Reading Matters, Vol. 11, Issue 6, November 9, 2005
What with this being Whitman Week at the University of Iowa (congratulations, Ed, on organizing the magnificent symposium and exhibition Whitman Making Books; see http://www.uiowa.edu/~obermann/whitmanmakingbooks/ for details); the week of the NonfictionNow Conference (congratulations, Robin, on this terrific gathering of talent now featuring some 300 registered participants; see http://www.english.uiowa.edu/nonfiction/nonfictionow05/index.html for details and a schedule); the week of the M/MLA (congratulations, Kathleen, on consistently shaping this valuable professional assembly; see http://www.uiowa.edu/~mmla/ for details); not to mention the week of the Carver lecture (bravo, Ed); and recovering from the recent Freedman lecture (thank you, Garrett) – this is a week for attending readings that matter rather than reading a lengthy Reading Matters. The only piece of pressing news I have to report is still work in progress that has not yet become completely clear. At the same time as the Graduate College works on reformulating the Block Allocation, which may have the effect of shrinking our funding for first year graduate students, CLAS has let us know to expect a reduction of the number of TAs that can be funded in General Education Literature and in Rhetoric. I’m still hopeful that such reductions may prove to be small (with the College talking about up to 10%), but whatever reduction gets realized is likely to have some real impact on our graduate programs. This is a matter we will need to discuss as a department once the size of the tightening becomes clear.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the range of exciting events
showcasing English Department work of various kinds this week, and at
the range of promotion review meetings starting next week…
Ed Folsom is delivering the Hearst Lecture at the University of Northern Iowa this Wednesday. This weekend he hosts the "Whitman Making Books / Books Making Whitman" Obermann Humanities Symposium at the UI Museum of Art, with the keynote lecture by Ezra Greenspan (Southern Methodist University) Thursday evening at 7:00. Schedule and free registration are available online.
Thom Swiss reports that new material is available on The Iowa Review Web. The New Media features include "10:01" by Lance Olsen & Tim Guthrie, "The Bomar Gene" by Jason Nelson, "Pieces of Herself" by Juliet Davis, and "News from Erewhon" by Millie Niss & Martha Deed.
Doug Trevor gave a reading at Prairie Lights on Nov. 2 and
was the subject of a recent Daily
Iowan Article.
The University of Iowa has awarded more than $100,000 in grants to UI faculty, staff and students in conjunction with the state of Iowa's Year of Public Engagement. The University's press release (excerpted below) includes details about two grants that stem, in part, from the English Department. Congratulations to Teresa, David, and Lynne.
"The Animals Among Us." Led by Jane Desmond, associate dean of international programs and associate professor of American studies, and Teresa Mangum, associate professor of English and international studies, both in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, this project is an outgrowth of the Fall 2005 Obermann Research Semester, "Articulating the Animal." Iowans will be invited to explore the world of animals around them through photography and writing. Two competitions -- one for adults and the other for K-12 students -- will accept submissions of animal photos accompanied by a written essay reflecting on the significance of the image and the animal. An exhibition of the 25 winners in each category will travel around the state in 2006 and 2007. The exhibition will be enhanced by a semester-long film and post-screening discussion series featuring animals in international films, hosted by the UI Institute for Cinema and Culture, and focusing on many quality of life issues in our state that humans and animals share.
"Iowa Writes." Coordinated by Professor David Hamilton, Ph.D. student Lynne Nugent and International Writing Program coordinator Hugh Ferrer, all staff of The Iowa Review housed in the Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, this project will showcase on the UI website a poem, short story or short nonfiction piece each day throughout 2006 featuring Iowa writers-those who grew up in the state and/or live in Iowa now. This project is modeled after the Daily Palette, which featured works by Iowa artists daily throughout the 2004-05 Year of the Arts and Humanities. The writing project will be open to all Iowans, encouraging creative writing across the state and highlighting Iowa's reputation as a place that "grows" writers.
The Vice President for Research makes available funding for a wonderful opportunity for faculty to support their research projects with the help of undergraduates. The Iowa Research Experiences for Undergraduates (IREU) encourages the direct involvement of undergraduates in the research of faculty by funding students for up to $3,000 to work on faculty research. You can employ a UI full-time student for almost 200 hours with this amount (Gayle Sand will help you figure the student costs), or you can use up to one third of the award for student expenses with the rest going towards a student stipend. Full details of the program are available online. My understanding is that the award is drastically under-used by faculty in the humanities, so English Department applications are likely to be well received. The application form is online. Applications are due by November 14.
