THE ROBERT C. WRIGHT MINNESOTA WRITER RESIDENCY

Poet

Philip Bryant

Composer and vocalist

Carolyn Wilkins

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Talk on craft
3:00 P.M.—CSU Ostrander Auditorium
Reading
7:30 P.M.—Performing Arts Center, E.J. Halling Recital Hall

Born in Chicago, Philip Bryant was educated in the Chicago Public schools and graduated from Chicago Vocational High School in 1969. He earned degrees from Gustavus Adolphus College and Columbia University School of the Arts. He taught at various colleges and universities in the Chicago area until returning to Gustavus Adolphus College, where he is currently a Professor of English. A recipient of a fellowship from the Minnesota State Arts Board, he has served on the governing board of the Loft Literary Center and has had poems published in The Iowa Review, The Indiana Review, The American Poetry Review, and Nimrod. In 1998, New Rivers press released his book of poems, Sermon on a Perfect Spring Day, which was nominated for a Minnesota Book Award and a ForeWord Award for best book of poetry for that year. Blueroad Press recently released his newest book, Stompin’ at the Grand Terrace.

Jazz pianist and vocalist Carolyn Wilkins has been an active participant in the Boston music scene for over 20 years as a performer, educator and composer. Wilkins' performance experience includes radio and television appearances with her group SpiritJazz, a concert tour of South America as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Andre Previn and in shows featuring Melba Moore, Nancy Wilson and the Fifth Dimension. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music, Carolyn is currently an Associate Professor at Berklee College.

See a writing sample by Bryant.

Listen to the interview, craft talk, or performance excerpt ("Prologue: Stompin' at the Grand Terrace" from the full-length CD that comes with the book. For more information, see Blueroad Press).

To learn more about Bryant, see this web site.

To learn more about Wilkins, see this web site.

If you attended any component of this residency, please offer your comments.

This year's Good Thunder Reading Series is funded by the Minnesota State University Department of English, the College of Arts and Humanities, the Office of Institutional Diversity, the Nadine B. Andreas Endowment, the Eddice B. Barber Visiting Writer Endowment, the Robert C. Wright Endowment, and individual donors. This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council from funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature. This activity is also made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. MSU Library Services and Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Minnesota State offer additional support.