Writers@Grinnell to host feminist author Adrienne Rich
Grinnell College's Writers@Grinnell program will open Sept. 11 with a year-long schedule of readings and presentations by prominent writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and translations, including renowned feminist author Adrienne Rich.
Rich, who has published more than 20 volumes of poetry and prose, will present a Scholars' Convocation as this year's Distinguished Author on Thurs., Sept. 25 at 11 a.m. in Herrick Chapel on the Grinnell campus. First published in 1951, Rich emerged in mid-career as a feminist poet when her work began to express social and political commitment, providing a voice for the oppressed.
Now recognized as one of the world's most important political poets, Rich's acclaimed work includes the controversial "Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution;" the politically charged "World Patience Has Taken Me This Far;" and the socially conscious "Atlas of the Difficult World." In 2009 she will publish a new collection of essays and a book of new and selected poetry. Her honors and awards include the Fund for Human Dignity Award of the National Gay Task Force, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry, the National Book Award, the Poet's Prize, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Dorothea Tanning Prize of the Academy of American Poets.
Rich will hold a book signing at 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 24 in the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, Room 101.
On Sept. 11, Des Moines author John Domini, a lecturer in English at Grinnell, will read from his fiction on at 8 p.m. in the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center. Domini has won awards for his three novels and two books of stories. In 2009, he will publish his first collection of nonfiction, "Sea God's Herb," and "Books and Rough Business," a translation of Tullio Pironti's memoir.
The Writers@Grinnell program brings to campus accomplished writers from around the country to take part in Grinnell's ongoing conversation about the art and importance of writing. The series will continue in October and November with readings by literary review editors Steve Kuusisto, Jim Crenner, and David Weiss (Oct. 2); Latino poet Francisco Aragon (Oct. 9); fiction writer Montserrat Fontes (Nov. 6); and Grinnell graduate and poet Matthew Brennan (Nov. 13).
All Writers@Grinnell events will be held in the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, 1115 8th Ave., on the Grinnell College campus unless otherwise noted.
Photo credit: Adrienne Rich by Lilian Kemp
