Reading Matters, Vol. 13, Issue 2, Sept. 13, 2007

From (under) the Chair's Desk

The College held its annual event on Monday to welcome new faculty and celebrate promotions—welcome, again, to Steve Kuusisto and congratulations, again, to Matt Brown, John D’Agata, Loren Glass, and Priya Kumar—in the course of which Dean Maxson made her annual State of the College speech, while our new colleague in biology said a few words in her capacity as our new President. Maxson’s speech suggested that the state of the College was mostly pretty good, although with some concerns (with an eye to the honored guest), notably faculty numbers, with not enough faculty to pursue our mission, a need for new buildings, and the need for more travel funds. (The full speech is available here.) In her comments, President Mason certainly said all the right things, emphasizing the centrality of CLAS to the university’s mission, and leading off with the Writing University in her list of the important contributions that the College makes. And surely the English Department is a key component of the Writing University.

Since then, you will have seen that President Mason has named Lola Lopes as Interim Provost. Later in the same announcement, she also names Raul Curto and Michael O’Hara as co-chairs in a national search for a permanent replacement Provost. I’ve come to realize that decisions made by the Provost have a major impact on most aspects of our lives as faculty, while also directly controlling such special initiatives as giving new shape to the Writing University and providing funding for The Iowa Review. Watch this space for more details on Provosts, either interim or permanent.

And, in late-breaking news, the President has now made her recommendation to the Board of Regents on the issue of arming campus police. Despite this department’s respectful suggestion, she is recommending in favor of their carrying arms. The recommendation comes in a two-page letter shared with faculty senators and available here.

Away from the big picture, I hope everyone is feeling fully launched into this semester now that we are busy shaping next year’s curriculum (thanks to Bluford and Sharry for taking the lead on that). I’m making my first, rather desultory, attempt to use ICON, more as a bulletin board than for any of its fancy features. Apparently, even that much may be beyond me. I was puzzled by the blank look of the students when I mentioned the site in today’s class. The great thing about teaching a graduate course is that the students can always set you straight. Had I clicked the button to activate the course, a couple wondered, explaining that students couldn’t see the site until I did? What a counter-intuitive feature! But, sure enough, there is a box under Edit Course asking whether you want the site to be active. Of course I want the site to be active or I wouldn’t have put material there! What does this software expect, that I’ll actually read the instructions?! I share my embarrassing lapse, just in case any of you are fellow neophytes.

Meanwhile, I look forward to the intellectual exchange of the semester starting with Matt Brown presenting on “Undisciplined Reading” this Friday at 4 p.m. in the Gerber Lounge as the first in this year’s English Department faculty colloquium series. And I look forward to the onset of conviviality, greeting you all at the English Department fall reception this Saturday, 5:30 p.m. at 404 Linder Road.

Housekeeping Matters: The Zimansky Room

As an aid to forging and maintaining intellectual vitality and community within the department, I’m sure you have all noticed the new look of the Zimansky Room. Thanks to Gayle and all those involved in the redecoration. The idea of the lower and smaller bookcases is to make the room more friendly as usable space. Hence the displacement of the older bookcases to 331 EPB, which has been interestingly revitalized by the move, I think. There is now a question of what books should be kept in the Zimansky Room. I suggest that we gather in the north-facing bookcases a collection limited solely to books by currently active English faculty, while the south-facing bookcases contain another interesting collection of books by emeritus or associated faculty. That way I’m hoping that the bookcases can give a simple at-a-glance view of who we are as a publishing faculty while, in addition, making our own work available to each other. With that in mind, I’m envisaging those remaining open bookcases, with faculty feeling free to borrow each other’s books to read, taking them away for a few days if they choose.

Even that simple of a suggestion raises a surprising number of questions. First, I would like to place in those bookcases faculty books that colleagues have been kind enough to give to me as chair or that they gave to previous chairs who have been keeping them in the chair’s office. Please let me know if you would rather not have your book moved to the open Zimansky display. Second, I see that the result is a somewhat arbitrary collection and I wonder if any of you whose books are not now included there might be willing to make a copy available for the collection. Third, on the assumption that books are meant to be read, let me encourage you to borrow any book from the display that you would like to read. And, fourth, how should we signal that this is a somewhat open reception space, but one that is really intended for faculty and staff? The latest attempt is a sign reading “Reserved For Faculty and Staff.” But does this, perhaps, fail to capture the full essence of the caring sharing inclusive department we like to be if it’s the first thing you see on entering the department side of the third-floor corridor?

