Newsletter of the

Society

Jimenez-Porter Writers' House Opens

Partially adapted from Meghan Mullan's September 13, 2002, article in the Diamondback, the University of Maryland student newspaper

Students and faculty invested in the future of a university writing community gathered on September 12, 2002, in Dorchester Hall at the University of Maryland to inaugurate the Jiménez-Porter Writers' House, the first university living-and-learning community devoted to creative writing. The "house," which in its inaugural year comprised thirty-seven students, shares Dorchester Hall with the new Global Communities program and is unlike any other undergraduate literary community because it includes a multilingual focus, said Michael Collier, creative writing professor and poet laureate of the state of Maryland. The new living and learning community pledged to create a campus-wide literary center to study creative writing in its international, cross-cultural and multilingual dimensions. All of the residents speak and write in English, although a number of students speak Spanish as well, said Álvaro Enrigue, an assistant director of the house.

The house is named for two twentieth-century writers closely connected to the university. Juan Ramon Jiménez was a professor in the department of Spanish and Portuguese, a recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature, and the namesake of Jiménez Hall. Katherine Anne Porter is a preeminent American fiction writer who left her library and papers to the university. University President C. D. Mote, Jr., remarked on opening the ceremony that the university is devoted to developing students who write well and "make every word count." Robert Hampton, dean of undergraduate studies, was involved in selecting the community and said the house was chosen from ten proposals. He predicted that the program will be a national and international model. The members of the community will live and work with others who share an interest in creating stories, poems, plays, and essays in all fields. Writing in English, Spanish, or other approved languages, students will develop their craft in literary and communication arts through colloquia and workshops, interaction with visiting writers, outreach activities, a student literary journal, and special seminars.

Other participants in the program included James Harris, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities; Professor Michael Collier and Professor Emerita Graciela Palau de Nemes, the keynote speakers; and Professor Sandra Cypress and Associate Dean Gabriele Strauch, who introduced the inaugural reading. Readers included Professor Merle Collins, Distinguished University Professor José Emilio Pacheco (in absentia, read by Álvaro Enrigue and Johnna Schmidt), Distinguished University Professor Stanley Plumly, and Visiting Professor Sergio Ramirez. A reception followed closing remarks by Michael Collier, Professor Roberta Lavine, and Laura Lauth, Director of the Jiménez-Porter Writers' House.

"Writers look at the world differently," said Jessica Shore, a Jiménez-Porter House resident. "Sometimes it's hard to discuss it with people who don't write. There are places on campus where you live with people you have nothing in common with except that you're human. In this house everyone has at least some sort of background in writing." Along with a common interest, house residents will share one three-credit course per year, in either Spanish or English writing. They will be required to complete a writing portfolio to be presented at an annual Spring Literary Festival organized by student residents and attend literary events on and off the campus. "I'm from a small town," said Linnie Davidson, a Jiménez-Porter house resident and communication major, "and I'm being exposed to broader ideas from people with different backgrounds through discussions here."

Collier said the initial idea for the house came from his former creative writing students who told him they wanted a way to preserve the community they developed in class. He took the idea to the Spanish and Portuguese department because of its deep commitment to contemporary writing, and the Jiménez-Porter House was created, he said. In the future, the program hopes to attract juniors and seniors who can benefit from living together after studying together for a couple of years. It hopes to attract students from all disciplines who have a passion for writing, Collier said. For further information contact Laura Lauth, Director, 0111 Dorchester Hall, 301-405-0671, ll105@umail.umd.edu.

The winners of first annual Jiménez-Porter Literary Prize for Undergraduate Writers were announced at the spring Literary Festival. Junior Carissa Baker's story "Jettison" was awarded the prize for prose. The poetry prize was award to Jennifer Barry, a sophomore, for her poem "Flapping." The prizes recognize outstanding achievement in the literary arts and are sponsored by the Jiménez-Porter Writers' House. At present, there is no monetary award. Winners read at the first annual Literary Festival and were presented with a certificate of recognition by Michael Collier, Maryland's Poet Laureate and Co-Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Maryland.