January 20, 2009 by English

Finalists for a faculty position in American literature at USD will be on campus to interview this week and next week. As part of the interview, each will give a public lecture on a topic in his/her research area. You are most cordially invited to attend. All of the lectures are at 4:00 p.m. in the Neuharth Media Center:

• Kelly Wisecup, Tuesday, 20 January -- “Obeah, Plantation Medicine, and the Georgic Form in James Grainger’s The Sugar Cane (1764)”
• Jason Berger, Friday, 23 January -- “The Sublime Abject of Democracy: Herman Melville’s 'Floating Imperium’”
• Peter Jaros, Monday, 26 January -- “Good Names: Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa”

Poet, playwright, musician, and songwriter Joy Harjo is the keynote speaker at this year's Martin Luther King Day celebration, Wednesday, 21 January at 7:00 p.m. in the Colton Recital Hall (Fine Arts) building.  This should be good.  Find out more about Harjo at her website, http://www.joyharjo.com/Home.html .

As always, the Vermillion Literary Project will hold its monthly reading/slam on the last Thursday of the month: Thursday, 29 January at 7:00 p.m. at the Coffee Shop Gallery, 24 W. Main Street, Vermillion. The featured reader is Kevin Cole, an associate professor of English at the University of Sioux Falls. If you're interested in participating in the slam (prizes offered!), bring three original poems. Everyone is welcome. For more information about slams, see http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/vlpslam.cfm .

The Vermillion Literary Project is also holding its annual poetry festival, featuring Craig Arnold, Jim Reese, and other writers. For more information, visit http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/poetryfestival/ .