SUNY Canton News

A noted poet will share his vivid memories of the complicated issues surrounding identity and race as part of SUNY Canton’s Spring 2013 Living Writers Series.

Iain Haley Pollock will speak at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, at the Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

Pollock’s collection of poetry, “Spit Back a Boy,” won the prestigious Cave Canem Poetry Prize, which recognizes exceptional first books by African-American poets.

His childhood experiences of growing up the son of an African-American mother and white father influenced his work, and the title of his book.

Pollock’s work has also appeared in the Poetry Society of America’s “In Their Own Words” feature and publications, including AGNI, American Poetry Review, Boston Review, Callaloo, Drunken Boat and Indiana Review. He will discuss his personal connection to the larger world of poetry as well as read some of his own works.

SUNY Canton Assistant Professor of English Philip K. LaMarche, who created the Living Writers Series, said “Pollock’s poetry nimbly weaves between the worlds of blues and jazz, love and loss, black and white, all with a stunning dexterity, sincerity and beauty.”

This is the second semester of the Living Writers Series. LaMarche said he arranges guest lectures to correspond with his Living Writers Course curriculum so that students enrolled in the class can read the books by authors scheduled to visit the College.

The last installment of this semester’s series will be Siobhan Fallon, author of the much-heralded book “You Know When the Men Are Gone,” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in the Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

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SUNY Canton will continue its popular Living Writers Series next month with New York Times sports columnist and bestselling author William C. Rhoden.

Rhoden will be discussing his work at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Convocation, Athletic and Recreation Center nicknamed Roos House. The event is free and open to the public.

William Rhoden, author of “Forty Million Dollar Slaves,” will answer questions about his writing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Roos House.

“Focusing on the juggernaut of professional sports, Rhoden forces us to examine and question some of the fundamental ideas our culture has to offer about race, power, and history,” said Assistant Professor of English Phil LaMarche, who created the series to allow students enrolled in his Living Writers Course to meet and hear from the authors whose books they are required to read in class.

Rhoden is perhaps best known for his book “Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete,” which deals with the challenging issue of the status of the black athlete in contemporary America. Using the pervasive metaphor of the plantation, Rhoden describes a modern sports industry defined by white ownership and black labor.

During a journalism career that has spanned more than three decades, Rhoden has tackled complex issues in the sports world. He has written “The Sports of the Times” column since 1990, and his work has been included in a number of anthologies including “The Best American Sports Writing 2007.” Rhoden is also a frequent guest on ESPN’s long-running Sunday morning show, “The Sports Reporters.”

Rhoden’s accolades include a Peabody Award for his writing on the HBO documentary “Journey of the African American Athlete.” Most recently, he wrote the HBO documentary “Breaking the Huddle,” about the integration of College Football, which won a 2009 Emmy for outstanding Documentary Film. He is also author of the critically acclaimed book, “Third and A Mile: The Trials and Triumphs of The Black Quarterback.”

Rhoden will answer questions and be available for book signings after the event. Copies of “Forty Million Dollar Slaves” will be available for purchase.

Upcoming presenters will include Iain Haley Pollock, author of “Spit Back a Boy,” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, and Siobhan Fallon, author of “You Know When the Men Are Gone,” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24. Both events will be held in the College’s Kingston Theater and are free and open to the public.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Manager, or call 315/386-7527.

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Adam Levin, author of the critically acclaimed novel “The Instructions,” will speak at SUNY Canton Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center’s Kingston Theatre. He will be presenting the final installment of the fall semester’s Living Writers Series. The event is free and open to the public.

SUNY Canton visiting author Adam Levin will be the final speaker in this semester’s Living Writers Series (photo courtesy of Renee Feldman). Levin will be reading from his most recent collection of short stories, “Hot Pink.”

Levin will be reading from his latest work “Hot Pink,” which is a collection of short stories that was published earlier this year. He will also answer questions and be available for book signings.

“SUNY Canton students have been fortunate to be able to meet and learn from some of the most talented writers today—like Adam Levin—thanks to the Living Writers Course that was created by Assistant Professor Phil LaMarche,” said School of Business and Liberal Arts Interim Dean Maureen P. Maiocco.

Levin is most noted for his dark and witty short work. Some reviewers have compared his writing to that of late literary great David Foster Wallace.

“Levin’s stories feel like crazed impersonations of bullies, sadists, and Chicagoland tough guys,” LaMarche said. “His prose rings true to their voices, gallivanting across the page with genius, bravery, and utter hilarity.”

