New Publications and Productions

Rick Barney’s essay “Between Swift and Kafka: Animals and Politics of J.M. Coezee’s Elusive Fiction” was published in World Literature Today, (January-April 2004) 17-23.

Jeff Berman’s new book, Empathic Teaching:Education for Life, has been accepted for publication. It’s the final volume of a series that includes Diaries to an English Professor (1994), Surviving Literary Suicide (1999), and Risky Writing, all published by the University of Massachusetts Press. Excerpts of the book have appeared or will be appearing in several newspapers and journals, including the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Gareth Griffith’s recent publications include: Disputed Territories: Land, Culture and Identity in Settler Societies ed. David Trigger and Gareth Griffiths, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong, 2003, pp. 321 ISBN hb 962 209 648, pb 962 209 692. “This book of essays arose from a year-long program undertaken in 2000 by the editors at the University of Western Australia. Disputed Territories investigates the significance of land for contesting cultural identities in comparable settler societies. In the regions of Australasia and Southern Africa European visions of landscape and nature have engaged with southern hemisphere environments and the cultures of indigenous peoples. Amid conflicts over land as a material resource there has also been an intellectual contest over the aesthetic, iconic and cultural meanings of natural forms and species. The collection contains work by eminent international scholars in the disciplines of anthropology, cultural geography, history and literary studies. This combination of diverse methods and theoretical approaches establishes the ways that land and nature constitute disputed territories in the mind, as well as material resources subject to pragmatic negotiations.” “This is an excellent collection which substantially advances the field of comparative studies of land, culture and identity in settler societies” Terence Ranger, Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, Oxford University.

Mike Hill has a new book After Whiteness: Unmaking an American Majority (New York University Press: 2004).

An interview with Rosemary Hennessy will be published in the spring Special Issue of the online journal Meghbarta on Imperialism and US Imperialism (www.meghbarta.org).

In November 03, A Nomad Poetics by Pierre Joris was published by Wesleyan University Press. For more details check out http://albany.edu~joris/nomadpo.html. At this time also, Duration Press published a chap book of Pierre’s poems: Permanent Diaspora. Gotohttp://www.durationpress.com/pages/durationseries.htm. In April 2004, Green Integer will publish 3 volumes of Pierre’s Paul Celan Translations. Find more details on http: // www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931243751/. In May 2004, Exact Change will bring out PABLO PICASSO: The Burial of the Count of Orgaz & Other Poems. Edited with Introductions by Jerome Rothenberg & Pierre Joris. Details can be found on http://www.exactchange.com/frame/ecframe.html.

Two members of the English Department have work in the current issue of the Paris Review, William Kennedy’s play In The System [tech play] and Judith Johnson’s poem “Magna Mater” (# 1 in “The Nietzche Sequence”).

Edward Schwarzschild’s short story “No Rest for the Middleman,” won the Moment Magazine / Karma Foundation Short Fiction Prize and was published in the October 2003 issue of Moment Magazine. “ Also, Ed’s short story entitled “Wolinsky’s Resort,” was re-printed in the second edition of the writing textbook called WHAT IF?

Edward Schwarzschild (continued)

WRITING EXERCISES FOR FICTION WRITERS, edited by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, published by Pearson/Longman, 2004.

Kathleen Thornton’s article “Bridging the Gap: or How I Learned to Use Their World to Get to Ours,” was published in the Arizona English Bulletin (Summer 2003) and reprinted in NCTE issue of Classroom Notes Plus (October 2003). Her article “In My Mind’s Eye: Visualizing Shakespeare”, is in the Arizona English Bulletin.

Lynne Tillman’s recently published articles are:

“Give Us Some Dirt” in Bald Ego, NY: Vol 1, 2 (Fall 2003) 52-3.

“A New Chapter of Nan Goldin’s Diary,” in The Sunday New York Times, Arts and Leisure 11,16 (2003) pp 15-16

Mary Valentis worked on The Technology Plays, produced in collaboration with Capital Repertory Theatre and Apple Computer, funded in part by the Woodrow Wilson “Imagining America” National Public Scholarship Program. The plays attracted large and diverse audiences as well as the national press. The project brings players and audience members together in a series of short interactive plays that explore the complex relations between humans and machines. This unique aesthetic and educational project features commissioned plays by Pulitzer-prize winning author William Kennedy and international playwright and television writer Richard Dresser (“The Education of Max Bickford”). The New York Times Magazine included the Technology Plays in their annual roundup of the most innovative ideas of 2003.

