MLA Subconference 2015: “Non-Negotiable Sites of Struggle”

Here's something interesting: a subconference of the MLA. It’s unaffiliated with the annual MLA convention. Instead of classic MLA panel topics like literature and language, the subconference sessions bluntly confront the very real systemic problems crippling higher education today, such as skyrocketing university tuition, corporate and state repression of academic freedom, the adjunct labor crisis and increasing “precarity” (sporadic and unstable forms of employment), etc. You can watch the recorded subconference here.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/57342385

The MLA Subconference is organized by an independent "group of graduate students and adjunct faculty in the humanities who are interested in creating a new kind of conference environment, in order to propose alternative professional, social, and political possibilities for" themselves and their peers. You can find more here:

http://mlasubconference.org/2015-program/

One Book One Community: "Grapes of Wrath"

Starting in Fall 2016, Silver City will be invited to read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as part of a One Book One Community project.

Silver City Volunteer Library is hosting One Book One Community programming during Fall 2016. The library will collaborate with other community partners to bring programming and events that will lead to an open dialogue about Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, an important American novel that is as relevant today as it was when it was published over 70 years ago.

The point of One Book One Community programming is to provide readers with a shared reading experience that encourages discussion.

Events will include a kick off event with a performance of live music popular in the 1930's, with songs like "Seven Cent Cotton and Forty Cent Meat"; "Red River Valley", "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?", etc.

Later in the the Fall, there will be a reading of selected passages from the novel by local writers and actors followed by discussion.

The project will conclude by winter 2016, with a screening of John Ford's 1940 film adaptation of the novel, followed by discussion of differences between the novel and the film.

The library will also unveil a self-guided tour brochure of murals and public buildings in Lyon County towns that were made possible through Federal funding and The New Deal.

How to Participate

Read

Anyone can participate. Pick up a print or audio copy of The Grapes of Wrath at a library, thrift shop, or bookstore or find a free copy online at

https://libcom.org/library/grapes-wrath-john-steinbeck

Ponder

Take time to not only read The Grapes of Wrath, but to also give thought to the important themes and topics that arise in the book. Also, attend the free group events sponsored by the Silver City Volunteer Library this Spring to help get the intellectual ball rolling within the community.

Discuss

Talk about the book with family, friends, as well as others to get a different perspective. Sharing your reading experience with other community members is one of the most important components of the One Book One Community initiative. Carry your book with you and discuss it with as many people as you can.

Listen
Listen to what other people you typically don't have contact with have to say about the book. This information sharing strengthens our community as we develop a sense of community around the shared reading experience and open dialogue about one great book.

Share
Encourage friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to read The Grapes of Wrath. Make it a topic of discussion with your co-workers, neighbors, and friends. Attend the events and discussions about the book at the Silver City Volunteer Library.

Exact times and dates for all events will be announced later this year.

Following is a link to a discussion about the reasons for the lasting importance of The Grapes of Wrath that was recently broadcast on NPR:


http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/12/29/grapes-wrath-revisited