Unless 4 feet of snow rain down on Santa Cruz a week from now, I’ll be appearing at this conference with a few others you might know, such as Vanessa Place, Kasey Mohammed, Juliana Spahr, Craig Dworkin, Karen Yameshita, Walter Lew and David Buuck. (At least, those are the ones I know.)

Tree-tall man Charles Olson was not invited, but I promise to doodle some circles on my PowerPoint slides.

Here’s the propaganda:

This conference invites participation in a series of dialogues about the role of the poet-scholar. As a practitioner of poetry or other “imaginative” writing and more theoretical or critical work, the poet-critic or poet-scholar works both inside and outside the university. How do these two activities come together to affect the reading and writing practices of poet-critics and their readership? Since many poet-critics are read within college classrooms or are themselves professors or teachers, we are interested in the pedagogical implications of their writing practices. The conference is an occasion for dialogue across genres, disciplines, readerships and pedagogical practices and focuses on the ways writing practices can encourage creative and critical thinking.

The conference consists of six panels with three papers and invited respondents; a pedagogy colloquium; and poetry readings. Respondents will consist of invited guests and UCSC faculty.

Conference Schedule

[Hmmm, just realized I’m not reading. I guess that means I’m not getting paid!]


Daytime Panels: Humanities 210, UCSC

Friday, March 12
9-9:30am:Welcome address by conference organizers

9:30-11am: 

Panel 1: Historicizing the Poet as Intellectual: Respondent David Lau
Evan Kindley, Juliana Leslie, Jacqueline Weeks

11am-12pm:Lunch and Informal Poetry Reading

12-1:30pm:
Panel 2: Poetics and Reading Methodologies: Respondent Juliana Spahr
Amanda Lim, Alta Ifland, Surya Parekh

2-3:30pm:

Poetry in the Classroom: Pedagogy Colloquium: Moderated by Kasey Mohammed. Confirmed Panelists: Micah Perks, Karen Yamashita, David Buuck, Emily Carr

4-5:30pm:

Panel 3: Poetic Epistemologies and Alternative Forms of Scholarship: Respondent Sina Queyras
Stan Apps, Zachary Caple, Alex Papanicolopoulos

7:30-9pm:
Evening Poetry Readings: Felix Culpa Gallery, Downtown Santa Cruz
Place, Dworkin, Wilson, Mohammad

Saturday, March 13
Please bring a lunch to campus as food vendors are closed or have limited hours. (See blog for suggestions.)

10:30am-12pm: 

Panel 4: Writing and Thinking Between Genres: Respondent Vanessa Place
Lily Robert Foley, Emily Carr and Erin Wunker, Adrian Acu

12-1pm:
Lunch and Informal Poetry Reading

1-2:30pm:

Panel 5: Poetic Conceptualisms and Poetic Productions: Respondent Craig Dworkin
Brian Kim Stefans, Keegan Finberg, David Buuck

3-4:30pm:

Panel 6:
Poetry and Pedagogy: Respondent: Rob Wilson
Rebekah Edwards, Walter Lew, Eireene Nealand

6:30-8pm:
Evening Poetry Reading: Felix Culpa Gallery, Downtown Santa Cruz
Lau, Spahr, Queyras