Any suggestions or responses to the Zimansky rearrangements gratefully and attentively received!

Publications, Presentations, and other Faculty Matters

David Dowling has two articles forthcoming: “’Parlors, Sofas, and Fine Cambrics’: Gender Play in Melville’s Narrations” in Leviathan: The Journal of Melville Studies and “Dreams Deferred: Ambition and the Mass Market in Melville and King” in The Journal of Popular Culture.TA Handbook Cover image

Michael Hill appears on the cover and inside of the new edition of the TA Handbook, put out by the UI Center for Teaching.

Stephen Kuusisto has co-authored an essay entitled “Auto-Graphein, or the Blind Man’s Pencil” with Professor Petra Kuppers of the University of Michigan. The essay (which contains a poem and lyric essay by Kuusisto) appears in the British online magazine Journal of Literary Disability. Stephen Kuusisto read recently at The Chautauqua Institute in New York. You can hear a radio interview on subjectivity and creative nonfiction here.

News Matters

The DI recently ran a story on the exhibition "From Monks to Masters: The Medieval Manuscript and the Early Printed Book," on display at the UI Museum of Art through Oct. 7.

News from John Keller (Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College):

The Graduate College is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Berkowitz, PhD, as the Associate Dean for Student Services and Administrative Affairs. Dan is a Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, where he has served on numerous graduate student committees and held the position of Associate Director of Graduate Studies and Research. His appointment in the Graduate School will start September 1, 2007. As part of his duties, Associate Dean Berkowitz will oversee graduate fellowships programs that help attract top graduate students to the University of Iowa’s 100+ graduate programs. He will also be the College’s liaison to the Graduate Student Senate, and will assist with a number of other administrative activities in the College.
We are delighted to have Dan join our College and I am sure that you will welcome him and enjoy working with him, as he assumes his new duties this fall.

Funding Matters

Information about two funding opportunities potentially of interest to English faculty are contained in this week’s DEO mailing. The CLAS Bond Fund provides seed money to support interdisciplinary interaction. Details are available here.

The Center for Ethnic Studies and the Arts is announcing a funded workshop opportunity for junior faculty. Details are available here.

Matters of Interest

Photo of Curt ZimanskyYou must have noticed the recent remodeling of the Zimansky Reading Room, but you may not know much about the man for whom the room is named: Curt A. Zimansky. John Gerber's The Teaching at the University of Iowa: Vol. 1, 1861-1961 fills us in (or reminds us, if we were lucky enough to have known or known about the man behind the reading room). Curt Zimansky arrived in Iowa City in 1937 and taught medieval, renaissance, and neo-classical literature courses until his death, at the age of 59, in 1973. He was intimately involved with the Philological Quarterly for twenty years, serving as its editor for eight. Gerber quotes an editor of a rival publication, who once noted, "Editors of scholarly journals can be divided into two groups: Curt Zimansky and all the others." Zimansky's research specialty was restoration drama, but he published and edited works on a wide range of subjects, from pedagogy to Hispanic Studies, from Thomas Rymer to Henry Fielding. A reviewer of a collection of essays that was published in his honor notes, "Curt A. Zimansky once described himself as belonging 'to the last generation of scholars not to have a specialty,'" and Gerber called him "a truly Renaissance man." It's fitting, then, that photos of this colleague and scholar with so many interests will hang over the collection of books authored by members of the department in 310 EPB.

Professor Zimansky's pursuits extended outside of the University, as Gerber notes: “While still an instructor, Zimansky was drafted in the spring of 1942. By 1944 he was an officer with Army Intelligence in Britain; he was one of the few Americans selected by British Intelligence to work at Bletchley Park on the top secret ULTRA project. Documents in the British Public Records Office show that he was charged with the awesome responsibility of assessing, selecting, and disseminating decoded German communications while preserving the utmost secrecy. Although he could not conceal the fact that he was awarded a bronze star for his work at ULTRA, he never revealed the nature of that work to anyone. (It became known after his death when wartime documents were declassified.)”

