Rare Books and Manuscripts Library

August 19-21                                                                                                                

Thompson Library
1858 Neil Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210

AN INTERNATIONAL AVANT WRITING SYMPOSIUM

In Memoriam Thomas L. Taylor

This August 19-21, the Thompson Library will be invaded by an exciting horde of writers, scholars, artists, and others for the 2nd Avant Writing Symposium.  There will be some 50 presentations, performances, papers, readings, installations, exhibits, and other events, and an untold number of observers, fans, scholars, and kibitzers.  Sponsored by The Avant Writing Collection and the Rare Books & MSS Library, with additional support from The Department of Spanish & Portuguese and The Center for Latin American Studies, the attendees and presenters will come from all over the United States, Latin America, and elsewhere.  All with a focus on various of the Avant Gardes active in the world today, primarily those using language in some form or other.  Events will take place in the Thompson Library, at OSU’s Urban Arts Space, and at Skylab in downtown Columbus.   In addition to the presentations and performances, there will be exhibits in the Thompson Library, and at Skylab, and a room dedicated to continual presentations of electronic and digital poetry and literature.

The previous Symposium, in 2002, was a huge success, and is still being talked about.  So if you want to learn about literary innovation and experimentation, avant garde writing, electronic and digital literature, multi-lingualism, visual poetry, performance poetry, Fluxus poetry and texts, collaborative writing, sound poetry, international networking, artist´s books, cut-up text, concrete poetry, found poetry, mail art, video poetry, and much much more, this is your opportunity.

For complete schedule and poster please see: http://library.osu.edu/find/collections/rarebooks/RBMSnews/avant-symposium/

Thursday August 19
8 AM – 5 PM, Thompson Library
Presentations and installations

7 – 8 PM, OSU Urban Arts Space
50 W. Town St. (downtown)
Be Blank Consort

Friday August 20
8 AM – 5 PM, Thompson Library
Presentations and installations

5-7 PM, 11th floor, Thompson Library
Award Reception

Saturday August 21
8 AM – 5 PM, Thompson Library
Presentations and installations

8 PM – 10 PM, Skylab
57 E. Gay St. (downtown)
Collaboration festival, performances, visual poetry exhibit

Sponsored by:

• The Ohio State University
• The Avant Writing Collection
• The Rare Books & MSS Library
• The Thompson Library
• The Department of Spanish & Portuguese
• The Center for Latin American Studies
• Skylab Gallery
• OSU Urban Arts Space/The Larry Marotta Hour

Curated by John M. Bennett

Registration fee is $30 US.  Pay by credit card on-line at: http://library.osu.edu/sites/rarebooks/orderform.php, using invoice no. 100; or pay at the door by check or cash (no credit cards accepted  at door)

Contact John M. Bennett for further information, registration and hotel information, and/or to be added to an email information list.  Bennett.23@osu.edu or 614-292-3029.

We would like to call your attention to two upcoming lectures on campus:

• Erika Bourguigon, OSU emeritus professor of Anthropology, will speak at 4 PM on Tuesday, April 22 on “Ecstasy, Collective Joy, Possession and Exorcism, or the Uses and Abuses of Anthropology.”  Hosted by the Center for Folklore Studies, the lecture will be held in 311 Denney Hall.  For more information see the Center’s Special Events page.   (The topic is directly related to her work done in Haiti.  Photos taken by Paul Bourguigon while the Bourguignons were in Haiti in the 1940s were highlighted in our posting of February 27, 2008.)
• The Department of Anthroplogy will be offering the annual Paul H. and Erika Bourguignon Lecture in Art and Anthroplogy on Thursday, May 15, 6-7 PM, in room 002 of the Psychology Building.  William Saturno, assistant professor of archaeology, Boston University, will present “Painted Walls, Sacred Stories: Art and Myth of the Early Maya Kings.” 

Frederic Tuten, noted novelist and teacher of creative writing, will be visiting Ohio State the first week of May (details to come later). Mr. Tuten’s literary archives are part of the Contemporary American Literary Manuscripts of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library. As noted, details about the visit will be forthcoming. In the meantime, you can view Mr. Tuten’s career at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Tuten .