The University of Iowa Alumni Association has awarded 13 people the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award, including two from English. These are Marvin Bell ('63 MFA), who retired last spring after 40 years in the Writers' Workshop and David S. Milch ('70 MFA), an Emmy-award winning writer of television shows such as Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.
Robin Hemley, the author of "Nola: A Memoir of Faith,
Art and Madness"(Graywolf) and director of the Nonfiction Writing Program
at the University of Iowa, penned an essay for the papers Fashion & Style
section recounting his problems with a difficult student.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/fashion/sundaystyles/06LOVE.html
Nov. 9 (Wed.), 8:00 p.m., Tippie Auditorium, W151 Pappajohn Business Building - Reverend Barry Stopfel, the first openly gay ordained Episcopalian priest will give a public lecture as part of his Nov. 8-14 residency.
Nov. 10-12 (Thr.-Sat.), IMU – NONFICTIONOW Conference. Keynotes and readings will be delivered by Philip Lopate, Pico Iyer, and Lauren Slater. Other panelists and readers include NPR reporter Jacki Lyden, Anthony Shadid, Jack Hitt, Faith Adele, Hope Edelman, Bob Shacochis, James Alan McPherson, Albert Goldbarth, David Shields, and many others.
Nov. 10-12 (Thr.-Sat.) – The “Whitman Making Books / Books Making Whitman” symposium will celebrate Whitman as a bookmaker. The keynote speaker will be Ezra Greenspan of Southern Methodist Univ. (Thr., Nov. 10, 7 p.m. UI Museum of Art), and other speakers will include Betsy Erkkila, Ted Genoways, Charles Green, Jerome Loving, and Kenneth M. Price. The symposium is directed by Ed Folsom and David Schoonover.
Nov. 10-13 (Thr.-Sun.), The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, WI – The 47th Annual M/MLA Convention. The theme of this year's convention is "History, Memory, Exile."
Nov. 14 (Mon.) – Deadline for IREU applications (see http://research.uiowa.edu/ifi/?get=ireu2005).
Nov.14 (Mon.), 12:00 noon, Gerber Lounge – The English Department will be holding its third "lunch and a discussion" session, this time on Jay Clayton's essay called "Literature, Science, and Public Policy: Victorian Chimeras and Contemporary Genetics." Teresa Mangum will jumpstart the discussion. The essay is available online, or available in actual paper for reading or copying in the Zimansky Room. Lunch is free, but you need to sign up by this Thursday on the sign-up sheet on the table inside the door of the Zimansky Room. We have had great turnouts for the first two sessions, so come join the discussion (and simultaneously solve the problem of what to do for lunch on Monday, November 14).
Nov. 15 (Tue.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge – Promotion and Review Meeting: DCG Meeting to discuss P&T cases of Lori Branch and Kathy Lavezzo
Nov. 17 (Thr.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge – Promotion and Review Meeting: DCG Meeting to discuss P&T cases of Lori Branch and Kathy Lavezzo (if needed)
Nov. 18 (Fri.) - Deadline for curriculum development grant applications.
Dec. 1 (Thr.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge - Promotion and Review Meeting: DCG Meeting to discuss PF cases of Barbara Eckstein, Patricia Foster, and Judith Pascoe
Dec. 6 (Tue.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge - Promotion and Review Meeting: DCG Meeting to discuss PF cases of Barbara Eckstein, Patricia Foster, and Judith Pascoe
Dec. 8 (Thr.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge - Promotion and Review Meeting: DCG Meeting to discuss 5th-year reviews (and other reviews, if needed)
Dec. 9 (Fri.) – Deadline for submitting Old Gold Summer Fellowship applications to Jon Wilcox.
Dec. 9 (Fri.), 5-7 p.m., UI Museum of Art – Teresa Mangum will take part in an edition of "Know the Score LIVE" with other members of the Obermann Center's "Articulating the Animal" research seminar. The show will be broadcast live on KSUI, 91.7 FM.
Mar. 2, 2006 (Thr.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge - Promotion and Review Meeting: DCG Meeting to discuss 3rd-year review of Lara Trubowitz
April 27 (Thr.), 3:30-5:00 p.m., State Room, IMU (Please note the change of location this year) - Undergraduate Honors Awards Ceremony
UI Master Calendar of Events | UI Academic Calendar | The Writers Workshop Reading Schedule | POROI Calendar
Please send any items for Reading Matters or the departmental calendar to Carolyn Jacobson at carolyn-jacobson@uiowa.edu. Reading Matters will appear every other Wednesday, and submissions should be received by 5 p.m. on the preceding Tuesday. Please send submissions for the next issue by 5 p.m. on Nov. 22. Thanks very much.