Anyone who enjoys live readings of scholarly and creative writing should attend this year’s Spring English Conference. Reading panels will take place between 1pm and 7pm this Friday May 3rd in the Arts & Letters Hall (2315 N. Kenmore Ave). Featured work includes fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, literary analyses, and pedagogical and literary theory by undergraduate students.
This is the first year that the Conference has been run by the English Department and open to undergraduate students of all disciplines, so it should be a great opportunity to engage with a wide variety of literary and creative projects from all corners of the University.
Immediately following the panels, DePaul MAWP alumnus Rita Leganski will be speaking about the recent publication of her first novel, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, a journey with elements of magical realism that follows a silent young boy as he grows up with a supernatural ability to perceive sound on a metaphysical level. We watch Bonaventure struggle to quell the grief of his mother and grandmother, using his extraordinary gift to identify the mysterious man who brought about the violent and untimely death of his father.
Literary Treats praised Leganski’s use of precise lyricism to immerse the reader in a story whose supernatural elements might otherwise be difficult to accept.
“At its heart, Silence is about grief, about dealing with the death of a loved one under mysterious circumstances and finding the strength to move on with your life.”
Check out a section of the book here and a Literary Treats Q&A with Rita here.
This is sure to be a great opportunity for aspiring writers as well as any DePaul student looking for the chance to hear some interesting work. Hope to see you there!