2001 Fellows seminar notes

This page is an archive.

Fellows

• Tony Kushner
• David Sedaris
• June Jordan

Schedule

• January 22: introductions; photocopied Kushner materials (available for pick-up at the Writers House); the preface and all essays in Thinking about the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness (pp. ix-79)
• January 29: Kushner, Angels in America, parts 1 and 2 {snack: Pam}
  [special reports: (1) on the career of Roy Cohn--Elise; (2) on the onset of AIDs--Jason; (3) on writing about AIDs--Jeff; (4) on the story of Jacob at the end of Genesis--Rebecca; (5) on Graham Dixon's "The Obscene Paradox: Hope and Despair in Angels in America"--Robbie; (6) on Alisa Solomon's "Wrestling with Angels: A Jewish Fantasia"--Ariel; (7) on the "pinklisting" of Roy Cohn per Michael Cadden's essay "Strange Angel"--Susie; (8) on Perestroika and U.S.-Soviet relations during the Reagan presidency--Adam; (9) on Ethel and Julius Rosenberg; on the significance and symbolism of the Rosenberg case among the political left--Aaron;
• February 5: Tony Kushner in Conversation; Death & Taxes: Hydriotaphia & Other Plays {snack: Ashley}
  [special reports: (10) on Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day, focussing on the character of Zillah--Tim; (11) on Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day, focussing on the equation of Nazi Germany and U.S. Reaganism--Rivkah; (13) on Kushner's theatrical adaptation of A Dybbuk--Dari; (14) on the American literary left (including the communist literary left) in the 1930s, and the whole question of relations between art and activist politics in that period--Sara; (15) interviews with gay Penn students on coming out of the closet and/or growing up closeted--Brenner; interviews with gay Penn students on coming out of the closet and/or growing up closeted--Blake
• February 12-13: Tony Kushner visits {snack: Elise's lasagna}
• February 19: Sedaris, Barrel Fever, Naked {snack: Robbie}
• February 26: Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day; "Dog Poems" {snack: Josh} [special reports: (1) on the NPR show, This American Life, and Sedaris' role in its development/emergence (Beth); (2) on Sedaris' radio career in general (Leigh); (3) on Sedaris' plays, including information on his current playwriting (Ashley); (4) on the work and career of Amy Sedaris (Pam)]
• March 5-6: David Sedaris visits {snack: Tim and Dari}
• March 19: Jordan, Soldier: a Poet's Childhood; photocopied materials about Jordan {snack: Rivkah}
• March 26: Jordan, Naming Our Destiny, parts 1 and 2 {snack: Brian}
  [special reports: (1) interview Lorene Cary about Art Sanctuary Jordan project (Ashley); (2) report on Jordan's leadership of the Poetry for the People project (Rebecca); (3) report on the Black Arts movement (Brian); (4) report on Lorene Cary's Black Ice (Ashley)
• April 2: Jordan, Naming Our Destiny, parts 3 and 4 {snack: Brenner}
• April 9: Jordan, Affirmative Acts: Political Essays; June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint {snack: Susie}
• April 16: Jordan, Kissing God Goodbye, Poems 1991-1997 {snack: Jeff}
• April 23-24: June Jordan visits {snack: Aaron}
• April 30: readings days, final special class session {snack: Beth}

Books to purchase

1. Thinking about the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness: Essays, a Play, Two Poems and a Prayer, by Tony Kushner (Theatre Communications Groups, 1995)
2. Tony Kushner in Conversation, edited by Robert Vorlicky (Univ of Michigan Press)
3. Death and Taxes: Hydroiotaphia and Other Plays, by Tony Kushner (Theartre Communications Group, 2000)
4. Angels in America, both volumes, by Tony Kushner (Theatre Communications Group)
5. Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris (Little, Brown)
6. Naked, by David Sedaris (Little Brown)
7. Barrell Fever, by David Sedaris (Little Brown)
8. Naming Our Destiny: New and Selected Poems, by June Jordan (Thunder's Mouth Press, 1989)
9. Kissing God Goodbye, Poems 1991-1997, by June Jordan (Anchor; Bantam Doubleday, 1997)
10. June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint, edited Lauren Muller (Routledge, 1995)
11. Affirmative Acts: Political Essays, by June Jordan (Anchor, Doubleday, 1998)
12. Soldier: A Poet's Childhood (Basic, 2000)

Papers

Seminar participants will write three papers, one on each of the Fellows. Each will also write at least one special report. The papers and reports should be sent by email (in plain text--no formatting at all) to whseminar@english.upenn.edu. The special reports can be any length, as needed. The papers should be no more than 80 lines of email text. Papers are due any time before noon on the day we are to discuss the chosen text(s). Special reports are due at least a day before that. There will also be a final exam.