affect and control their lives.

A certified therapist who is a full member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists, Doc Robin has been in private practice since 1983 as president of the Innerglow Self-Discovery Wellness Center. She's renowned for her humorous approach to seminars dealing with relationships, disabilities, addictions, weight loss and other behavior modification.

She also produces an array of self-meditative/relaxation tapes and self-help booklets on subjects such as chemical dependency, compulsive personalities, pre- and post-natal care, self-esteem, insomnia, stress management, pain reduction, sports enhancement, weight loss and smoking cessation. She is also known for her work with disabled and terminally ill patients.