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WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY TO HOST CONFERENCE ON NEW JERSEY POET WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS FROM JUNE 18-20
—Conference to focus on Williams’s famous epic poem, "Paterson"
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Paterson, the epic poem by the modern American poet and Rutherford native William Carlos Williams, will be the focus of the Third Biennial William Carlos Williams Society Conference to be held at William Paterson University in Wayne from June 18 to 20, 2009.
The conference, titled “Paterson: The Province of the Poem,” will include a variety of events, including a keynote address by Stephen Gould Axelrod, a professor of English at the University of California, Riverside, as well as presentations by Williams scholars from across the country, two exhibits, and a guided tour of Paterson landmarks discussed in Williams’ epic work.
Axelrod will open the conference on Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m. with a presentation titled “Williams and Ginsberg,” to be held in room B20 of Ben Shahn Hall on campus. A specialist in American literature and particularly American poetry, he is the editor of Critical Essays on William Carlos Williams (G. K. Hall/Macmillan 1995), and has
written books on the poets Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath, among other works. Interested in composition as well as literature, Axelrod has won several awards for teaching excellence.
The conference will also include presentations by Daniel Burke, Marquette University; Edith Vasquez, Pitzer College; Graham Stowe, University of South Carolina; Greg Londe, Princeton University; Joe Milutis, University of Washington-Bothell; Lindsey Warren, Boston University; Matthew Bruen, New York University; Theodora Rapp Graham, Penn State University-Harrisburg; and Ian Copestake, president, William Carlos Williams Society.
In addition to the scholarly presentations, the conference will include an exhibit, “Paterson: The Province of the Poem/The City as Metaphor.” Curated by Nancy Einreinhofer, director of the Ben Shahn Galleries, the exhibit will feature drawings, paintings, sculpture and photography by 14 contemporary artists celebrating themes found in the poem Paterson. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on June 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Ben Shahn Galleries. The event will also feature the premiere of “Paterson: Thoughts and Themes Conveyed Through Narration and Music,” a musical composition created by eight William Paterson music students.
An exhibit of photographs by renowned New Jersey photographer George Tice, “Paterson and Great Falls Photographs,” will be on view in the Cheng Library from June 15 through July 30, 2009.
The conference will conclude on Saturday, June 20, with a guided bus tour of the city of Paterson, Lambert Castle, the Great Falls, Garret Mountain, and the Paterson Museum.
Admission to the conference is free and open to the public; admission to the guided tour is $20 and includes a box lunch. Registration for all events is required; for information, please visit www.wpunj.edu/library/wcw .
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May 20 , 2009
www.wpunj.edu
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