Levin resides in Chicago, where he teaches writing at Columbia College and The School of the Art Institute.

Fall 2012 is the first semester that the Living Writers Course has been offered. Students enrolled in the class read the books by authors scheduled to visit the College. Authors Mary Karr and Daniel Torday were previous guest speakers.

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SUNY Canton will host author and Director of Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr College Daniel Torday as part of its Living Writers Series at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the College’s Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

Torday will be reading from his latest novella, “The Sensualist,” which was published this spring. He will also answer questions about his writing and be available for book signings.

“We are thrilled to welcome Daniel Torday to SUNY Canton as part of our ongoing Living Writers Course created by Assistant Professor Phil LaMarche,” said School of Business and Liberal Arts Interim Dean Maureen P. Maiocco. “These events allow our students to meet and hear from some of the most talented writers today.”

Torday’s fiction and nonfiction works have appeared in Esquire Magazine, Glimmer Train, Harper Perennial’s Fifty-Two Stories, the Harvard Review and the Kenyon Review.

LaMarche described Torday’s writing as “A window into the world of his characters, but also a mirror, reflecting our own lives and the culture we inhabit.”

“The Sensualist” tells the tale of 17-year-old Samuel Gerson, who is ready to rid himself of the tight-knit Jewish community in which he’s spent his whole life. But when he befriends enigmatic Dmitri Zilber, a recent Russian Jewish immigrant who is obsessed with the works of Dostoevsky, Samuel’s world begins to shift. As his life increasingly entangles with that of Dmitri and his beautiful sister Yelizaveta, it sets in motion a series of events that culminates in a disturbing act of violence.

Fall 2012 is the first semester that the Living Writers Course has been offered. Students enrolled in the class read the books by authors scheduled to visit the College. Best-selling author Mary Karr visited the College in September, and the next presenter will be Adam Levin, author of “The Instructions,” on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Manager, or call 315/386-7527.

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Mary Karr will be reading from "Lit: A Memoir" and answering questions about her writing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center¹s Kingston Theater.

SUNY Canton will be hosting New York Times Best Sellers List author Mary Karr to open its Fall 2012 Living Writers Series.

Karr, who has won multiple awards for her non-fiction work, will be reading from her book “Lit: A Memoir” and answering questions about her writing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center’s Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public. Karr will be available for book signings at the end of her presentation.

“We are able to bring award-winning authors to SUNY Canton through our brand-new Living Writers (ENGL264) Course created within our humanities department,” said School of Business and Liberal Arts Interim Dean Maureen P. Maiocco. “Assistant Professor Phil LaMarche created the class, and invited authors to enhance our culturally rich programming.”

LaMarche described Karr as a writing rock star with relatable cathartic prose that modern students can easily identify with and learn from.

“Mary Karr’s ‘Lit’ includes a cast of characters that make modern reality-shows look like a pack of rank amateurs,” LaMarche said. “Her work is harrowing, hilarious and full of heart. Her story is no mere carnival ride, but a genuine tale of love, forgiveness and salvation.”

Karr is most widely known for her best-selling memoirs, but regards herself primarily as a poet. She’s a 2004 Guggenheim Fellow in poetry, and has written four volumes of verse, including “Sinners Welcome.” Her most popular book to date is “The Liar’s Club,” which remained on the New York Times Best Seller’s List for more than a year. Her most recent book “Lit: A Memoir,” presents readers with the story of her alcoholism, recovery and conversion to Catholicism.

Future presenters include Daniel Torday, author of “The Sensualist” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17, and Adam Levin, author of “The Instructions” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14. Both events are scheduled to take place in the College’s Kingston Theater and are free and open to the public.

Fall 2012 is the first semester that the ENGL264 course has been offered. Students enrolled in the class read the books by authors scheduled to visit the College. LaMarche plans to offer the Living Writers course, and the related Living Writers Series, again during the spring semester with several different authors.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Manager, or call 315/386-7527.

Related Posts:

• Author Adam Levin to Speak at SUNY Canton Nov. 14
• Author Daniel Torday to Speak at SUNY Canton Oct. 17
• Acclaimed Sports Columnist, Author to Kick off SUNY Canton Spring Living Writers Series
• SUNY Canton Foundation Awards $30,000 for Campus Enhancements
• Early Childhood Professor Selected as SUNY Canton’s Distinguished Faculty