May 1 (Thurs.), 4:00, Gerber Lounge—Professor Trudier Harris, J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, will deliver the F. Wendell Miller Lecture “Southern Horrors:  How Tayari Jones Tames the Monster of the South in Leaving Atlanta” which is taken from her forthcoming book.

May 2 (Fri.), 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge—The Graduate Awards Ceremony

May 2 (Fri.), 4:00 p.m., 315 PH—Brinda J. Mehta, Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Mills College, will be presenting a lecture titled “Framing Dougla Identity in Caribbean Literature: Truncated Roots, Racialized Paradigms of Subjectivity, Historical Liminalities”.

May 4 (Sun.) 2:00 p.m., Prairie Lights Bookstore—The UI's Jewish Writers Series presents Michael Chabon.

May 4 (Sun.) 4:00 p.m., Buchanan Auditorium—The UI's Jewish Writers Series presents Michael Chabon.

May 5 (Mon.) 3:30 p.m., Gerber Lounge—David Dowling will give a talk called "Capital Letters: Authorship in the Antebellum Literary Market," presenting material from his forthcoming book of the same name.

*****CANCELED*****May 7 (Wed.) 7:00 p.m., Richey Ballroom, IMU—Dessert Reception for Newly Emeritus Faculty. Please R.S.V.P. to Jada Black by April 30 (335-2615).

May 8 (Thurs.) 3:45 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Faculty Meeting

May 9 (Fri.) 3:30 p.m., 331 EPB—Early Modern Reading Group

May 9 (Fri.)—Close of second semester classes

May 16 (Fri.)—Close of examination week

April 2008

Feb. 1 (Fri.)—Deadline for submissions of abstract to the 8th annual Craft Critique Culture Conference. Here is their CFP.

Feb 1 (Fri.) 3:30 pm.--Gerber Lounge: Director of undergraduate creative writing track candidate talk.

Feb 4 (Mon.) 3:30 pm.--Gerber Lounge: Faculty meeting on Early Modern search, vote and decision.

Feb 6 (Wed.) 3:30 pm.--Gerber Lounge: Director of undergraduate creative writing track candidate talk

Feb 7 (Thurs) 3:45 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: faculty meeting on Director of undergraduate creative writing track search, vote, and decision

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 8 (Fri.) 3:30 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: NWP candidate talk

Feb 11(Mon.) 3:30 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: NWP candidate talk

Feb. 13 (Wed.) 12:00 p.m.--Brown Bag Lunch Discussion of Brown University's "Slavery and Justice" report in anticipation of James Campbell's upcoming lecture "Navigating the Past: Slavery, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and Brown University." Copies of the report available soon in 310 EPB. Sign-up for sandwiches closes February 11th at 4:30 pm. Discussion kicked-off by Linda Bolton.

Feb 13 (Wed.) 3:30 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: NWP candidate talk.

Feb 15 (Fri.) 3:30 p.m. 203 BCSB--The Department of English is co-sponsoring a lecture by Geoffrey Winthrop-Young, Associate Professor in the Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies at The University of British Columbia. The talk entitled "From the Cursed and Promised Lands of Media Studies: Canadian Speculations on a German Theory Phenomenon" will take place at 3:30 p.m. in 203 BCSB.

Feb 17 - 19 (Sun. - Tues.)--The 4th Annual Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness & the Creative Imagination will be held at the Iowa State University Memorial Union February 17 – 19, 2008.  All events are free and open to the public.  More information can be found here.

Feb 18 - 22 (Mon. - Fri.)--Chair search committee interviews with department members

Feb. 18 (Mon.) 7:00 p.m., 107 EPB--The English Department will be co-sponsoring a lecture by James Campbell, Professor of American Studies and Africana Studies at Brown University.  The lecture, “Navigating the Past: Slavery, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and Brown University”, will begin at 7:00 p.m. in 107 EPB.  More information can be found here.

Feb. 21 (Thurs.)--CVs from all faculty are due to Erin Hackathorn

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.

Feb. 28 (Thr.) 12:00 p.m.--Brown Bag Lunch discussion of Michael Warner's "Styles of Intellectual Publics" in anticipation of his Ida Beam lecture March 3rd. Copies of the essay available soon in 310 EPB. Sign-up for sandwiches closes February 26th at 4:30 pm. Discussion kicked-off by Matt Brown.

Feb. 29 (Fri.) 3:30 p.m., 331 EPB--Early Modern Reading Group.

January 2008

Jan. 21 (Mon)--University holiday - offices closed.

Jan. 22 (Tues)--First day of classes, spring semester.

