Bookcases line the walls and hold many of the 10,000 items in the Heyen collection, which is considered among the finest assemblages of inscribed first editions, manuscripts, and correspondence from major American writers in the past 30 years. The panel also will include Barbara Jordan and James Longenbach, poets and professors in the Department of English. From 7 to 8 p.m., the 38th season of the Plutzik Memorial Series will begin with a reading by Gerald Stern in the Welles-Brown Room. Stern has received many literary honors and was the 1998 winner of the National Book Award. The series began as a memorial to Plutzik, whose distinguished career was cut short by his death in 1962.
All events celebrating the dedication are free and open to the public.
Selections from the William and Hannelore Heyen Collection. The exhibit includes books and documents by such widely known and respected writers as John Berryman, James Dickey, Denise Levertov, and Joyce Carol Oates along with that of younger authors such as David Baker, Li-Young Lee, and Leslie Silko.