THIS LAND: 2021 Lannan Center Symposium

Black man in hat bending over wheat fields

Three Speakers, Three Nights: March 16–18

“The title of this year’s Lannan Symposium, “THIS LAND,” will for many of us immediately evoke the lyrics of Woodie Guthrie’s best-known song, “This Land is Your Land.” Guthrie was an unabashedly political folk singer, one whose art imagined inclusive and non-proprietary ways of being attached to the land. The Symposium will be an opportunity to think together about a renewed politics of the land and about the role of literary art in building this politics. How can we ensure that this land endures to support future life and flourishing? How can this land be remade for dispossessed indigenous peoples as well as the dispossessors, for new immigrants as well as old, for nonhuman as well as human life, for you and me?

We are very lucky to be joined by three remarkable speakers. On Tuesday, March 16th, Joy Harjo, the current poet laureate of the United States, will begin the symposium with a poetry reading. On Wednesday, March 17th, we will be joined by award-winning author, environmentalist, and activist—Terry Tempest Williams. And on Thursday, March 18th, Salman Rushdie will speak about his travels across the US, the topic of his recent novel, Quichotte.

–Daniel Shore, Symposium Director

“Responding Across the Disciplines” Assignment and Student Responses

Schedule of Events

All events are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, March 16th at 7:00PM ET

A Reading Featuring Poet Laureate Joy Harjo

Poet Laureate of the United States Joy Harjo, June 6, 2019. — Read more about Joy Harjo

Mauren Corrigan — Moderated by Maureen Corrigan, NPR Book Critic and The Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism in the Department of English at Georgetown University.

Wednesday, March 17th at 7:00PM ET

Virtual Event: An Evening with Terry Tempest Williams

Moderated by special guest, Jacki Lyden. As an award-winning journalist for NPR, many can instantly recognize Jacki Lyden’s voice as she was a host and correspondent for over thirty years.

Thursday, March 18th at 7:00PM ET

Virtual Event: An Evening with Salman Rushdie

“An Evening with Salman Rushdie” will be moderated by special guest, Razia Iqbal, presenter for BBC News and one of the main hosts of Newshour, the flagship news and current affairs program.

Media

March 16 | A Reading Featuring Poet Laureate Joy Harjo

March 18 | An Evening with Salman Rushdie