A Parade of Writers

GAMBIER, Ohio (September 20, 2007) A series of visits by accomplished writers creates a Kenyon fall classic, starting with a reading by novelist Katharine Weber on September 25 in the College Bookstore.

Weber will also sign books and share coffee and conversation, starting at 11 a.m. She is the author of Triangle, published in June. Three other novels published since 1995 -- The Little Women, The Music Lesson, and Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear -- were named "notable books" by the New York Times Book Review.

The New York City native, who now lives in Connecticut, has also written columns for the Sunday New Haven Register and Connecticut Magazine. Her book reviews have appeared in many publications.

"She's a novelist who has a keen engagement with history, which she explores through powerfully rendered characters," said Janet McAdams, an associate professor of English and the Robert P. Hubbard Professor in Poetry. Weber is a skilled reader of her own words and has a strong interest in young, emerging writers, McAdams said.

Next up is Brian Groh '95. He will sign his book Summer People, a novel published in April, at 11 a.m., September 27 in the Bookstore. Groh has also written for the New Republic and National Geographic Traveler.

John Kinsella, an Australian poet and novelist formerly on the Kenyon faculty, will visit the campus on October 1. Kinsella is a self-described "vegan anarchist pacifist" whose work is often informed by environmentalism.

He will join McAdams' Advanced Poetry Writing class at 1:00 p.m. that day on the hoof in an "Eco Walk and Poetry Reading" to which the Kenyon community is invited. The hike starts at the Brown Family Environmental Center and stops at the Quarry Chapel, where participants are welcome to read their own poetry or favorite poems written by others. "Everyone is welcome," McAdams said. "Wear good walking shoes."

Kinsella, the author of more than thirty books and a journal editor, will then read from his work at 7:00 p.m. in Weaver Cottage, followed by a 9:00 p.m. reception and book signing at the Bookstore.

The Bookstore is an attractive venue for visiting writers and their appearances there encourage community participation in the shop, trade manager Sue Dailey said.