Graduate Matters

Heidi Bean's essay "Repeating Gertrude Stein: Language, Performativity, and Hypermediated Theater" was published this summer in Text and Performance Quarterly 27.3 (Summer 2007). The article focuses on (and includes photos of) a UI Theatre production: the Gertrude Stein Repertory Theatre's adaptation of Stein's The Making of Americans, produced here in 2002.

Jen McGovern received a Short-Term Fellowship for Individual Research from the Newberry Library in Chicago to conduct research on her dissertation, "Captive Audiences: (Re)Visions of Indian Captivity in the Literary Marketplace, 1839-1921," directed by Kathleen Diffley. She completed her fellowship residency at the Newberry Library in August.

NWP Matters

Discounted early registrations are now being accepted for the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference, to be hosted by the University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program Nov. 1 to 3 at the Iowa Memorial Union on the UI campus. The deadline for early registration is Oct. 1. A UI news release is here.

Two new films based on short stories by Yiyun Li ("Thousand Years" and "Princess," both directed by Wayne Wang), were screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Undergraduate Matters

Nicole Guarino, an English/Math double-major who graduated in May 2007, has been awarded a Fulbright fellowship for 2007-08 to conduct international research. She will spend the 2007-08 academic year teaching English in a secondary classroom in South Korea. While there, Guarino plans to further her interests in international educational policies and curriculum, practice and redevelop what she has learned about teaching during college, understand the importance of English in Korean culture, and prepare to study international comparative education at the graduate level or to teach in an American minority community. A UI news release about the UI Fulbright winners is here.

Department Calendar

Sept. 13 (Thr.), 4:00-5:15 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Curriculum Area Committee Meeting: American Lit. & Culture, convened by Bluford Adams

Sept. 13 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., UIMA Carver Gallery—Denise Filios will give a talk titled “Constructing Power: Illuminated Manuscripts in Medieval and Golden Age Spain.” Her talk is part of the lecture series presented by University of Iowa Libraries and the University of Iowa Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit "From Monks to Masters: The Medieval Manuscript and the Early Printed Book."

Sept. 14 (Fri.)—Deadline for submission of Faculty Scholar and Global Scholar Award Applications to DEO. More details about the Faculty Scholar Awards are here, and more information about the Global Scholar Awards can be found here.

Sept. 14 (Fri.), 12:00-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—The first panel discussion of the 2007 residency of the University of Iowa International Writing Program (IWP) will address the topic "The Most Important Book on My Bookshelf . . . The Writer as Reader." The speakers will be poet István László Géher from Hungary; fiction writer, nonfiction writer and critic Lawrence Pun from Hong Kong; and fiction writer Alex Epstein from Israel.

Sept. 14 (Fri.), 4:00-5:30 p.m., Gerber Lounge—English Department Faculty Colloquium: Matt Brown on "Undisciplined Reading"

Sept. 14 (Fri.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—Two fiction writers, currently in residence at the International Writing Program, will present a free, bilingual reading. This event will feature Khet Mar from Burma and Kim Reon from South Korea.

Sept. 15 (Sat.), 5:30-7:30 p.m., 404 Linder Rd.—English Department reception

Sept. 16 (Sun.), 5:00-600 p.m., Prairie Lights Bookstore, 15 South Dubuque Street—Two IWP fiction writers, Alex Epstein from Israel and Hana Andronikova from the Czech Republic, will read from their work at Prairie Lights Bookstore. They will be joined by Lee Posna, currently a student in the Writers’ Workshop in poetry.

Sept. 16 (Sun.), 8:00-10:00 p.m., E105 Adler—Filipino fiction writer Sarge Lacuesta will introduce the film ‘The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveiros’ (The Philippines: dir. Auraeus Solito, 2006) in a free screening, part of the IWP Cinemathèque, a series that gives IWP participants the opportunity to present films from their home countries to an American audience. There will be a short talk/Q&A session after the screening.

