2012-2013 Academic Year
Ludwig Laher Apr. 30, 2013
Austrian author Ludwig Laher presented "Literature, History and Civic Engagement: The Novel ´Heart Flesh Degeneration' and its Austrian Environment," at the College of Saint Benedict on Tuesday, April 30th, 2013. The presentation covered his research on a Work Education Camp set up by the Nazi's near Salzburg Austria, in 1940.
Avivah Zornberg Apr. 17-18, 2013
Avivah Zornberg, one of the most captivating teachers of the Torah, and author of The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on Genesis, presented an analysis of the narrative of Joseph's dreams through the lens of literature, film, and psychoanalytical thought. Her presentation exposed the complex interplay between conscious and unconscious levels of experience and reiterated the narrative's message about what it means to be human. Her presentation was held at the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday, April 17, 2013
In a second presentation, Zornberg drew on midrashic and Hasidic sources as well as on philisophical and psychoanalytical thinking to explore the nature of Moses' speech inhibition and explain why she considers this to be a pivotal issue in the Exodus narrative. The event was moderated by Krista Tippet, host of American Public Radio's "On Being." The event was held Thursday, April 18, 2013.
John Thavis Apr. 4, 2013
John Thavis's book The Vatican Diaries gives a behind-the-scenes look at the power, personalities, and politics at the heart of the Catholic Church. Thavis, a Saint John's alumnus, is the former bureau chief of the Catholic News Service in Rome and is the recipient of the Francis de Sales Award, considered the highest honor in the Catholic press. He has written extensively on religious affairs in Europe and the Middle East and earned awards for his reporting on wars in the Balkans. He recently returned to the Untied States, and now lives in Bemidji, MN. His reading at Saint John's University was held April 4, 2013.
Marie Howe Mar. 16-19, 2013
Marie Howe has released three books of poetry. Her first book, The Good Thief, earned the 1987 Open Competition of the National Poetry Series. Other honors include the National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Fellowships. She was in residency at the the College of Saint Benedict from March 16-19, 2013.
Diane Ackerman Feb. 8, 2013
Poet, essayist, and naturalist, Diana Ackerman has published two dozen works of nonfiction and poetry, which include the best-selling A Natural History of the Sense. Her book, One Hundred Names for Love, was among the finalists for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critic's Circle Award. Ackerman's reading on February 8, 2013 was a co-sponsored event between LAI and the CSB Fine Arts Programming.
Deborah Baker Dec. 6, 2012
Deborah Baker received the 2012 Sister Mariella Gable Prize for The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism. On December 5, 2012, she came to the College of Saint Benedict, where she visited classes and gave a public reading that night. In addition, the College of Saint Benedict Literary Arts Institute (LAI) sponsored a reading at Common Good Books on December 6, 2012. Baker appeared at these events as part of the Warner Reading Series through a generous grant from the Manitou Fund.
Geoff Dyer Nov. 18, 2012
British writer Geoff Dyer was in residence at the College of Saint Benedict from November 18-20. At the November 18, 2012 screening of Stalker, he provided insight on the Andrei Tarkovski film on which he based his book, Zona. Dyer read some essays from his additional works at the well-attended reading the next night.
Katherine A. Powers Oct. 22, 2012
On Tuesday, October 22, Katherine A. Powers read from Suitable Accommodations: An Autobiographical Story of Family Life: The Letters of J. F. Powers, 1942-1963. Powers edited this collection of her father's letters published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
A writer, editor, and eldest daughter of J.F. Powers, she sat down with Luke Mancuso (Associate Professor of English) in a video interview about her widely-praised book, that was published in the fall of 2013. Her book, Suitable Accommodations: An Autobiographical Story of Family Life: The Letters of J. F. Powers, is a collection of edited letters from her father that are compiled to show the true essence of J.F. Powers as a writer, an unorthodox Catholic, and a family man. These letters show the undiscovered side of Powers. J.F. Powers (1917-99) won the 1963 National Book Award for his first novel, "Morte d'Urban," and was writer-in-residence here at CSB/SJU for a substantial amount of his career.
Nick Flynn and Lili Taylor Oct. 20, 2012
Poet, memorist, and producer Nick Flynn joined us for two screenings of Being Flynn, at the College of Saint Benedict on Thursday, October 18, and at the Walker Art Institute the following Saturday, October 20. In the film based on Flynn's memoir, actress Lili Taylor played the character of Joy. Flynn read from his unpublished memoir, and the two of them answered questions from the audience and a moderated panel.