Jan. 22 (Tues) 3:45 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: early modern candidate talk

Jan. 24 (Thurs) 3:45 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: early modern candidate talk

Jan 28 (Mon) 3:30 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: early modern candidate talk

Jan 30 (Wed) 3:30 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: early modern candidate talk

Jan 31 (Thurs) 3:00 p.m.--Gerber Lounge: cake and coffee to celebrate John Gerber on what would have been his 100th birthday

 

December 2007

Dec. 1 (Sat.), 10:00 a.m., BCSB 101—Cinema and Comp. Lit. will offer a faculty/student seminar, open to all, based on Garrett Stewart's recent book Framed Time: Toward a Postfilmic Cinema

Dec. 6 (Thr.) , 3:45-5:30 p.m., Gerber Lounge—DCE Meeting (full) to discuss promotion to full professor

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

Dec. 14 (Fri.), 6:30-7:30 p.m., 431 Brown St.—Faculty Winter Reception

Dec. 26 - Jan. 18--Department of English office hours: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m and 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

November 2007

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

Nov. 1 (Thr.), 8:45 a.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—Patricia Hampl, the author of several acclaimed memoirs, will present a keynote address at the public welcome session of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 1 (Thr.), 1:45 p.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—Lyric essayists published by Sarabande Press will read at this public event that is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 1 (Thr.), 3:30-5:00 p.m., Terrace Room of the Iowa Memorial Union—A panel discussion, “Publishing Your First Book in the Humanities,” will feature Aimee Carrillo-Rowe, associate professor of rhetoric; Claire Fox, associate professor of English and Latin American studies; and Priya Kumar, associate professor of English. The panelists all have new books out and will share their recent experiences working with university presses. This public event is part of a publication workshop, sponsored by the UI Center for Ethnic Studies and the Arts, for junior faculty from Iowa and other universities and colleges.

Nov. 1 (Thr.), 5:00 p.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—Writers published by the University of Nebraska Press will read at this public event that is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 1 (Thr.), 8:30 p.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—Writer/filmmaker Ross McElwee will host a screening and speak. This public event is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 2 (Fri.), 3:30 p.m., IMU Main Lounge—Writers from the University of Georgia Press will read at this public event that is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 2 (Fri.), 8:30 p.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—Patricia Hampl, the author of several acclaimed memoirs, will present a keynote reading at this public event that is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 3 (Sat.), 8:45 a.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—The public is invited to a forum with editors from the New York Times and other publications. This event is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 3 (Sat.), 10:30 a.m., IMU second-floor ballroom—Writers from Greywolf Press will read. This public event is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 3 (Sat.), 3:30 p.m., Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol —Former students and colleagues will present "A Tribute to Carl Klaus," the founder of the Nonfiction Writing Program. This public event is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference. http://www.english.uiowa.edu/nonfiction/nonfictionow07/index.html
Nov. 3 (Sat.), 5:00 p.m., IMU second-floor ballroom— University of Iowa Press writers will read. This public event is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 3 (Sat.), 8:00 p.m., IMU second-floor ballroom— Journalist/memoirist Richard Rodriguez will present a keynote reading at this public event that is part of the Bedell NonfictioNow Conference.

Nov. 3 (Sat.), later evening, The Mill Restaurant—The public is also invited to "Riffs, Chords, and Prose: Shaping the Future of Music Writing," an event featuring live music in the Mill Restaurant following the Rodriguez keynote. Admission for the general public is $5 at the door. This public event that is part of the Bedell 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 (Thr.), 5:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 N. Clinton St.—Kirpal Singh, an alumnus of the International Writing Program (IWP), will introduce Creating a Nation Through Poetry, Peter Nazareth's new book on the work of Singaporean poet Edwin Thumboo (IWP ’77). In addition to Thumboo’s poetry, the book contains Peter’s 1977 interview with the author.

Nov. 8 (Thr.), 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. A UI news release is here.