Matchbook, a new book, by David Wills has been accepted for publishing by Stanford University Press.

Filming has begun on the PBS biographies of Marietta Holley, with Kate Winter scripting and appearing in the videos. Funded by the New York State Council on the Arts and corporate sponsors, the Holley project will produce two videos, one for one hour programming and a 26 minute one for classroom use. Both will be for sale through PBS. Last year, Holley made the short list of candidates for the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and with the support of legislators this year, we have hopes that she will in fact be inducted in 2004.

Presentations

Rick Barney’s conference activities include:

“Kings, Things, and the Pastoral Urbanity of Anne Finch’s Poetry.” Modern Language Association Convention, San Diego, December 2003.

“The Maieutic Sublime: James Thomson and the Poetics of Make (Re) Production.” Group for Early Modern Studies Conference, Newport Beach, CA, October 2003.

“The Borders and Boundaries of Early Modern Fiction.” International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Convention, Los Angeles, August 2003.

Rick also gave a talk on Tuesday, March 2nd sponsored by the English Graduate Student Organization entitled “Anamorphosis, Sublime Poetry and the Political Drive of Early Modern Subjectivity”. This talk is drawn from Professor Barney’s book - in-progress entitled The Corporeal Sublime, which examines the relation between 18th century anatomy and physiology and contemporaneous representations of the sublime in philosophy and literature. Drawing on recent psychoanalytic theories of the gaze, his lecture looked specifically at how the discourse of the sublime contributed toward the articulation of a “modern” individual identity in early 18th century poetry. It also addressed the implications of this development for current critical theory, discussing particularly the work of Slavoj Zizek.

Jeff Berman was a keynote speaker at a February conference on psychoanalysis and narrative medicine at the University of Florida.

Rosemary Hennessy presented a paper “Terror, Sexuality, Value” at the Modern Language Association Conference in December in San Diego. She also presented a paper on “Value and Labor in the Changing Ambiente of the Maquiladoras” at the Marxism on the World Stage Conference in November, Amherst MA.

Mike Hill was the featured speaker presenting “Beyond Black and White at NYU,” for Black History Month at New York University on Feb. 26th.

Kate Winter presented a paper at the 14th North American Interdisciplinary Conference: Environment and Community, February 18-21. Her paper, in the panel “Literature and Regional Identity,” was “Literary Learning: Teaching Aloha for the Aina.” Kate also moderated a panel on “Literature and the Environment” at the conference.

Announcements

Patricia R. Dyjak has just received notice from the manuscript committee that she has been selected to read her poetry at the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) conference in June, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as part of a creative writing component.

The New York State Writers Institute will present the New York State Author/State Poet Awards Ceremony & Joint Reading Thursday, March 4th, 7:30 pm at Page Hall. Selected recipients of the awards are Russell Banks, State Author, and Billy Collins, State Poet.

Sigma Tau Delta continues to have media sales-. books, videos and CDs for only a dollar. Look for their tables in the Campus Center between 9 and 3 pm.

During the Fall semester, Sigma Tau Delta inducted 17 new members in a ceremony attended by faculty, parents and friends. Bill Rainbolt and Rosemary Hennessy spoke to the group. Spring recruitment is on-going, so anyone who has a likely candidate in class is asked to mention STD and encourage the student to apply. The Honor Society hosted its fall “Take A Teacher to Tea” event, completed two successful book sales, and offered improv valentines for sale in February. Six members submitted a panel proposal for the National Conference in March and were accepted.

Jawbone continues to be a bi-monthly event where graduate students read and perform their creative work in a downtown venue. In the past few years, it has moved from an afternoon on-campus series to an early evening pizza party in coffee shops and bars in the Lark Street area. Each year one or two graduate students volunteer to coordinate Jawbone, and in the past a writer’s group has met on alternate Fridays as an outgrowth of the series. Past events have also included the participation of some of our faculty writers, including Judy Johnson, Don Byrd, Pierre Joris, and Douglas Glover.

Jawbone’s next event will be on Friday, March 5, at 6 pm, sharing an evening of poetry and fiction given by Mark Daley and Deveshe Dutt at the Fuze Box (on Central Avenue, near Lark Street). Free pizza! All are welcome!! See you there!! Please come and support our English graduate students! For additional information contact Shirlee Dufort at ShirleeD14@aol.com or Jenn Marlow at jmweqe@albany.edu.

