Bard Reading Initiative Hosts “The Way We Read Now” Conference on April 21

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Bard College will host its inaugural Bard Reading Initiative (BRI) conference on April 21, 2023. This conference, “The Way We Read Now,” considers how we read, teach, and imagine new worlds through books and stories in the digital age. Taking place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Resnick Studio, Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard, the event features guest speakers Naomi Baron, professor emerita of linguistics in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at American University, and Maryanne Wolf, director at the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA. Conference registration is required for attendance. To register please use the following link: bard.edu/doc/bri-conference/ 
 
The conference will also include morning and afternoon break out sessions and a complimentary buffet lunch, followed by a panel discussion with Daniel Mendelsohn, Charles Ranlett Flint professor of humanities at Bard, Dinaw Mengestu, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur professor of the humanities, and Francine Prose, distinguished writer in residence. 
 
In these lectures and discussions, speakers and participants will explore core questions about the way we read today: What it means to be a reader in a world saturated with networks and notifications, what forms of attention we employ in personal and social acts of reading, and what role colleges can play in cultivating deep engagement with—and reflection on—evolving technologies of reading. 
 
This conference is made possible by the support of the Bard Reading Initiative, the Office of the Dean of the College, and an anonymous donor.

About the Guest Speakers
 
Naomi Baron is professor emerita of linguistics in the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences at American University. A former Guggenheim Fellow, Fulbright Fellow, Fulbright Specialist, and Visiting Scholar at the Stanford Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, she has published nine books, including How We Read Now: Strategic Choices for Print, Screen, and Audio. Baron's current research is on artificial intelligence and writing. 
 
Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, teacher, and advocate for children and literacy around the world. She is the Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Previously, she was the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. She is the author of multiple books, including Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World.
   
About the Bard Reading Initiative
The Bard Reading Initiative (BRI) was launched in the spring of 2017. Dedicated to intensive study, investigation, and innovation, BRI has undertaken its mission with the support of a deeply committed anonymous donor dedicated to the proposition that Bard can make a difference by fostering a culture of reading not only among undergraduates studying in Annandale-on-Hudson but also among diverse populations across higher education in the U.S. and beyond.  One of the group’s goals is to find a way to extend this conversation into the K-12 teaching community that is part of Bard—the Bard High School Early Colleges, the partner districts of the Masters of Arts in Teaching Program and Institute for Writing and Thinking—around the simple question: How do I teach/read a novel when everyone is on the phone? BRI brings together faculty from the humanities and the sciences to consider how both neuroscience and digital liberal arts can and should inform pedagogical practice in the classroom.
 
About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in more than 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 13 programs; eight early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
   

This event was last updated on 03-27-2023

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