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

Nov. 14 (Wed.), noon, Gerber Lounge—Brown Bag lunch to discuss Joan Shelley Rubin's introduction to her book Songs of Ourselves: The Uses of Poetry in America (Harvard University Press, 2007). Sign up on the sheet in the Zamansky Room for a free lunch and discussion of the function(s) of poetry

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.), 3:00 p.m., 331 EPB—Graduate Steering Meeting to discuss Quals and select the Bach Fellowship winners

Nov. 15 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum—Joan Shelley Rubin will be the University of Iowa Center for the Book’s Brownell speaker on Thursday, Nov. 15. Her talk will be titled “Poetry in Place and Practice: American Readers and the Uses of Verse” Prof. Rubin will reflect on the larger themes of her recent book Songs of Ourselves: The Uses of Poetry in America (Harvard University Press, 2007). She will focus on poetry reading as lived experience, with particular attention to the emotional weight poems carried in American homes, schools, and other settings between 1880 and 1950. Joan Shelley Rubin is an American cultural and intellectual historian with a special interest in the history of books, reading, and literary culture between 1880 and 1960. She is the author of The Making of Middlebrow Culture (1992) and Constance Rourke and American Culture (1980), along with numerous groundbreaking essays in American studies and book studies. A leading practitioner of book history, she is co-editor of the concluding volume of A History of the Book in America and contributing editor to The Oxford Companion to the Book.

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. 28 (Wed.), 9:30, 331 EPB—NWP Advisory Committee Meeting

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

Nov. 29 (Thr.), 3:45-5:30 p.m., Gerber Lounge—DCG Meeting (assoc. and full) to discuss tenure and pre-tenure reviews

Nov. 29 (Thr.) , 5:15 p.m., 40 Schaeffer Hall—David Johnson, Assistant Professor of History at the University of South Florida and author of The Lavendear Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government, will give a public talk entitled "The Lavender Scare: Homosexuality and National Politics from Joe McCarthy to Larry Craig." The talk is sponsored by the Sexuality Studies Program and the Department of History.

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.

Nov. 30 (Fri.), 3:30 p.m., BCSB 101—Garrett Stewart will give a multi-media presentation titled "Digitime and Inscription in Current Cinema."

October 2007

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

Oct. 2 (Tue.), 4:30 p.m., Schaeffer Hall Room 140—Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Herbert Lindenberger, Avalon Foundation Professor of the Humanities Emeritus, Stanford University, will give a talk titled "Toward a Characterization of Modernist Opera." A reception will follow. Professor Lindenberger’s visit has been organized by The Opera Studies Group and co-sponsored by the Dept. of English (among others). More information available here.

Oct. 3 (Wed.), 5:00 p.m., School of Art and Art History—Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Herbert Lindenberger, Avalon Foundation Professor of the Humanities Emeritus, Stanford University, will give a talk titled "Arts in the Brain: Or What Might Neuroscience Tell Us?" Call 335-1772 for information and to reserve a space. Professor Lindenberger’s visit has been organized by The Opera Studies Group and co-sponsored by the Dept. of English (among others). More information available here.

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. 4 (Thr.), 7:30 p.m., Adler E105— Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Herbert Lindenberger, Avalon Foundation Professor of the Humanities Emeritus, Stanford University, will give a talk titled "Opera and the Novel: Antithetical or Complementary?" A reception will follow. Professor Lindenberger’s visit has been organized by The Opera Studies Group and co-sponsored by the Dept. of English (among others). More information available here.

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. 5 (Fri.), 12:00-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—Three writers in the International Writing Program will present a short talk on the topic “Writing for an Age of Migration, Diaspora, Exile…” Presenters will be Sasa Stanisic (Germany), Peter Kimani (Kenya), Kavery Nambisan (India), and Hana Andronikova (Czech Republic).

Oct. 5 (Fri.), 8:00-9:00 p.m., 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 Reginald Gibbons and Ilya Kutik from Northwestern University, and Alex Ulanov from Russia.

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. and 9:00 p.m., Bijou Theater—The IWP's 40th anniversary celebration continues with showings of “Jellyfish” (2007, Israel) at 7:00 and “The Magic Gloves” (2003, Argentina) at 9:00. “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., Adler 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, Iowa Review editor David Hamilton, 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., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—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., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—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.), 2:00-3:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a discussion on "Publishing Books in Translation" with Sal Robinson, an editor in the international books division of Harcourt, and Russell Valentino, UI professor and co-founder of Autumn Hill Press, which specializes in translations of foreign-language fiction.

Oct. 10 (Wed.), 4:00-5:30 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—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. 11-12 (Thr.-Fri.), Iowa Memorial Union—The University of Iowa Black Student Union will present its inaugural Revival Conference. The theme of this year's conference is "Empowerment through African-American Literature." A UI news release is here.

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.), 2:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a discussion with Sal Robinson, an editor in the international books division of Harcourt Trade Publishers, and UI translator Russell Valentino will discuss "Publishing Books in Translation."

Oct. 11 (Thr.), noon-1:30 p.m., North Lobby of the Main Library—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a brief tour of the exhibit "East Asia in the Midwest: 40 Years of East Asian Writers at the IWP" with UI librarian Chiaki Sakai.

