ATLANTA -- Oglethorpe University presents Dialogue on the Death Penalty featuring Sister Helen Prejean November 16 through 17. As conference keynote speaker, Sister Helen will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University (4484 Peachtree Rd NE) on November 16.

Sister Helen, a 1999 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, is a Roman Catholic nun, educator and anti-death penalty activist and author. Her book Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States was nominated for a 1993 Pulitzer Prize and was made into an acclaimed movie starring Susan Sarandon. As the founder of "Survive," a victim's advocacy group in New Orleans, she continues to counsel inmates on death row and the families of murder victims. Her most recent book is The Death of Innocence: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.

Her lecture concludes with an audience Q&A and a book signing. General Admission is $7, $5 for students and seniors. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with an information fair in the lobby. The event is sponsored by Oglethorpe Women’s Network.

On November 17 Sister Helen will host a very special discussion with Atlanta-area high school students from 10:00 until 11:30 a.m. inside the Conant Performing Arts Center. This event is by invitation only and for conference attendees.

Dialogue on the Death Penalty sessions will begin November 17 at 1:00 p.m. and will include panels entitled “Moratorium in Georgia,” “Historical and Legal Perspectives on the Death Penalty,” “Arts and Activism,” “Seeking Justice” and “Youth Activism” and will feature noted Georgia attorneys, Oglethorpe University faculty, members of the Atlanta arts community, family members affected by the death penalty and student activist.

Following the conference Mike Farrell, Captain B.J. Hunnicutt from M*A*S*H and co-chair of Human Rights Watch California, joins Hector Aristizábal, director of the Los Angles Center for Theatre of the Oppressed, Del Hamilton and Faye Allen, founding artistic directors of 7 Stages and professional actors in this exciting staged reading of The Exonerated in Lupton Auditorium from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Registration for the conference is $25 and includes a wine and cheese reception and a ticket to a staged reading of The Exonerated. Visit www.oglethorpe.edu (keyword: dialogue) for more information on all conference events.