2013-2014 Academic Year
Larry Haeg Feb. 27, 2014
Many joined us on February 27 for A Conversation with Larry Haeg and Louis Johnston, a riveting interview with the author of Harriman vs Hill. Larry Haeg is an author and a former executive vice president of corporate communications for Wells Fargo, a former broadcast journalist, and a former Trustee of the College of Saint Benedict. His book was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award. The conversation was led by Dr. Louis Johnston, Associate Professor of Economics and holder of the Joseph P. Farry Professorship at Saint John's University serving the students of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.
Roz Chast Feb. 14, 2014
Roz Chast was at the College of Saint Benedict on February 14. As a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker, Chast uses humor to tackle the issues of our time, and more than 1,000 of her cartoons have been printed in the magazine since 1978. In addition to The New Yorker,Chast's cartoons have graced the pages of magazines such as Scientific American, the Harvard Business Review, and Redbook. Chast combined her favorite cartoons into her first book, Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons of Roz Chast, 1978-2006, and illustrated comedian Steve Martin's best-selling children's book, The Alphabet from A to Y, with Bonus Letter, Z.
Brenda Hillman Nov. 12, 2013
Hillman is a renowned poet, writing teacher, and non-violent activist. She has published seven collections of poetry and three chapbooks, as well as edited a collection of Emily Dickinson's poetry. Hillman has received numerous awards and fellowships for her work, including from the National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Foundation. Her collection, Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire, was longlisted for the 2013 National Book Award in poetry. Hillman was here for a poetry reading on Tuesday, November 12.
Ru Freeman Oct. 23, 2013
Ru Freeman was the 2013 recipient of the Sister Mariella Gable Prize. Born in Sri Lanka, Freeman found inspiration for her work in her family and country's pasts. Her political writing focuses on international humanitarian assistance and workers' rights, while her creative writing has been featured in Guernica and World Literature Today. Freeman published her first novel, A Disobedient Girl, in 2009; it was long-listed for the DCS Prize for South Asian Literature and translated into several languages. Her book, On Sal Mal Lane, uses her characteristic sensory detail, language, and humor to describe the plight of a Sri Lankan community in the five years before the country's civil war. Freeman was in residence October 21-25 and read on Wednesday, October 23 for the Centennial Celebration of Sister Mariella Gable.
Community Reading Oct. 16, 2013
The CSB Literary Arts Institute welcomed writers from the faculty and surrounding community for a reading on Wednesday, October 16, 2013. The community reading featured:
Sister Mara Faulkner, a just-retired faculty member, reading from her poetry chapbook, Still Birth
Karen Erickson, a faculty member, reading from her poetry chapbook, Dwellings
Larry Schug, a retired staff member, reading from his book of poetry, At Gloaming
Bob Thimmesh, an alumnus of St. John's Prep and CSB/SJU, reading from his book of poetry, Hear a Silence Roar
Betsy Johnson-Miller, a faculty member, reading from her book of poetry, Fierce This Falling
Rachel Marston, a faculty member, reading from her novel-in-progress, How to Speak to God
Mary Willette Hughes, an alumna of CSB/SJU, reading from her book of poetry, The Shadow Loom Poems
Straw into Gold Oct. 10, 2013
Students, faculty, and community members learned how to grow, process, and transform flax into fabric at a one day workshop on Saturday, October 9 and public demonstration on Sunday, October 10.