An official call for nominations for Annual Presidential Awards for Undergraduate Research has been announced. Nominations are due by March 15, 2004. The College has been allocated fifteen (15) Presidential Awards for Undergraduate Research and they carry an honorarium of $100. Selection of candidates is based on a major paper or project produced in conjunction with a course or independent study under the direction of a University at Albany faculty member. To be eligible a full-time junior or senior in good academic standing with a project or paper initiated after May 2003 and completed by May 14, 2004. Nominations should be submitted to Helen Elam.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Eric Keenaghan will discuss the “Unexceptional and Unboundaried, Too: New Americanism, Transnationalism, and that Queer thing Called Art” on Thursday, March 4 in Humanities 354 from 1:00-2:20 pm His presentation is part of “The New Humanities” series which is organized in conjunction with the English Honors Seminar on literary and cultural studies. There will be an open discussion after the lecture. The lecture and discussion are open to the public.

Initiatives in Teaching is a series of afternoon conversations for English faculty and teaching assistants dealing with the topic of student work. The first meeting is Friday, March 5 at 3:00 pm (future meetings dates are Friday, March 19 and Friday, April 23 from 3:00-5:00 pm). The meeting place has been changed to HU 290.

The Performing Arts Center of University at Albany Theatre Department will be presenting All in the Timing by David Ives and directed by

Upcoming Meetings & Events (continued)

Samuel Buggeln on March 12-13 at 8 pm, March 14 at 3 pm and March 17-20 at 8 pm.

Also, on Friday, March 5th, 7:30 pm at Page Hall, The Writers Institute’s Classic Film Series presents THE GLEANERS AND I.

Lucille Clifton will be presenting a poetry reading for The Sage Colleges Annual Carol Ann Donahue Poetry Reading. It will take place on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 at 7:30 pm at Russell Sage College at Goldberg Auditorium, Bush Memorial Center at the Corner of First & Congress Streets in Troy, NY.

Conferences and Workshops

Please remind your classes: “Words Without Walls,” the first regional undergraduate creative writing conference will take place, Saturday, March 6, Humanities Bldg. uptown campus. Sponsored by UAlbany Writing Center, the Russell Sage Writing Studio, and RPI, the day-long conference will include writing and performance workshops, panel discussions and an open mic. For more information, a registration form, a complete schedule and list of workshop leaders and presenters, check:

www.albany.edu /writing/conference 2004.

Tara Needham, first year Ph.D student, will present a two-day workshop in April on the cultural history and creation of ‘zines at the Inkberry Literary Center in North Adams, MA. The workshop is targeted high school students. Tara wrote and published the grrlzine Cupsize in a former but not too distant life.

The San Juan Workshops are held every summer in Ouray, Colorado, the Switzerland of America. In this cozy mountain village, everything is within walking-distance, including the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, Cascade Falls, the local movie theater in the historical Wright Opera House, several fine restaurants, lodging, and the Community Center where workshop events take place. This year they are scheduled to take place on July 10-18, 2004. Faculty for 2004 include: Ellen Bass, Robert Olen Butler, Scott Cairns, Dennis Covington, Lee Gutkind, Li-Young Lee, Lee Martin, Melanie Rae Thon, Susan Vreeland. The goal of the San Juan Workshops is to remove writers from the hectic pace of everyday life and give them the inspiration, space, and quiet to attend to their writing. For more information or to register online, visit our website: www.homepage.mac.com/inkwellliterary. or email inkwellliterary@mac.com. Or phone: (806) 438-2385.

Faculty News

Judith Fetterley has officially retired as of January 1, 2004. A function honoring her years of service to the English Department will be announced.

Lydia Davis was the recent recipient of a Mac Arthur Award.

An article appeared recently in UAlbany Outreach, focusing on arts and humanities, in appreciation of Martha Rozett’s involvement in designing the program for youth at the Capital Repertory.

Martha served as a judge for the English Speaking Union’s annual Shakespeare Competition (Capital District Chapter) held February 28. She also delivered a lecture on February 29,Congregation B’nai Shalom on “Shephardic and Askenazi Jews in Conflict” in the novel Journey to the End of Millennium.

The University at Albany English Department Newsletter is edited by Connie Barrett. E-mail items of interest to Connie at cbarrett@albany.edu