The Joy Davis Literature Seminar is back for five sessions during our 2023-2024 program year!
ALL ARE WELCOME, whether you have done the reading or not. Printed packets of this year’s selections will be available to be picked up at the House in late September. Four of the five sessions will include short stories that are fresh and “so this century.” Links to the January, February, and March stories are below.
As a change of pace, on January 16, 2024, we will “meet” our 24th United States Poet Laureate, Ada Limón, who was appointed by Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. She appointed Ms. Limón to the Library of Congress on July 12, 2022 and reappointed her for a historic two-year second term on April 24, 2023. Limón’s second term will begin in September 2023 and conclude in April 2025. The poetry of Ada Limón will be followed by one more story on February 20, 2024.
Keep scrolling down to see author profiles and links to our Winter/Spring 2024 readings.
Use the button below to learn more about Joy Davis and what she has meant to our Branch. You can click the other button to see previous readings.
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 @ 1:00
Poems by Ada Limón
In this session of JDLS, we will be discussing poems by Ada Limón, an American poet who was named the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States by the Librarian of Congress on July 12, 2022. This made Ms. Limón the first Latina to be Poet Laureate of the United States. She is the author of six books of poetry, including The Carrying (2018), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Ms. Limón is a poet intent upon heightening our attention to the wonders of the natural world and our connections with one another. (SOURCE for PHOTO and BIO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lim%C3%B3n
POEMS:
“The Carrying”
https://poets.org/poem/carrying
“Instructions on Not Giving Up”
https://poets.org/poem/instructions-not-giving
“The Raincoat”
https://poets.org/poem/raincoat
“Dead Stars”
https://poets.org/poem/dead-stars
“A New National Anthem”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adalimon/poem-a-new-national-anthem-by-ada-limon#.nn0XeeXqW
“Give Me This”
https://poets.org/poem/give-me
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 @ 1:00
Flash Fiction
We will be discussing these stories:
“Everyone Cried” by Lydia Davis
“This is How you Fail to Ghost Him” by Victoria McCurdy
“Angels and Blueberries” by Tara Campbell
“Emma” by Victoria Macleod
Remembering Joy Davis
Dr. Joy Lee Davis
b. April 3, 1931
d. May 27, 2021
“Joy loved learning and helping others learn. I often think of things that I wish I could ask her or run by her. I will never forget the impact that she had on my life.” Carol Hanson
Who is Joy Davis?
Just our inspiration!
Read more about Joy’s amazing life here, and Carol’s personal remembrance here.
Previous Readings
November 14, 2023 – “Deep Holes” by Alice Munro. Published in 2008
LINK to the story: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/30/deep-holes
October 17, 2023 – “The Knowers” by Helen Phillips. Published in 2013
LINK to the story: https://electricliterature.com/the-knowers-helen-phillips/
February 21, 2023 – “Anything Could Disappear” by Danielle Evans
LINK to the story: https://electricliterature.com/anything-could-disappear-danielle-evans/
October 18, 2022 – “Jubilee” by Kirstin Valdez Quade
LINK to the story: https://www.guernicamag.com/jubilee/
November 15, 2022 – “The Faery Handbag” by Kelly Link
LINK to the story: https://kellylink.net/books/magic-for-beginners-old/the-faery-handbag
Updated: 1/11/2024