Oct. 11 (Thr.), 5:00-6:30 p.m., Adler E105—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.), 4:00-5:00 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, and IWP 2007 resident Kavery Nambisan (India).

Oct. 12 (Fri.), 5:00-7:00 p.m.. Old Capitol—IWP's 40th anniversary continues with a reception and the opening of the exhibit "Writing@Iowa." This yearlong exhibition provides an overview of the diverse personalities and historical circumstances that combined to make Iowa “The Writing University.”

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. 14 (Sun.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—Lindsay Simpson from Australia and Ognjen Spahic from Montenegro will read from their work. They will be joined by Caroline Manring, poet and Writers’ Workshop student.

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—Literary journalist Darcy Frey will read from his forthcoming book "George Divoky's Planet," which looks at an ornithologist who has spent thirty years researching seabirds in the Arctic. A UI news release is here. Frey's visit is sponsorted by the NWP.

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. A UI news release is here.

Oct. 18 (Thr.), 8:00-9:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—Poet and translator Peter Cole, recent winner of a MacArthur Fellowship, will read from his work at a special Shambaugh House reading.

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. 19 (Fri.), 4:00-5:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—English Department Faculty Colloquium: Garrett Stewart on "Little Dorrit and the Narratography of Closure." Garrett writes: “In order to break again into the pages of Critical Inquiry after a quarter-century lull, I found I had to impersonate a minor British novelist with an aggressive American agent. The results of this masquerade were accepted, but haven’t been edited yet, so there’s still time for colleagues and students to help me keep this work-in-progress from constituting the proverbial two steps back.”

Oct. 19 (Fri.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Shambaugh House, 430 North Clinton Street—Two writers in the International Writing Program will read from their poetry and prose in a bilingual reading. Readers will be Simone Inguanez (Malta) and Lo Yi-Chin (Taiwan).

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

Oct. 21 (Sun.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—István Géher from Hungary and Lawrence Pun from Hong Kong will read from their work. They will be joined by Alice Miller, Writers’ Workshop student.

Oct. 21 (Sun.), 8:00-10:00 p.m., Adler E105—The University of Iowa International Writing Program (IWP) Cinematheque series will present a free screening and discussion of the 2001 South Korean film Take Care of My Cat with Kim Reon. A discussion will follow the screening.

Oct. 22 (Mon.), 8:00 p.m., Shambaugh House (430 N. Clinton St.)—Jamaican poet and fiction writer Kei Miller, currently in residence at the IWP, will read from his new book of poems, There Is An Anger That Moves, and from New Caribbean Poetry, an anthology that he edited.

Oct. 23 (Tue.), 8:00 p.m., Shambaugh House (430 N. Clinton St.)—The University of Iowa International Writing Program will present a free reading by American poet and translator Jon Matthias. A UI news release 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. A UI news release is here.

Oct. 25 (Thr.), 4:00 p.m., Old Capitol Senate Chambers—The Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism will be presented to William H. Gass for his book A Temple of Texts, after which he will give a talk on literary criticism. A champagne reception will follow. A UI news release is here.

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 (including our own Miriam Gilbert, Jeff Porter, Mary Ann Rasmussen, and Teresa Mangum) will appear in the production (and small speaking parts are still available). For more information, contact Teresa Mangum, teresa-mangum@uiowa.edu. A UI article about the reading is here.

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

Oct. 26 (Fri.), 12:00-1:30 p.m., Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library—Writers in the International Writing Program will present a short talk on “Writing as Philosophy and Craft.” Presenters will be Elena Bossi (Argentina), Christos Chryssopoulos (Greece), Penelope Todd (New Zealand), Alex Ulanov (Russia), and Beaudelaine Pierre (Haiti).

Oct. 26 (Fri.), 3:30-5:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—Rajeswari Sunder Rajan, Global Distinguished Professor of English at New York University will give a talk, titled, “Death and the Subaltern.” Dr. Sunder Rajan’s books, Real and Imagined Women (Routledge,1993) and The Scandal of the State (Duke UP, 2003) are widely seen to be very important interventions in the terrain of postcolonial feminist studies. Her other publications include: The Crisis of Secularism in India (co-edited with Anuradha Needham) (Duke University Press, 2007); Postcolonial Jane Austen (co-edited with You-me Park) (Routledge, 2000); Signposts: Gender Issues in Post-Independence India (Kali for Women, 1999; reprinted by Rutgers UP, 2000); (ed.) The Lie of the Land: English Literary Studies in India (Oxford UP, India, 1992). The talk is co-sponsored by English, the South Asian Studies Program, and International Programs.

