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William Paterson University to Host Biennial Conference of the William Carlos Williams Society, “The News from Poems,” June 18-20

--Conference to focus on New Jersey poet’s later poems

William Paterson University in Wayne will host the Sixth Biennial Conference of the William Carlos Williams Society, “The News from Poems,” from June 18 to 20, attracting William Carlos Williams scholars from as far away as Australia, Japan, and Germany, and across the U.S. to discuss the later work of New Jersey-born writer. Admission is free and open to the public. All events will be held in the University’s Cheng Library.

The keynote speaker for the conference is Jonathan Cohen, a poet, translator, essayist, and a member of the affiliated faculty in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center at Stony Brook University.  The compiler and editor of the collection By Word of Mouth: Poems from the Spanish, 1916-1959, a volume of William Carlos Williams’ translations of Spanish and Latin American poetry, Cohen will discuss how Williams’ involvement with translation throughout his career offers an important new way to view his writing and achievement.

The conference takes its title from Williams’ late poem “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower,” which reflects a resurgence of Williams’ poetic inspiration in later life, after a series of debilitating heart attacks and strokes. Several presentations focus on the relation of disability and creativity, while others explore Williams’ affinities with poets and poetry of the classical past and his own multicultural present.

Two William Paterson University students also will contribute to the discussion of Williams’ work.  Katherine Sundstrom of Wyckoff, who is pursuing a master ‘s degree in music education, will present a demonstration and discussion of a musical composition that provides insight into Williams’ use of sound. Steven Malone, a public health major from Butler, will make a presentation on Williams’ dual vocations as a doctor and a poet

Contributors include Emperatriz Kathleen Ung, Georgetown University; Ava Yoshida, Kyoto University; Jeff Westover, Boise State University; Christopher Edwards, University of Melbourne; Jonathan Cohen, SUNY Stony Brook; Daniel E. Burke, Marquette University; Graziano Kratli, Yale University; and Frederick Adler, Contra Costa Medical Center and University of California-San Francisco.

The conference begins with a reception sponsored by the English Department on Thursday, June 18, at 6 p.m., followed by the keynote presentation at 7 p.m. Presentations will be held on Friday, June 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, June 20 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  An optional tour of sites in Paterson, Passaic and Rutherford that are connected to Williams will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 12:30 p.m.; the fee is $30 and includes transportation and a box lunch.

Faculty from William Paterson University’s Department of English, Department of Art, and Cheng Library contributed to the resources for discussion and study at the conference. Additional information is available at www.wpunj.edu/william-carlos-williams.