For a small midwestern college town, there are numerous cerebral attractions in Iowa city that justify its epithet: "Athens of the Midwest".
Attractions? Cerebral? Amidst the hog farms and corn fields?
Oh this naiive small towner! prone to hyperbole and self aggrandizing
- Has she even seen the outside world?
hmm true, the streets of Iowa city have probably not been laid out for red carpet events - no Pitts or Speilbergs have graced the city (atleast in my celebrity tracking memory) - though, Ashton Kutcher did go to UI for some time. But what really makes the place special is that despite its 'plain' settings, there is this liberal milieu that inculcates and encourages higher thought along with regular discussion and dissemination of ideas and cultures. In addition, you will find an academic, egalitarian sensibility that empasizes more on Free Lectures than Free market!
That said, it is no surprise that a number of distinguished luminaries have taken a pause from their busy itinerant schedules to share their thoughts by this quiet river town.
All hogwash? Don't buy it? Then check these out!
1) NY Times Write up
http://travel2.nytimes.com/mem/travel/article-page.html?res=9500E7D6143BF93AA35754C0A9629C8B63
2) University of Iowa, Writer's Workshop
http://www.uiowa.edu/~iww/faculty/index.html
3) University of Iowa, Distinguished Lectures
http://www.uiowa.edu/~lectures/past.html
Impressive is'nt it? (Somewhat atleast..)
Well the purpose of this blog is not to extol the virtues of IC (and justify my prolonged sojourn in the place ;) - it is rather an account of my brushes with some of these celebrities (only the alive ones, I am afraid). These names may not elicit the same reflexive responses in all - but the self professed bibliophile that I am - any announcement of these visitations is associated with glazed eyes, heart palpitations and a puddle of drool in my vicinity.
Here's a brief list of some that I can remember (be not fooled by my youthful appearance, I AM getting old and slightly dementic you see ;).
Live from Prairie Lights : Prairie Lights: one of the finest independent book shops in the country - its association/collaboration with the illustrious UI Writer's workshop make these book readings even more top notched. The atmosphere is warm, personal with a just few rows of chairs surrounding the visiting writers. The smell of Java wafting in the air, the book laden shelves enhancing the acoustics, the erudite patrons - it is paradise! The live event is usually broadcast on the local radio. Some of these authors, have had past associations with the workshop and sometimes supplement their book readings with personal anecdotes and musings about their stay in IC.
Here they are:
a) Bharati Mukherjee : http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Park/9801/bharati.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharati_Mukherjee
Attended hers twice - once for Desirable Daughters and the next one during the promotional tour of its sequel "The Tree Bride". Had to stand through the first as the seats were all filled up :( There were a lot of usual questions about child marriage, caste system, arranged marriage etc. It continues to make me wonder if these books pander to the western notion of Indian society or are these are factors so intrinsic to our social fabric that one cannot tell a realistic story without alluding to them?
b) Manil Suri: http://www.manilsuri.com/biography.htm
A tenured mathematics professor reading his debut fiction? Interesting right? Was extremely articulate and had a great voice too! Got my autographed copy of "Death of Vishnu" and requested the part of "Jaiswal Aunty" if the book is ever made into a Bollywood film ;)
c) Suketu Mehta:http://www.suketumehta.com/
For someone who claims to be a "rootless cosmopolitan", Suketu Mehta had distinct traces of Gujrati accent in his speech. A dimunitive man, you just had to wait for him to read from his book "Maximum City" to understand why he was a finalist for Pullitzer.
Even managed to ask a couple of questions from the audience - if he ever has to defend his dual (or multiple) identities to those who doubt the authenticity of his experiences based on that(!)Chatted up with him later about living in Iowa City (while getting an autograph on a copy of India Abroad - they had done a cover story on him). He had stayed here for a couple of years and makes mention of that in his book as well.
d) Sanjay Nigam:http://cafeutne.org/motet/guest/motet?show+-uktTBR+-ilad+Literature.Utne_Book_Club+7
Another closeted writer - day job: Physician/researcher from Harvard med School (he is currently based in UCSD). Said he wrote the novel during his sleepless nights - hence the focus on insomnia in the book.The transplanted man was an interesting read though it tended to get cliche ridden/obvious/simplistic at times.
Some notable misses : VS Naipaul ( He cancelled after 9/11)
Amy Tan (I don't remember why I missed this one)
Rohinton Mistry (had some visa issues.... hmm if I remember correctly that is)
If you wonder at the preponderence of South Asian writers in this list (ok I concede - ALL of them) - that has a reason too. Most of these readings were during my initial few years in US when I was still coming into grasps with the immigrant experience (it is not so dramatic as it sounds). I had developed a strong fascination for South Asian authors in English (devoured everything from Amitava Ghosh to Zadie Smith). Imagine my excitement that I could actually hear them talk about their writings and experiences - FREE OF COST too!
hmm...WELL, this blog has already exceeded its conceptualized size. I will soon write another one about hearing Bill Clinton, Salman Rushdie, Mitch Albom, Steve Pinker, Frank Conroy, TC Boyles, John Irving, Art Speigelman and, recently Michael Cunningham, speak!!!!