Sept. 18 (Tue.), 4:00-5:15 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Curriculum Area Committee Meeting: Transnational Lit. & Postcolonial Studies, convened by Claire Fox

Sept. 19 (Wed.), 4:00-5:15 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Curriculum Area Committee Meeting: Nonfiction Writing, convened by Robin Hemley

Sept. 20 (Thr.), 2:30-4:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Curriculum Area Committee Meeting: Literary Theory & Interdisciplinary Studies, convened by David Wittenberg

Sept. 20 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., UIMA Carver Gallery—Jonathan Wilcox will give a talk titled “Questions of Authenticity: Medieval Charters, Medieval Manuscripts, and Modern Facsimiles.” His talk is part of the lecture series presented by University of Iowa Libraries and the University of Iowa Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit "From Monks to Masters: The Medieval Manuscript and the Early Printed Book."

Sept. 20 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., UI Museum of Art—The first “Writers-in-Residence” reading will feature Ashley Butler (from the Nonfiction Writing Program). She will be joined by German fiction writer Sasa Stanisic and Kenyan journalist and playwright Peter Kimani, both IWP participants. A UI newsrelease is here.

Sept. 21 (Fri.), 12:00-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—Four writers in the International Writing Program will present a short talk on “Writing for an Age of Migration, Diaspora, Exile.” Presenters will be Salman Masalha (Israel), Ksenia Golubovich (Russia), Tom Dreyer (South Africa), and Aziz Shakir-Tash (Bulgaria).

Sept. 21 (Fri.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—Two writers, currently in residence at the International Writing Program, will present their poetry and prose in a free, bilingual reading. This event will feature Ra Heeduk from South Korea and G. Ayurzana from Mongolia. A UI newsrelease is here.

Sept. 23 (Sun.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Prairie Lights Bookstore, 15 South Dubuque Street—Two IWP fiction writers, Christos Chryssopoulos from Greece and Kavery Nambisan from India, will read from their work at Prairie Lights Bookstore. They will be joined by Joseph Bradshaw, currently a student in the Writers’ Workshop in poetry.

Sept. 23 (Sun.), 8:00-10:00 p.m., E105 Adler—Russian poet and prose writer Ksenia Golubovich will introduce ‘The Return’ (Russia: dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003) in a free screening, part of the IWP Cinemathèque, a series that gives IWP participants the opportunity to present films from their home countries to an American audience. There will be a short talk/Q&A session after the screening.

Sept. 27 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., UIMA Carver Gallery—Glenn Ehrstine will give a talk titled “Medieval Studies in Iowa.” His talk is part of the lecture series presented by University of Iowa Libraries and the University of Iowa Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit "From Monks to Masters: The Medieval Manuscript and the Early Printed Book."

Sept. 28 (Fri.)—2007 Old Gold Summer Fellowship reports due to DEO with a copy to the Dean's Office. More details here.

Sept. 28 (Fri.), 12:00-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—Four writers in the International Writing Program will present a short talk on the topic, "The Most Important Book on My Bookshelf…” Presenters will be Khet Mar (Burma), Ra Heeduk (South Korea), G. Ayurzana (Mongolia), and Al-Mustaqeem Radhi (Malaysia)

Sept. 28 (Fri.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—Two Malaysian writers, currently in residence at the International Writing Program, will present poetry and prose in a free, bilingual reading. This event will feature Malim Ghozali (poet and prose writer) and Al-Mustaqeem Radhi (essayist and translator).

Sept. 30 (Sun.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Prairie Lights Bookstore, 15 South Dubuque Street—Two writers in the International Writing Program, Penelope Todd from New Zealand and Aziz Shakir-Tash from Bulgaria, will read from their poetry and prose at Prairie Lights Bookstore. They will be joined by Mike Judd, current student in the Writers’ Workshop in poetry.

Sept. 30 (Sun.), 8:00-10:00 p.m., E105 Adler—Syrian screenwriter and novelist Khaled Khalifa will introduce two films, ‘Black Stone’ (Syria: Khaled Khalifa, screenplay, 2006) and ‘Jackal Nights’ (Syria: dir. Abdulatif Abdulhamid, 1990) in a free screening, part of the IWP Cinemathèque, a series that gives IWP participants the opportunity to present films from their home countries to an American audience. There will be a short talk/Q&A session after the screening.

Oct. 1 (Mon.)—Deadline for early registration for the Bedell Nonfiction Writing Conference

Oct. 4 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., UIMA Carver Gallery—Matthew P. Brown will give a talk titled “The Persistence of the Medieval in Early American Book Culture.” His talk is part of the lecture series presented by University of Iowa Libraries and the University of Iowa Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit "From Monks to Masters: The Medieval Manuscript and the Early Printed Book."

