A specialist in ancient Greek literature and culture, especially Archaic Greek poetry and Herodotus, Leslie Kurke is Gladys Rehard Wood Chair and Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature. Her recent publications include Aesopic Conversations: Popular Tradition, Cultural Dialogue, and the Invention of Greek Prose (co-edited with Carol Dougherty) and The Cultures Within Ancient Greek Culture: Contact, Conflict, Collaboration. Professor Kurke is currently researching the aesthetics of choral song and dance in ancient Greece, as well as the religious, social, and political effects achieved by song and dance in performance.