Food, wine and literature: Few things in life are so good.
In celebration of the exhibit of the literary journal, Conjunctions, editors Bradford Morrow and William Gass will visit Ohio State tonight and tomorrow afternoon.
The Conjunctions exhibit, which runs Jan. 10 to March 1, is located in the Philip Sills exhibit hall in the Main Library. The biannual literary journal, founded by Bradford Morrow in 1981, showcases fiction, nonfiction and poetry from contemporary American writers.
“(Conjunctions) is known almost immediately as a very hot, new magazine that publishes intellectual work and experimental work,” said Kathy Fagan, director of OSU’s creative writing program.
The receptions will be held at 6 p.m. tomorrow in the Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave., and 2 p.m. Friday afternoon in room 122 of the Main Library. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served at the colloquium tomorrow night along with readings from works-in-progress, and a question-and-answer session, said James Smith, assistant curator with the rare books and manuscripts of the Main Library.
Smith added that the receptions will be informal to promote as much “human-to-human interaction” as possible. Friday afternoon’s session will have the same format, but without the food and wine elements.
Smith and his colleague, Geoff Smith (of no relation), have been planning this event since last summer and made sure to place themselves on the schedules of Morrow and Gass “nice and early,” he said.
For good reason, Morrow and Gass are not just ordinary novelists.
“In the literary world, these two are shining lights,” Fagan said.
Aside from initiating Conjunctions, Morrow has written many books, essays and letters. He is a great editor and renowned contemporary novelist who “has a scholar’s command of the history of 20th century American literature,” said Steve Kuusisto, assistant professor of English.
“Bradford Morrow is a guy who’s really interested in promoting good writing and … preserving good writing,” Kuusisto said.
Gass will be alongside Morrow in this week’s colloquim as well. Gass is the associate editor of Conjunctions, but is more widely known for the philosophical seasoning he adds to his literature. He writes deep and thought-provoking work about the nature of language and how it is perceived, Kuusisto said.
