KINGSTON, R.I., -- October 9, 2003 -- Just in time for Halloween, the University of Rhode Island's Feinstein Providence Campus will be teeming with vampire hobbyists and others seeking to learn more about the mystical intrigue during a lunchtime lecture.
On Oct. 30 at Noon, Fred Meli, a cultural historian, anthropologist and URI adjunct professor will discuss "The Fascination with New England Vampires and Their Graves: A Geographical Socio/cultural Phenomena" in the Paff auditorium at the Providence Campus on 80 Washington Street. The talk is free and open to the public.
During his lecture, Meli will explore the continuing fascination with vampirism in New England, and in Rhode Island specifically. He will explain the real stories behind the enchantment with vampires and their graves, discussing some of the people, places and mythic legends that are associated with this phenomenon.
Michael Bell, the author of Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires. (Carroll and Graf 2002) said about the upcoming lecture:"The fascination with the vampires, like the vampires themselves, is imperishable. I’m looking forward to [Meli’s] fresh and provocative interpretation of this ancient phenomenon that mysteriously found its way to New England more than two hundred years ago."
Meli studies the cultural reasons for the alleged vampirism in New England. His research has taken him to Romania (Transylvania) as well as to gravesites throughout New England.
The lecture is sponsored by The Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education Student Government Board and Student Services.
