Farewell

The Castalia Reading Series will be on hiatus for the summer, but will return this fall in the capable hands of William Camponovo, Matthew Kelsey, Matthew Nienow, and Josh Parish.

And with that, we'll let Prospero's farewell be ours, to you:

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,

And what strength I have's mine own,

Which is most faint: now, 'tis true,

I must here be confined by you,

Or sent to Naples. Let me not,

Since I have my dukedom got

And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell

In this bare island by your spell;

But release me from my bands

With the help of your good Hands:

Gentle breath of yours my sails

Must fill, or else my project fails,

Which was to please. Now I want

Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,

And my ending is despair,

Unless I be relieved by prayer,

Which pierces so that it assaults

Mercy itself and frees all faults.

As you from crimes would pardon'd be,

Let your indulgence set me free.

-Aaron Barrell, William Bernhard & Elissa Washuta, curators, 08-09

June Castalia

In the first half of this evening's reading, we hear from first-year poet Constance Hansen about the lessons of brotherhood a little sister learns; from second-year fiction writer Daisy Wilson-Morrow, whose voice--hers and her story's--carries us along unsuspecting until the moment we begin to feel ourselves, feeling; and from poet and Professor Emeritus David Wagoner, whose studied, compassionate poems observe the inner landscape no less intensely than the outer.

In the second half of the evening, we learned of the importance of batteries. Juice. Power. Devices that depend on them to work and record--or, as the case may be, not record--voices. As in, the voices of our final two readers: Simone Sachs and Evan Klavon.

Second-year writer Simone Sachs captures her self, and a not-so small piece of the world, on the page, hooking both up to a lie detector whose needle marks a steady, unwavering line. Putting both to a test of words.

And first-year poet Evan Klavon, who ends the evening--and this year's reading series--with class; thoughtfully and with intelligence, Evan offers anecdotal & poetic evidence of origins and inspiration from fellow writers. In doing so he reminds us that what we do as writers we may often do alone, but that we must go out and be alone together, often as we can.

photos of June Castalia

Next Reading: 3 June 2009

Video Extra: David Bosworth

From 2009 May Castalia

May Castalia

This month, poet-essayist Brian Christian proposes a way of thinking about language and reality.  It has to do with compression.  You will feel heavy and light at the same time.  Flash-fictionista Kirsten Rue mitigates, discovers, and sculpts.  An unidentified fingerbone is involved.  Poet Kary Wayson takes a walk in the sun with that little kid, the world.  Poet Elizabeth Cooperman is "doomed by well-meaning photography always to have an expression."  Professor David Bosworth reads from his essay "Auguries of Decadence: American Television in the Age of Empire."  It requires contextualization.  Be prepared for reality TV, TBN, the Iraq war, embarrassment, and glossolalia.

photos of May Castalia

Next Reading: 5 May 2009

April Castalia

The songs of Spring are here!  This month, prose from first year writer Jenny Dolan;  poetry from first year student Katie Ogle; fiction from first year student Josh Parish; and poetry from UW alums Mischa Willett and Kevin Craft.

photos of April Castalia