DHS English Department Literary Festival

I’m very excited to have the opportunity to organize the first DHS English Department Literary Festival.  On April 15th we will host 4 authors / speakers who will share their talents with our students and teachers.  Li-Young Lee will read from his poetry; Owen Youngman will share his vast experience in publishing and expertise in web communication; Kevin Coval’s poetry and performance of it have been seen everywhere from MTV to Chicago stages; and Billy Lombardo’s book “The Logic of a Rose” was named one of the best of Chicago for 2005, and his new novel (in stories), “How to Hold a Woman, will come out in June.   Planning this makes me miss the Sofer workshop for Jewish writers I ran at OSRUI for a few years (hopefully it will return soon!).  Contacting writers, talking with them about their work, and helping them to connect with a new audience in an educational environment is exciting and makes me want to write more – and with the summer coming, it just might be possible.  It also reminds me of my days at the chair of Major Attractions at Duke, when I was able to book bands for shows from outdoor festivals to the basketball stadium.  There’s something special about doing all of the legwork then watching the lights go out or the speaker start – in a personal sense it’s like watching my cd or book shelf come to life – in a broader sense it’s the energy that comes from working hard at something for others to enjoy.