The Writing Life
Emilio DeGrazia
Saturday, April 27, 2019 - 10:00am to 11:30am
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419
As someone who has been an active writer for more than half a century, I have benefited from the prestige and authority conferred on the general culture by the invention of the printing press. Since that time books have had a short 500-year run, and a mixed success, as cultural influences. While the book’s influence seems to be in decline since the advent of the digital age, we ironically have more books being published today than at any other time in history. What roles do contemporary writers now fulfill, and how should a “serious” writer define this role? I hope to address these issues from my own pers
For those who are wondering what poetry truly is, Evelyn Klein will examine its nature, perspectives, and renditions as they developed over the centuries. She will answer the question of whether it is rhyme and meter or anything the writer wants to express. From Aristotle to Carl Jung, from Greek philosophers to modern thinkers, she will shed light on the literary form that has some modern readers mystified. Brief examples of poetry from Chaucer to Billy Collins will shed light on the discussion. 
We will introduce our new book, Scholars without Walls: The History of the Minnesota Independent Scholars' Forum. The book, which will be available for purchase at this event, tells how a group of unemployed academics became a current-day organization with monthly meetings, study groups, a regular newsletter, and fiscal agency assistance. In addition to a history of the organization, this new book includes examples of writing by independent scholars—on subjects from health insurance to history.