Fall Semester Events Hosted by the Libraries

Come join us for Wednesday Nights @ Burling, a series of events that showcase the talents of local writers, singers, and musicians!

September 10, Wednesday night at 7:45pm—Jeff Dickey-Chasins will read from his latest works of fiction. J.C. Dickey-Chasins’ stories have appeared in Lullwater Review, The North Atlantic Review, The Apalachee Review, The Portland Review, Gulfstream, Emrys Journal, 580 Split, Lumina, Taproot, Owen Wister Review, and other publications. He is a 1981 graduate of Grinnell College and has studied with Lee Abbott, Adam Haslett, and Thomas Averill. Refreshments will be served.
Location: first floor, Burling Library


October 1, Wednesday night at 7:45pm—co-hosted with the Faulconer Gallery—Open Mic night for fiction, poetry, and music. Join the Grinnell College Libraries and the Faulconer Art Gallery for an evening of literature and music. Read from your own poetry and fiction or that of a favorite author or poet; perform music that you've written yourself or any piece that you've been working on. Share your literary and musical passion in a beautiful setting with other members of the college and the community of Grinnell. Come early for refreshments. If you have questions or want more information, contact Tilly Woodward [woodward] or Liz Rodrigues [rodrigel].
Location: Faulconer Gallery

October 29, Wednesday night at 7:45pm—Tom Simmons will be reading from his forthcoming collection of poetry, One Book of Poems. Simmons studied the writing of poetry at Stanford University with Diane Middlebrook, Timothy Dekin, Kenneth Fields, Donald Davie, and Henri Coulette and received a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Creative Writing in 1978-1979. He is also the author of several works of nonfiction and literary criticism. Having previously taught at Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, and Grinnell College, he is currently Associate Professor of English at the University of Iowa and lives with his family in Grinnell. Refreshments will be served.
Location: first floor, Burling Library

November 19, Wednesday night at 7:45pm—co-hosted with the Faulconer Gallery—Open Mic night for fiction, poetry, and music. Join the Grinnell College Libraries and the Faulconer Art Gallery for an evening of literature and music. Read from your own poetry and fiction or that of a favorite author or poet; perform music that you've written yourself or any piece that you've been working on. Share your literary and musical passion in a beautiful setting with other members of the college and the community of Grinnell. Come early for refreshments. If you have questions or want more information, contact Tilly Woodward [woodward] or Liz Rodrigues [rodrigel].
Location: Faulconer Gallery

December 3, Wednesday night at 7:45pm—The students of Khanh Ho's Fiction Writing Seminar will read from the work they have been writing throughout the semester. Come enjoy the results of their creative efforts and provide them with an attentive audience. Refreshments will be served. Location: first floor, Burling Library

Vending machine in Burling now takes P-cards!

A vending machine with a variety of cold drinks is located on the Basement level of Burling by the elevator and now takes P-cards! Please keep your beverage container tightly capped to prevent spills in the library -- and please remember to recycle empty containers. Hot water and free tea bags will continue to be available throughout the year on Level 1 (bring your own mug -- it's better for the environment!). During finals week, we'll also serve free coffee each evening.

Re-Discovering Roots

“Re-Discovering Roots,” a series of programs related to the history-making miniseries, Roots, will be presented on the Grinnell College campus between September 19th and 28th. The presentations are designed to examine the miniseries both from its impact when it premiered in 1977 and its relevance today.

“Remembering Race, Turning to Television,” presented by Grinnell College English Department professor Theresa L. Geller, will open the programs on Friday, September 19, at 4:15 p.m. in the Forum South Lounge. Professor Geller will explore how televisual culture has represented Black America and the continuing challenge of understanding these representations as well as discuss the continuing affects and impact of Roots on television today and what led up to its historical intervention.

Roots will be shown in six episodes from Sunday, September 21, through Friday, September 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Forum South Lounge. Immediately following each showing, a presenter will lead a 20-30 minute discussion of the miniseries from a perspective related to his/her area of specialization. The presenters are:

Sun., Sept. 21 (Episode 1) –Roger Vetter, Grinnell College Music Dept.
Mon., Sept. 22 (Episode 2) –Khanh Ho, Grinnell College English Dept.
Tue., Sept. 23 (Episode 3) –Al Lacson, Grinnell College History Dept.
Wed., Sept. 24 (Episode 4) –Todd Crites, Grinnell High School Social Sciences Dept.
Thu., Sept. 25 (Episode 5) –George Barlow, Grinnell College English Dept.
Fri., Sept. 26 (Episode 6) –Shanna Benjamin, Grinnell College English Dept.

Episodes 1-3 will be repeated on Saturday, September 27, beginning at 1:00 p.m, and Episodes 4-6 will be repeated on Sunday, September 28, beginning at 3:00 p.m. All showings will be held in the Forum South Lounge.

Because Episode One contains brief nudity and there is intense violence in several scenes throughout the miniseries, parental discretion is advised for the showings.

The closing program, “Roots Reactions, 1977 and Today” will feature panelists Lisa Adkins, Jon Andelson, Waldo Walker of the Grinnell College community who will discuss their recollections of Roots when it premiered in 1977. There will also be an “open-mike” discussion of reactions from today’s point-of-view, with perspective from licensed master social worker Chelyne Cunningham. This program will be held on Sunday, September 28th, at 2:00 p.m. in Burling Library.

In addition to the scheduled programs, the Grinnell College Libraries are organizing a variety of displays related to Roots. There is a selection of books on the economics of slavery now on display on the first floor of Burling Library. A list of a few recordings from the Libraries’ video and compact disc collections has been compiled under, “African-American Influences in Music,” which is available in Burling Library’s Listening Room and online at http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/collections/RootsRelatedFilm-CDList.pdf. Special Collections will soon place a display of materials on life in the Grinnell community at the time of the 1977 miniseries premiere. Their display cases are located on the basement level of Burling Library.

The programs, sponsored by the Grinnell College Libraries, Student Government Association Films Committee, and Cultural Films Committee, are all free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at each event. For more information, please call Randye Jones 641-269-3365 or email jonesran@grinnell.edu.