Oct. 26 (Fri.), 7:00 p.m., C20 Pomerantz Center—Timothy Tyson will read from his book Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story, the 2007 selection for One Community, One Book sponsored by the UI Center for Human Rights. Mary D. Williams, a gospel singer from Raleigh, NC will sing hymns featured in the book including the title song. Blood Done Sign My Name, which won the Southern Book Award for Nonfiction and was published by Random House in 2004, tells the story of the racial and sexual tension surrounding a 1970 lynching in Tyson's hometown of Oxford, N.C.

Oct. 28 (Sun.), 5:00-6:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—Iman Humaydan Younes from Lebanon and Peter Kimani from Kenya will read from their work. They will be joined by Lucas Bernhardt, poet and Writers’ Workshop student.

Oct. 29 (Mon.), 10:00 a.m.-noon, Frank Conroy Reading Room in the Dey House—Writers' Workshop faculty member and poet Dean Young will lead a session that is part of “Between the Lines: Creative Writing Mini-Conference,” which looks at teaching creative writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will combine lecture and practice.

Oct. 29 (Mon.), 1:00-3:00 p.m., International Program Commons Room (UCC 1117)—The IWP and the Caribbean, Diaspora, & Atlantic Studies Program present "The World of Creole Languages: Thoughts from Haiti and Jamaica." Amy Curtius (Francophone Studies) and Mary Lou Emery will introduce Kei Miller, writer and editor from Jamaica, and Beaudelaine Pierre, novelist and fiction writer from Haiti.

Oct. 29 (Mon.), 1:00-3:00 p.m., Frank Conroy Reading Room in the Dey House—UC-Irvine MFA Director and fiction writer Ron Carlson will lead a session that is part of “Between the Lines: Creative Writing Mini-Conference,” which looks at teaching creative writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will combine lecture and practice.

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

Oct. 29 (Mon.), 7:30-9:00 p.m., W401 Pappajohn Business Building—"From "Votes for Women!" to Will Women Vote?" This panel discussion on women and politics explores how to get more actively involved in local and national politics. It will be moderated by Teresa Mangum and panelists will be Pat Jensen, Community Activist and League of Women Voters (speaking on "The History of the Vote and the Role of the League of Women Voters"), Erica Townsend-Bell, UI Department of Political Science, CLAS (speaking on" A Comparative Look at Women and the Vote: Global Trends and Local Realities"), Leslie Leathers, Diversity Dialogues Coordinator, Women's Resource and Action Center (speaking on "Diversity in Leadership: How Are We Doing?"), Jessica Hook, Iowa N.E.W. Leadership(tm) Coordinator, Women's Resource and Action Center (speaking on "Voting is Fine, But Why Not RUN for Office?!"), and Jean Lloyd-Jones, Former Member of the Iowa House and Senate, Founder of the Iowa Peace Institute, League of Women Voters (speaking on "Women in the [Political] Trenches"). The English Dept. is one of the sponsors of this event.

Oct. 30 (Tue.), 10:00 a.m.-noon, Gerber Lounge—Poet and teacher of writing to children Terry Hermsen will lead a session that is part of “Between the Lines: Creative Writing Mini-Conference,” which looks at teaching creative writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will combine lecture and practice.

Oct. 30 (Tue.), 1:00-3:00 p.m., Gerber Lounge—A Roundtable discussion on creative and professional writing with teachers from Playwrighting, Rhetoric, Business Writing, Medical Writing, the Writing Center and Creative Writing instructors will conclude the “Between the Lines: Creative Writing Mini-Conference,” which looks at teaching creative writing. This event is free and open to the public.

Oct. 30 (Tue.), 7:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—Spring Ulmer, a graduate student in the Nonfiction Writing Program, will read from her debut poetry collection Benjamin's Spectacles. A UI news release is here.

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.

Oct. 31 (Wed.), 7:00 p.m., Prairie Lights—Patricia Hampl, in town for the NonfictioNow Conference, will give a reading. See the reading live at the bookstore, listen live via the Writing University Web site, or listen to the broadcasts. Hour-long Iowa Public Radio "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 UI news release is here.

September 2007

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.), 4:00 p.m., 704 Jefferson Building—Harry Stecopoulos will be the speaker at the Dept. of American Studies' "Floating Friday" event. His talk is called "'Take Your Geography and Trace It': W. E. B. DuBois and the South," and a question and answer period and a reception will follow.

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.