Steve Smith and Lee Rudolph, and everybody,
Why would I want a PhD to lead a discussion on Literature? Because, even though I was a participant in the Berkeley dustup of the sixties, I still think that expertise has its place in the world. As those of you who have participated in one of our Coffee House Seminars know, to me leadership of a seminar is not lecturing and it is not laying a heavy hand on the conversation. But it is, perhaps, being able to call on a long history of thinking about a subject to suggest provocative materials and to undermine any hastily arrived at consensuses. Academia is not the only source of wisdom in the world by any means, but among the many sources of wisdom, it contributes something special. If any of you know of a retired or an underemployed literature professor, I wish you would have them give me a call. All the best, Nick From: friam-boun...@redfish.com [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of Steve Smith Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2010 5:07 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group Subject: Re: [FRIAM] The Best 10 Fictional Works Lee - Why would you want to ask a PhD in English to "lead" you? Ph.D.s in English are to the joy of reading fiction or poetry as firefighters are to fires. I think I understand Nick's need for a PhD-person... (something about establishing credibility in the whole City College thing). But this is the *very same Nick* who just wrote: Out of some, I got wonderful wonderful work, and they went on to take charge of their education, rather than to be victims of it. Lord how I miss it. And I (also) say "Why English", why not World Literature or something more expansive... and for the benefit of the women on this list... why do we (mostly) read the words of "dead white men"? Really? Without going all feminist, I'd really like to have more submissions here of women writers. Until 30 years ago, there weren't that many published... And responsive to the points made about "whence Poetry" in this discussion... I offer my (latest) favorite Poet... Her name is Vera, Vera Pavlova <http://verapavlova.us/> (She shall tell you the truth and the truth shall make you drool!). She is awesome.. and while she *is* white (but not exactly western, certainly not American/British) she is not dead and she is not male. Of course there are exceptions, just as there always turn out to be a few arsonists in every volunteer fire department. (You might call them "the Firebug Variations".) And I'm sure any FRIAM-related Ph.D.s in English are just like that! And they are all named Guy Montag (at least on their blogs).
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