Oct. 7 (Sun.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—The IWP's 40th anniversary celebration kicks off with this reading featuring Daniel Weissbort, Matvei Yankelevich, and Michael Judd. Poets and translators Weissbort and Yankelevich read from their work along with Judd, a poet and Writers’ Workshop student.

Oct. 7, (Sun.), 7:00 p.m., Bijou Theater—The IWP's 40th anniversary celebration continues with showings of “Jellyfish” (2007, Israel) and “The Magic Gloves” (2003, Argentina). “Jellyfish”, Camera D’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was directed by Etgar Keret (IWP ’01) and is being co-sponsored by Hillel. “The Magic Gloves” was written, directed, and co-produced by Martin Rejtman (IWP ’00). Both films shown with English subtitles.

Oct. 8 (Mon.), noon-1:30 p.m., AJB E105—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with the following panel: World Lit Net: Writing in the Age of Global Communication. Editors and writers (Matvei Yankelevich, Michael Orthofer, Chad Post, Cris Mattison, Dede Felman, and Eliot Weinberger; Russell Valentino and Nataša Durovicová, moderators) discuss the value of the Internet as a tool of dissemination, a locus of literary community, and a potential engine for (or roadblock to) “world literature.”

Oct. 8 (Mon.), 3:30-4:30 p.m., 140 Schaeffer—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with the ILT Panel: Reading the Other: In the first hour of this class, which will be open to the public, poets Tomaž Šalamun, Marvin Bell, and Eliot Weinberger discuss the impact of world literature on their work in particular and on their native literature in general.

Oct. 8 (Mon.), 7:00-8:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a reading by Greek novelist Ersi Sotiropoulos (IWP ’81) and Egyptian novelist and IWP 2007 resident Hamdy el-Gazzar.

Oct. 9 (Tue.), noon-1:30 p.m., 140 Schaeffer—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a discussion titled "The World’s Voice In Our Ear: Influences of World Literature on Writing and Writer." Panelists, including Eliot Weinberger and IWP 2007 resident István László Geher (Hungary), discuss the influence of world literature on their work and on their native literature.

Oct. 9 (Tue.), 4:00-5:30 p.m., SHSE—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a Russian-Language Reading, featuring Open World participants Maria Galina, Leonid Kostyukov, Vladimir Sovetov, and Ekaterina Taratuta in this bilingual event.

Oct. 9 (Tue.), 8:00-9:00 p.m., SHSE—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a reading by poet and essayist Eliot Weinberger and Indian novelist and IWP 2007 resident Kiran Nagarkar read from their work.

Oct. 10 (Wed.), noon-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a panel titled "The Business of Arabic-Language Literature," in which IWP 2007 residents Hamdy el-Gazzar (Egypt), Khaled Khalifa (Syria), Salman Masalha (Israel), Al-Mustaqeem Radhi (Malaysia) and Aziz Shakir (Bulgaria) discuss the business of Arabic-language writing and literature. Moderated by Ahmed Kanna, a UI postdoctoral fellow specializing in Middle East studies.

Oct. 10 (Wed.), 4:00-5:30 p.m., SHSE—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a Spanish-Language Reading. This bilingual reading, hosted by Roberto Ampuero (IWP ’96, Chile), features UI visiting professor Santiago Vaquera-Vasquez, local journalist Oscar Argueta, and IWP 2007 residents Elena Bossi (Argentina) and Beaudelaine Pierre (Haiti).

Oct. 10 (Wed.), 8:00-10:00 p.m., Theater B, UI Theater Building—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a performance of “All The World’s A Page: The Global Play Project.” The play, created by IWP playwrights around the world within a 24-hour period, premieres in Iowa City.

Oct. 11 (Thr.), noon-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a panel titled "Creating and Promoting African Literature." IWP 2007 residents Tom Dreyer (South Africa) and Peter Kimani (Kenya), along with former UI associate dean Sandra Barkan and Rwandan poet and UNI professor of English Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure, discuss the business of writing and literature on the African continent. Moderated by Peter Nazareth, UI professor of English. Co-sponsored by the African Studies Program.

