Celebrating ROBINSON JEFFERS

  • 2016-10-18 12:00:00 2016-10-18 17:00:00 Celebrating ROBINSON JEFFERS Doheny Memorial Library USC Libraries America/Los_Angeles public
October 18, 2016
noon
Doheny Memorial Library

As California’s first great poet, Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962) blazed a trail
through the literary world from his base in Carmel. His books, including
Tamar and Other Poems (1924), Thurso’s Landing (1932), and Be Angry at
the Sun (1941), explored his tempestuous relationship with both the natural
and spiritual worlds.

Celebrating Robinson Jeffers features discussions and presentations on
Jeffers from the perspectives of literature, environmentalism, conservation,
visual art, and science fiction. The panels and exhibition will explore Jeffers’
relationship to the natural world, the book arts, and his literary pedigree
in early 20th-century Los Angeles. Jeffers manuscripts and photographs,
rarely seen by the public, will be on view.

Jeffers’ roots extend across the Golden State. Before settling along the
central California coast, he took an undergraduate degree at Occidental
College in Eagle Rock and studied medicine at USC. His influence in literature
and popular culture is seen in the works of poets Charles Bukowski and
Adrienne Rich, writer Ursula K. Le Guin, photographer Ansel Adams, and
even the recordings of the Beach Boys.

FULL SCHEDULE:

12:00 p.m. Welcome 
Dana Gioia, Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture, USC
California Poet Laureate
Catherine Quinlan, Dean of the USC Libraries
 
12:10 p.m.  Recitations of Jeffers poetry by undergraduate students
 
12:15 p.m. Lunchtime Presentation: The new Bibliography of Robinson Jeffers
Michael Broomfield, author, His Place for Story: Robinson Jeffers: 
A Descriptive Bibliography
Introduced by Jesse Rossa, Triolet Books
 
1:15 p.m. Presentation: Rare Jeffers Books, Manuscripts, and Photos
Dale Ann Stieber, Special Collections Librarian, Occidental College
Executive Director, Robinson Jeffers Association 
Helena de Lemos, Special Collections Instruction and Research Librarian, Occidental College
Claude Zachary, University Archivist, USC Libraries
 
2:00 p.m. Lecture: Robinson Jeffers and the Natural World 
Kim Stanley Robinson, novelist 
Introduced by Devin Griffiths, Assistant Professor of English, USC
 
3:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: The Poetic Achievement of Robinson Jeffers 
Geneva Gano, Professor, Texas State University
President, Robinson Jeffers Association
James R. Phillips, critic 
Moderator: Rob Kafka, managing editor, Jeffers Studies
 
4:00 p.m. Reception with light refreshments
 
4:30 p.m. Keynote Lecture: The Young Robinson Jeffers: “Adrift in L.A.” 
James Karman, Professor Emeritus, CSU Chico
Jeffers biographer and editor 
Introduced by Dana Gioia

This event, which is free and open to the public, is cosponsored by the
USC Libraries, USC Phi Kappa Phi, Occidental College Library, the Robinson
Jeffers Association, and the Tor House Foundation.