Invitation as Key Note Speaker for Charles University's Event Sponsored by the US State Department for Cultural Diplomacy

Dear Mr. Rounds – and To Whom It May Concern,

This letter is to serve as official invitation and confirmation that Mr. Carlton Rounds has been awarded a Small Grant for Democracy by the United States Department of State through its US Embassy to the Czech Republic to visit the Department of American Studies of Charles University in Prague to be a keynote speaker and trainer at the Allen Ginsberg Memorial Freedom Festival, to take place in Prague, the Czech Republic on April 29 through May 7, 2015.

Click Here for Information on the Historic Visit of Allen Ginsberg to Prague 50 Years Ago

Mr. Rounds’ participation is key to the success of the Festival, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of out gay Beat poet and activist Allen Ginsberg’s 1965 visit to Prague, in then Communist Czechoslovakia. The Festival presents to Czech university students and faculty, the general public and activist audiences the history and current state of US artistic freedom of expression, democratic dissent, civil rights and LGBT and HIV/AIDS activism, and trains them in cross-cultural coalition building for social justice. Mr. Rounds’ extensive experience and strong record of leadership in these fields make him a highly desirable citizen diplomat for this cultural exchange program.

Mr. Rounds’ planned activities include:

1. Musical storytelling by Carlton Rounds, “The LGBT Performance Tradition in U.S. Culture”

2. Screening and discussion of the film The Normal Heart

3. Facilitated by Carlton Rounds, “Fighting against HIV/AIDS by Communicating and Building Trust across Cultures and Sexualities.” Discussion with anti-HIV/AIDS activists from Central Europe

4. Public discussion facilitated by Carlton Rounds, “Where Do We Go from Here? Shared Rights Struggles, Experiences, and Future Involvement”

5. Building relationships for collaboration with Czech activist organizations

Mr. Rounds’ participation being a cornerstone of the Festival, and having been awarded funding from the US Department of State for his involvement, we are hereby asking anyone whom it may concern to kindly assist in facilitating Mr. Rounds’ trip, including leave from work, travel arrangements, making contacts and networking, and all other aspects of preparation for his role as a keynote speaker and trainer in this exchange program.

Thank you for your assistance, yours faithfully,

Department of American Studies
Institute of International Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences
Charles University in Prague