Oct. 11 (Thr.), 5:00-6:30 p.m., E105 AJB—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with an event called "Scattered Seeds: Writers from China and the Chinese Diaspora." IWP alumni Li Rui (2002, China), Xi Chuan (2002, China), Cheng Chou-yu (1968-71, Taiwan/USA), and Ya Hsien (1967, Taiwan/Canada) read and discuss their work and lives.

Oct. 11 (Thr.), 7:00-9:30 p.m., Bijou Theater—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a viewing and discussion of the film "The Devil Came on Horseback" (2007). The film exposes the Darfur conflict through the eyes of witness and former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle. Following the screening is a panel discussion featuring producer Jane Wells, former UI associate dean Sandra Barkan, UI School of Journalism associate professor Leo Eko, Kenyan journalist and IWP 2007 resident Peter Kimani, and Sudanese former journalist Abdalla Mohamed Abdalla. Co-sponsored by the African Studies Program and the UI Center for Human Rights. NOTE: This film will also be shown on October 10 at 9:00 pm and October 14 at 8:00 pm. All screenings are free.

Oct. 12 (Fri.)—Deadline for graduate students to apply for the Obermann Graduate Institute on Engagement and the Academy, co-directed by Teresa Mangum and David Redlawsk. Details are available here.

Oct. 12 (Fri.), 11:00 a.m.-noon, Conroy Room, Dey House—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a Q&A with Slovenian poet and Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Tomaž Šalamun (IWP ’71).

Oct. 12 (Fri.), noon-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a panel titled "State of the Art: Literature From Where I Stand." IWP 2007 residents James T.C. Na (China/Philippines), Simone Inguanez (Malta), Nirwan Dewanto (Indonesia), Khaled Khalifa (Syria), and Kei Miller (Jamaica) discuss “world perspectives and home literatures.”

Oct. 12 (Fri.), 4:00-5:15 p.m., Senate Chambers, Old Capitol—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a panel titled "Cultural Diplomacy: The Writer and the World." Discussion of the roles writers and their advocates play in increasing understanding between cultures. Panelists scheduled to appear include Richard Arndt, author of "First Resort of Kings: US Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century," former Congressman James Leach, and UI professor of English Harry Stecopoulos.

Oct. 12 (Fri.), 5:30-6:30 p.m.. Old Capitol—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a reception and the opening of the exhibit "Writing@Iowa."

Oct. 12 (Fri.), 8:00-9:00 p.m., Shambaugh Auditorium—IWP's 40th anniversary concludes with the Paul Engle Memorial Reading, given by Slovenian poet and Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Tomaž Šalamun (IWP ’71).

Oct. 15 (Mon.), 11:00 a.m., 331 EPB—Literary Journalist Darcy Frey will teach a seminar on literary journalism.

Oct. 15 (Mon.), 8:00 p.m., 101 Becker Communication Studies Building—Reading by Literary Journalist Darcy Frey

Oct. 18 (Thr.), 3:00-4:00 p.m., Hanson Family Humanities Gallery, Old Capitol Museum—Gallery Talk, "The Writer's Desk" by Kevin Kopelson, in conjunction with the exhibition, A Community of Writers: A History of Creative Writing at The University of Iowa.

Oct. 18 (Thr.), 7:00 p.m., Prairie Lights Bookstore—Jeff Porter will read from his new book Oppenheimer Is Watching Me. See the event live at Prairie Lights, listen live on the Internet at http://writinguniversity.uiowa.edu, or catch the reading when it is broadcast on Prairie Lights Live. Hour-long "Live from Prairie Lights" productions air at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturdays, and 7 p.m. Sundays on WSUI-AM 910 in Iowa City, WOI-AM 640 in Ames and KRNI-AM 1010 in Cedar Falls. A program is also broadcast at 5 p.m. Sundays on KSUI-FM 91.7 in Iowa City.

