Northern Michigan University’s Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center will host a free presentation titled “Growing up in Communism." Two NMU faculty members who were raised in that system in different countries will share their experiences and perspectives. The talk begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the seminar room of the Beaumier Center in Gries Hall. It is being held in conjunction with the "Cold War and the U.P." exhibition, which will be open for viewing that evening.

English professors Marek Haltof, who grew up in Poland, and Z.Z. Lehmberg, who grew up in China, will be the presenters.

Haltof joined the faculty of NMU in 2001. He has published several books in English and Polish on the cultural histories of Central European and Australian film. His recent books include Screening Auschwitz: Wanda Jakubowska's The Last Stage and the Politics of Commemoration, Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema, Polish Film and the Holocaust: Politics and Memory, The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski: Variations on Destiny and Chance and Polish National Cinema.

Lehmberg is a native of Guangzhou, China, where she began her teaching career as a middle school English teacher at the age of 17. She came to the U.S. to pursue higher education when she was 20. She is involved in NMU’s internationalization efforts, helping connect the university and Chinese educational institutions.

Admission to the Cold War and the U.P. exhibit is free. Regular Beaumier Center hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 227-3212.