proudly Penn

Each year Penn publishes a booklet-sized guide called Proudly Penn, and we at KWH are proud once again to be in it. Prouder still to be paired on a page with our friends at XPN 88.5 FM. (We've been partners with XPN in producing "Live at the Writers House" monthly since 1997.) Our entry features our "Writers without Borders" series--our effort to introduce local audiences to international writers in our usual intimate give-and-take setting. Our first "Writers without Borders" event takes place on October 13. Join us! Click on the image above for a larger view.

we remember Gil Ott

Gil Ott died in 2004 and is sorely missed in Philly poetry scenes, and (to be specific about one of many such sites where we miss Gil) at the Writers House where Gil was fairly regularly a member of audiences for PhillyTalks, poetry readings, book celebrations for poetry-world colleagues (especially Philly poets). Original Writers House hub member and poet Kristen Gallagher edited a book of commentary and critical response to Gil's work (published by Chax Press) and in the fall of '01 we hosted a Gil Ott celebration, co-organized by then-director of KWH Kerry Sherin and also Kristen Gallagher. For about a year PennSound's Gil Ott page featured the whole recording of the 1.5-hour event and also segmented single mp3s of each reader. But today we're releasing the 17th PennSound podcast - a 23-minute excerpt of the whole event, edited by Steve McLaughlin. Here's a link to the PennSound podcast page.

the digerati came in '99

At left: John Brockman with Warhol and Dylan on the day Dylan visited The Factory.

John Brockman's world in the 1960s was a humming electronic world, in which multiple films, tapes, amplifiers, kinetic sculpture, lights and live dancers or actors are combined to involve audiences in a total theater experience. His Intermedia Kinetic Experiences permitted audiences simply to sit, stand, walk or lie down and allow their senses to be Saturated by Media. His 1969 book was By the Late John Brockman.

Yes, Brockman, the sci/tech literary uber-agent, the Happenings organizer in the 1960s and in recent years the creator of "Third Culture" and a leader of the digerati (cyber-intellectuals), came to the Writers House in 1999 along with six of the digerati. John Brockman & Al Filreis co-moderated a discussion about digital culture.

The digerati we met that night were: Maris Bowe of word.com; Jason McCabe Calacanis, a Silicon Alley Reporter; Luyen Chou of Learn Technologies; Steven Johnson of feed.com; Katinka Matson of EDGE; Frank Moretti of Columbia University's Center for New Media, Technology and Learning; Stefanie Syman of feed.com; Bob Stein of Night Kitchen. At left: John Brockman in '99.

See more:

[] the KWH calendar entry for this event: LINK
[] the KWH digerati page: LINK
[] Daily Pennsylvanian article covering the event: LINK
[] Wired exec ed Kevin Kelly's essay about Third Culture: LINK
[] an account of the day Dylan visited the Factory and Brockman was there: LINK

Volume Zero: Uncovering Louis I. Kahn's Baltic Origins

On Monday, October 5 at 6 pm in the Arts Cafe, Becca Kantor (C '10), granddaughter of architect Louis I. Kahn (B.Arch '24), will present on her trip to Estonia to research Kahn's early years. Funded by a grant from Kelly Writers House, Kantor explored rural farmhouses, art nouveau apartments, and a castled island as part of her research towards writing a novel. Kahn was the Paul Philippe Cret Professor of Architecture at the School of Design from 1957 until his death in 1974 and The Richards Medical Research Laboratories on Hamilton Walk is among Kahn's most influential works. His extensive archives are a part of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathleen Fraser video

What a treat for us last night! Kathleen Fraser, the great poet who lately has been doing a lot with visual art (and the making of artbooks), was visiting us, having come all the way from the Bay Area. She gave a reading from a series of visual poetic texts. Which is one reason why we're glad we have a video record of the event, so you can see what we saw live in the Arts Cafe. Click here and watch. Fraser was introduced by our own Michelle Taransky.

we're on TV

In 1999 KWH was into one of its innovations, as usual. This time it was online pre-freshmen advising. Students admitted through the early-decision process (in mid-December) who expressed an interested in KWH and in writing were assigned to our Faculty Director Al Filreis as advisees, and (although they were all over the country) the advisory group formed around a series of lively email exchanges. The local ABC TV affiliate picked up the story and ran this piece, which we've preserved in video. Click here to watch.

3 KWH'ers featured in new PoemTalk

Three KWH regulars (Al Filreis, Charles Bernstein & Bob Perelman) and one visitor (New Zealander Wystan Curnow) are featured in the newly released 22nd episode of the "PoemTalk" series. This time the PoemTalkers talk about a poem by Louis Zukofsky (pictured at right). If you want to learn a "difficult" modern poem, hear this 25-minute discussion! Wystan spent two weeks with us last spring as part of our "Writers without Borders" program which brings to KWH international writers who are little known in the U.S. but should be well known. Wystan is a 5th-generation New Zealander but in fact took his PhD here at Penn.

Kelly Writers House On Your iPod

Click here to connect to free, downloadable Kelly Writers House podcasts in iTunes. You'll find PennSOUND programs including PoemTalk and Close Listening there, as well.

we're in the City Paper

We were pleased today to see that The City Paper has a piece about our 2010 Writers House Fellows program. We've had many dozens of articles in local and national newspapers and magazines and you can always find them all on our news page. As for KWH Fellows, you need only look here.

video excerpt

Today's online Daily Pennsylvanian features a video excerpt from Adina Hoffman's reading at the Writers House. The event took place last April 21. Check out our calendar entry for that or any other event. Links from the web calendar entry take you to audio (mp3) and streaming video (.mov) of the entire reading.

creative writing at Penn

We at KWH have long been partners with Penn's Creative Writing Program, led by poet and original KWH guy Greg Djanikian. On the CW site you find lists of courses, prizes, bios of faculty writers - many of them stalwart members of the KWH community. All CW readings take place at 3805 Locust & are co-hosted.

we like Erica Baum

Erica Baum is a photographer and conceptual artist - at once. We at KWH have been fans and supporters of her work since 2000. She came in November 2000 and later, in '08, our art gallery featured her work. We're pleased to see her new work, called "Dog Ear".

dial us

Dial 215-746-POEM now and listen to news of our next program, selected upcoming events, a recording of a poem performed at KWH, or a 1-minute performance by a KWH activist.

post-9/11 at KWH

After 9/11 we at KWH organized a program called "Finding the Words." Believe it or not, readings and commentaries started with the WWII wartime/home-front experience of that seemingly nonpolitical poet, Marianne Moore. Click here and listen to some of the talks and readings.

Come Speakeasy, Welcome New Students @ KWH this Saturday

Our annual NSO Speakeasy takes a moonlit twist this year, as we welcome new students to the Writers House community for a late-night open mic session under the stars.