Oct. 19 (Fri.), 4:00-5:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—English Department Faculty Colloquium: Garrett Stewart on "Little Dorrit and the Narratography of Closure"

Oct. 19 (Fri.), 3:00 p.m., south side of the UI Main Library—An Engangered River Runs through Us: Three Iowa River Journeys. This event is one of three planned by Barbara Eckstein in response to American Rivers placing the Iowa River on its 2007 most endangered rivers list. The first Iowa River bus tour leaves at 3:00 p.m. from the south side of the UI Main Library, with information along the way about the Clear Creek Project, the Iowa River Greenbelt, a Hardin County farm bordering on the Iowa River, and the dam at Iowa Falls. At 7:00 at the Iowa Falls Public Library, Theodore Steinberg, environmental and legal historian and author of Nature Incorporated, will read and lecture. The bus will return to the UI Main Library. Faculty, staff, students, and the general public can attend free of charge. However, the bus tour requires registration. To register email Cory Sanderson at cory-sanderson@uiowa.edu or call 319-353-1021.

Oct. 19 (Fri.), 4:00 p.m.—Guided bus tour of a portion of the Iowa River leading to Iowa Falls where, at 7:00 p.m., environmental and legal historian Ted Steinberg—author of Nature Incorporated—will read at the public library. This event is one of three planned by Barbara Eckstein in response to American Rivers placing the Iowa River on its 2007 most endangered rivers list. Each event includes a guided tour of a portion of the river with site visits where experts will explain their work and a reading/lecture by a talented writer and expert on the plight of another river within the US or beyond it. To register for this event, please contact Cory Sanderson at 319-353-1021 or cory-sanderson@uiowa.edu.

Oct. 20 (Sat.), 10 a.m., Schaeffer Hall, Rm. 40—Linda Bolton will lead a Saturday Scholars course titled “Ethical Activism in the Poetry of Adrienne Rich and Mary Oliver." More on the Saturday Scholars program is available here, and more on Linda's presentation is here.

Oct. 24 (Wed.) - Oct. 25 (Thr.), Old Brick Auditorium, 26 E. Market St.—2007 Obermann Humanities Symposium: From Bourgeois to Boojie: Black Middle-Class Performances

Oct. 25 (Thr.), 8:00 p.m., McBride Auditorium—A staged reading of Elizabeth Robins’s 1907 play Votes for Women! will be performed. This staged reading represents an innovative collaboration of students in a UI English class, faculty and students in Theatre Arts, the 18th-and 19th-Century Interdisciplinary Colloquium of International Programs, the Center for Human Rights, the Women’s Resource and Action Center, and the League of Women Voters. Members of the University of Iowa and the local community will appear in the production (and small speaking parts are still available). For more information, contact Teresa Mangum, teresa-mangum@uiowa.edu.

Oct. 26 (Fri.)—2008-2009 Flexible Load Assignment applications due to DEO. More details here.

Oct. 29 (Mon.), 7:00-8:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—Kevin Kopelson will read from his new book, Sedaris (University of Minnesota Press).

Oct. 31 (Wed.), 1:30 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Publisher Sarah Gorham will be holding a Q&A about nonfiction publishing. Gorham will also be offering individual meetings with 7 graduate writing students in order to discuss some of their on-going work. To have a manuscript considered by Gorham, submit two essays of no more than 40 pages total (double-spaced and in a 12-point font) to John D’Agata by Monday, October 1st at 11:00 am

Oct. 31 (Wed.), 2:30 p.m., 331 EPB—Lyric Essayist Jenny Boully will teach an essay workshop. To have a manuscript considered by Boully for this workshop, submit an essay of no more than 15 pages (double-spaced and in a 12-point font) to John D’Agata by Monday, October 1st at 11:00 am.

Nov. 1-3 (Thr.-Sat.)—NonfictioNOW Conference

Nov. 7 (Wed.) through Feb. 2008, North Lobby of the Main Library—Blake at 250, an exhibition in honor of William Blake’s 250th birthday. The exhibit is curated by Mary Lynn Johnson, John Grant, Judith Pascoe, and Eric Gidal and will feature the library’s collection of limited edition reproductions held in Special Collections.

Nov. 8 (Tue.), 7:30 p.m., UI Museum of Art—This “Writers-in-Residence” reading will feature NWP student Colleen Kinder. Joining her will be David Hamilton.

Nov. 9 (Fri.), 4:00-5:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—English Department Faculty Colloquium: Judith Pascoe on Sarah Siddons and Bette Davis

Nov. 14 (Wed.), 8:00 p.m., Clapp Recital Hall—A celebratory concert of musical settings for works by William Blake by Virgil Thomson, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, and others, led by Professor Katherine Eberle of the University of Iowa School of Music. Performers include Eberle, mezzo-soprano; John Muriello, baritone; Stephen Swanson, baritone, Kelsey Williams, soprano; Lynn Maxfield, tenor; and Rene Lecuona, piano.

