IN WHICH WILL BE FOUND WHAT IS SET FORTH THEREIN

Thursday, January 11, 2018

MLA 2018 -- NEW YORK CITY



No mass poetry reading this year, but there were many highlights sparkling in the cold of polar vortex New York.  My own contributions were both presentations on Amiri Baraka.  In a first day panel, I joined with the Beat Writers Association to talk about Baraka and the journal Kulchur in 1963.  Two days later, I was on a Baraka round table with Jean-Philippe Marcoux, Kathy Lou Schultz and Billy Joe Harris (yes, we all appear with three names each). The round table was devoted to Baraka and the city of New York.  I offered remarks on Baraka's engagements with literary magazine culture, Kathy Lou addressed the novel 6 Persons, and Billy Joe addressed Baraka's address, 27 Cooper Square. Despite weather and flight cancellations, we had a good turnout for our sessions.










One landmark for me: an entire panel on C.L.R. James.  I hope this is a sign of more attention to James in future MLA conventions.











Not a food studies session; we were at Fogo da Chao for dinner.