Founded in 1980 by Professor Frederick Busch, Living Writers has a long tradition as an undergraduate course (Engl. 360) and a guest writers’ series. For the past 10 years, members of the English department have offered a not-for-credit version of the program geared toward alumni, parents, and community members.
It’s available online as well as in person, and it’s entirely self-paced. Do as little or as much as you like. To help get you started, we offer these 10 steps:
1. Decide on a book you’d like to read.
2. Check out the book from your local library or else buy a copy from the Colgate Bookstore or your favorite bookseller. If you'd like to get a signed copy of a book, contact Kate Reynolds at the Colgate bookstore
3. Read the book.
4. Uh-oh, have you forgotten how to read? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. The modern world is doing everything it can to prevent people from curling up in an armchair and reading for hours on end. Try reading Mary Ruefle's "Someone Reading a Book is a Sign of Order in the World."
5. Join Colgate faculty and students for three monthly Zoom book discussions to talk about the books and authors we just encountered in the previous weeks. No preparation is required—feel free to come even if you haven’t read all, or even any, of the books. The dates and times of these discussions, as well as links to register, can be found on individual author pages. We’ll also send email reminders about them.
6. On the day of the author’s visit, join us at the appointed hour (usually 4:30) in Persson Hall for a talk followed by an audience Q&A, then a book-signing. Light refreshments will be served in the lobby beforehand.
7. If you can’t be there in person, join us via Zoom. The registration link will appear on each author page a few days before the scheduled event. We promise a robust viewing experience that will be almost as good as being there, and certainly you will have an opportunity to interact with the author during the Q&A.
8. The author talks will be recorded and archived until Dec. 31. The links will not appear on the Living Writers website but will be sent in weekly messages to subscribers.
9. Not a subscriber yet? Click on this link to receive our weekly updates and reminders, including links to register for upcoming events and to view archived talks. Feel free to share the link with anyone else who might be interested.
10. Got questions or feedback? Write to us at livingwriters@colgate.edu