25TH ANNIVERSARY OF BARD COLLEGE’S CONJUNCTIONS TO BE CELEBRATED WITH THREE-DAY LITERARY FESTIVAL AT BROWN UNIVERSITY Joyce Carol Oates, Jonathan Lethem, William H. Gass, and John Ashbery Among Leading Writers and Poets Taking Pa

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—For the past two–and–a–half decades, Conjunctions, the literary journal published by Bard College, has been at the forefront of innovative fiction, poetry, drama, and essays written by some of the most exciting writers of our day. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, some two dozen distinguished contemporary writers are gathering for a three-day celebration at Brown University. “Conjunctions Festival: Celebrating 25 Years” will present readings and roundtables with such renowned writers as John Barth, William H. Gass, Robert Coover, Joyce Carol Oates, John Edgar Wideman, Ann Lauterbach, Robert Kelly, Jonathan Lethem, John Ashbery, and novelist and founding editor Bradford Morrow. The festival, which is free and open to the public, is the fourth in a series of vanguard literary conferences, “Unspeakable Practices,” whose first gathering in 1988 brought together writers such as John Hawkes, William Gaddis, and Frederick Barthelme. Originally planned as a single volume festschrift in honor of New Directions publisher James Laughlin, Conjunctions quickly expanded into a semi-annual publication. From the Robert Creeley poem that opened the first volume to the unproduced film scenarios by the Brothers Quay that closed the most recent one (more than 15,000 pages later), Conjunctions has remained committed to literature willing to take chances. Writers attending the festival include Peter Gizzi, Rikki Ducornet, Shelley Jackson, Peter Straub, Rick Moody, Ben Marcus, Mary Caponegro, Rosmarie Waldrop, Carole Maso, Joanna Scott, Toby Olson, Brian Evenson, Thalia Field, among others. As the late great George Plimpton, founder and editor of The Paris Review for half a century and an early advocate of Conjunctions, said many years ago, “It is the most interesting and superbly edited literary journal founded in the last decade,” a conviction that holds true for writers and readers around the world today. “For 25 years Conjunctions has been a leader in bringing innovative writing to its readers,” said Bard College President Leon Botstein. “Bard, which throughout its history has been home to some of the world’s great writers, is fortunate to have been home to this prestigious journal for much of its life. We are gratified to be the publisher of this important literary journal, which has proven, year after year, to be an invaluable asset to the College, our students, its readers, and the literary world.” Conjunctions is published twice yearly by Bard College. To order copies, call the Conjunctions office at 845-758-1539 or write to Conjunctions, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000. Visit the Conjunctions website at www.conjunctions.com. Program: Conjunctions Festival: Celebrating 25 Years Brown University, October 5–7, 2006 Thursday, October 5 8:00 p.m. Poetry Reading: John Ashbery, Ann Lauterbach, Robert Kelly, Peter Gizzi, and Rosmarie Waldrop (101 Salomon) Friday, October 6 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: “Finding a Form, Breaking the Boundaries of Genre Innovation in Contemporary Literature” Rikki Ducornet (moderator), Robert Kelly, Ann Lauterbach, Shelley Jackson, Peter Gizzi, and others (McCormack Theater) 2:00 p.m. Afternoon Reading: Rikki Ducornet, Jonathan Lethem, Shelley Jackson, Peter Straub, and Rick Moody (101 Salomon) 8:00 p.m. Evening Reading: John Barth, Joyce Carol Oates, William H. Gass, Robert Coover, and John Edgar Wideman. Introduced by Bradford Morrow (101 Salomon) Saturday, October 7 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: “Still Lost in the Funhouse: Keeping a Darkened Carnival Lit, Literature and the Contemporary World” William H. Gass (moderator), Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Moody, Jonathan Lethem, Peter Straub, and others (McCormack Theater) 2:00 p.m. Afternoon Reading: Joanna Scott, Ben Marcus, Mary Caponegro, Bradford Morrow (101 Salomon) 8:00 p.m. “The Circus,” open-mic reading: Toby Olson, Jonathan Baumbach, and many others (101 Salomon) # # # (9.20.06)

Website: https://www.conjunctions.com

This event was last updated on 10-10-2006

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