Books of Place and the Cartography of the Self
ISU Alumni Writers Roundtable
Monday, 18 Feb 2008 at 10:15 am – Pioneer Room, Memorial Union
Four writers discussed their latest publications and explore both the physical and intellectual landscapes of their books - how and where the books were written as well as what effect setting or place has on character, persona, metaphors and imagery. Participating writers include Neelika Jayawardane, Deborah Holten, Michael McDermott, and Cristina Eisenberg. Following the roundtable, the writers will offer breakout discussion groups on various aspects of the process of writing. Part of the 4th Annual Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination and the Iowa State 150th Anniversary Alumni Lecture Series.Due to a blizzard and dangerous road conditions, ISU alums Anna Leahy, Linda Morganstein, and Richard Solly were unable to participate in this event as originally scheduled.
This lecture was made possible in part by the generosity of F. Wendell Miller, who left his entire estate jointly to Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. Mr. Miller, who died in 1995 at age 97, was born in Altoona, Illinois, grew up in Rockwell City, graduated from Grinnell College and Harvard Law School and practiced law in Des Moines and Chicago before returning to Rockwell City to manage his family's farm holdings and to practice law. His will helped to establish the F. Wendell Miller Trust, the annual earnings on which, in part, helped to support this activity.
Cosponsored By:
- Bioethics Program
- College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology
- English
- Environmental Studies Program
- Geological & Atmospheric Sciences
- LAS Miller Lecture Fund
- Landscape Architecture
- Natural Resource Ecology Management
- Philosophy and Religious Studies
- Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture
- Writers' Bloc
- Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.
Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.
Lecture Etiquette
- Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
- Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
- Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
- Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.