Nov. 15 (Thr.)—Joan Shelley Rubin will be the University of Iowa Center for the Book’s Brownell speaker on Thursday, Nov. 15.

Nov. 28 (Wed.)—The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Blake will be celebrated with a birthday cake in the library and a reading at Prairie Lights featuring members of the UI community reciting favorite passages from his works. More details as they become available.

Nov. 29 (Thr.), 1:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Cultural critic Joe Wenderoth will hold a Q&A about his work.

Nov. 29 (Thr.), 8:00 pm, 1505 Seamans Center (Engineering Building)—Reading by cultural critic Joe Wendroth

Nov. 30 (Fri.), 1:00 p.m., 331 EPB—Joe Wenderoth will conduct an essay workshop. To have a manuscript considered by Wenderoth for this workshop, submit an essay of no more than 15 pages (double-spaced and in a 12-point font) to John D’Agata by Monday, October 29th at 11:00 am.

Dec. 14 (Fri.)—2008 Old Gold Summer Fellowship applications due to DEO. More details here.

Feb. 1 (Fri.)—Deadline for submission of reports to DEO on Career Development, Faculty Scholar, or Global Scholar Awards taken in Fall 2007.

Feb. 8 (Fri.), 3:00 p.m., south foyer of the UI Main Library—An Engangered River Runs through Us: Three Iowa River Journeys. This event is one of three planned by Barbara Eckstein in response to American Rivers placing the Iowa River on its 2007 most endangered rivers list.. The bus and walking tour starts at 3:00 from the south foyer of the UI Main Library. The tour will include viewing the models of the Columbia River created by IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering to discover better means for the protection of salmon, viewing the beaches where the College of Public Health conducts their three beaches water quality project; learning about the species relocation necessitated by the work on the river at Iowa Avenue; and viewing the photographic exhibit of Iowa River seasons in the second floor, north room, of the UI Main Library. Jacques Leslie, author of Deep Water, will read and lecture at the Iowa City Water Treatment Plant at 7. Faculty, staff, students, and the general public can attend free of charge. However, the bus tour requires registration. To register email Cory Sanderson at cory-sanderson@uiowa.edu or call 319-353-1021.

Feb. 21 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., UI Museum of Art—This “Writers-in-Residence” reading will feature NWP student Elena Passarello. Joining her will be Mary Ruefle.

March 2-March 4, 2008—The Center for the Book will host Michael Warner as an Ida Beam Scholar.

Apr. 17 (Thr.),7:30 p.m., UI Museum of Art—This “Writers-in-Residence” reading will feature NWP student Amelia Bird. Joining her will be Stephen Kuusisto.

Apr. 18 (Fri.), 3:00 p.m., south side of the UI Main Library—An Engangered River Runs through Us: Three Iowa River Journeys. This event is one of three planned by Barbara Eckstein in response to American Rivers placing the Iowa River on its 2007 most endangered rivers list. The bus tour will leave at 3 from the south side of the UI Main Library heading to the mouth of the Iowa River and Navigation Pool 16 on the Mississippi River. This is a research site for IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering. Nancy Langston, professor in the Gaylord Nelson Environmental Institute at the University of Wisconsin and author of Where Land and Water Meet, will read and lecture in Columbus Junction, where the Cedar and Iowa Rivers meet. Faculty, staff, students, and the general public can attend free of charge. However, the bus tour requires registration. To register email Cory Sanderson at cory-sanderson@uiowa.edu or call 319-353-1021.

May 2 (Fri.)—The Graduate Awards Ceremony

Other Calendars

UI Master Calendar of Events | UI Academic Calendar | The Writers Workshop Reading Schedule | The International Writing Program Calendar

Future Issues

Please send any items for Reading Matters or the departmental calendar to Carolyn Jacobson at carolyn-jacobson@uiowa.edu. Reading Matters appears every other Thursday during the semester, and submissions should be received by 5 p.m. the day before. Please send submissions for the next issue by 5 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 26. Thanks very much.