Jabari Asim: a man of many genres
March 17th | Author's Corner | Illini Union Bookstore | 4:30 p.m.
As the first annual Early Spring Literary Festival winds to a close almost as quickly as it started, you dear reader, have the chance to meet some of the writers who make the U of I such a unique pocket of literary goodness. In fact, one of the reasons we have to be excited about the ESLF (there's gotta be a better way to abbreviate this thing) is because it provides us with a surprisingly rare chance to meet and appreciate the work of fellow community members who contribute their own unique voices to a larger literary community.
Yet, of the four writers (Philip Graham, LeAnne Howe, Jabari Asim, Michael Madonick ) scheduled to read this Wednesday, odds are, you're already most familiar with Jabari Asim. This is because, on top of being a poet and a fiction author, Asim is a literary and culture critic who has found his way onto popular venues such as The Tavis Smiley Show and The Colbert Report. Rare as it is for one person to be so successful in such a variety of genres, rarer still is the idea that he'd have the time to answer a few questions from a local online rag like this one.
Thankfully, Professor Asim didn't quite see it that way.
| C-U’s first Early Spring Literary Festival
Having grown up in Champaign-Urbana, I've become relatively immune to the lofty claims staked to this professor or that invention. Just recently I was asked by a very excited stranger, who I was serving a bottle of beer to, if I had known that the LED had been created right here, in Champaign-Urbana(?!). I responded as respectfully as I could: by feigning ignorance and letting him provide me with a short history of the light emitting diode's relationship to the nice big buildings just north of Green street. And I have to say that I was annoyed by his this little unsolicited solliquy until it occured to me that I too must sound like him when I begin to drivel on about how wonderfully lucky we are to share our community with such talented members of the greater literary community. So naturally, I was excited to hear that the U of I's Creative Writing Program would be hosting a literary festival aimed at engaging local consumers of the literary arts.
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I'm sure there are many different reasons why each of us started watching LOST. Some started watching from the beginning in 2004. For others, like me and my wife, we have our own "I started watching in Season X and then spent the next few weeks watching episodes until 4 a.m. to catch up" story. There is a certain recipe to the best LOST episodes and they often involve a heartwarming scene like the beach reunion from last night's "Dr. …
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Angie Estes Carr Reading Series | Wednesday | 4:30 | Illini Union Bookstore Author's Corner | Free If you've never read anything Angie Estes has written, stop reading this nonsense and click here, right now. Back already? Well then go back and read it again, making sure this time to notice the subtle in-mixing of planned and unplanned speech, of narrative interjection and song driven reflection — read it again so you can see how the poet is both entranced …
Armed with a printing press, Alabama artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr prints words and symbols on paper both for profit and for personal expression. His posters roll language and color into a visually engaging four-cornered (and sometimes four-lettered) package, and have made their way all over the country in the twenty-some years he's been printing. Mr. Kennedy Jr. is in town as part of the University of Illinois Artist Residency program, and will be showcasing some of his work at …
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It’s a total shame this is only during working hours! It sounds great, but I’m one of those who can’t slip away very readily during the 9-to-5. Next time, a request: weekend events, please?
Nuts. Sorry I saw this, um, 15 minutes before CULitFest (my term!) begins. However, one deficit - no beer. SP.com 1, UIUC 0. In all seriousness, hope it goes well!
Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…
To get back to the show, if that’s allowed, we saw it last night. I know a lot about the films of the 30s and 40s and appreciated what Durang was trying to do, though some was pretty obvious and the ending was forced. A literal kitchen…
I had a great time reading around your post as I read it extensively. Gold Coins
Zeleni, I had the exact same theory only with the mysterious Man in Black/Smokie granting the wishes. MIB promised Sayid he could have anything in the world he wanted, which turned out to be Nadia. Although he does not necessarily “have” her, she has not died yet…
Zelini, I really like this - I’ll try to follow the theory more closely. As they reveal more about Kate (possibly next week), it might give us more perspective. I agree with your observation about Ben and I think Michael Emerson has done an excellent job conveying his lesser stature.
What if the sideways alternatives are where Jacob actually grants them their wishes, but in ways they didn’t quite expect? The elimination of one regret. Sayid gets to be with Nadia - although through his brother. Maybe he ends up with her at the expense of his…
I understood this totally differently than the other people that posted…this is what I got from it: - the more background you have going in, the more of the allusions you will understand when watching - afterwards, you can do a little research to fill in the…
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...and given the lack of smiley emoticons i chose to employ, that reads far more sarcastically than i ever intended (my apologies). i actually find this to be a great article and an interesting discussion, seriously : )
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WTF guys? Does impersonating a user in the comments section run afoul of your commenting policy?
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I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.
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I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.