February 1, 2021
Roger Rosenblatt
Novelist Roger Rosenblatt, a Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor of English and Writing, has launched a new weekly literary series,
Write America, which features renowned and emerging writers in weekly readings and conversation about how books and art might bridge the deep divisions in our nation.
The series, in collaboration with Book Revue in Huntington, N.Y., begins on February 1 at 7 pm EST with former United States Poet Laureates Rita Dove and Billy Collins. The series is available on Book Revue’s Crowdcast channel.
“When President Trump incited the mob attack on our Capitol, it proved how lethal language can be,” Rosenblatt said. “Writers have better uses for language – the stirring of thought, self-inspection, fellow-feeling, love. The divisions in the country do not end with Trump, who served to show us how deep these divisions go. We are an injured nation. Write America will try to show how language heals.
‘Write America’ Invites A Nation To Heal Through Its Authors 2 Photos
Alice McDermott
Annette Hinkle on Feb 1, 2021
In the days and weeks following the 2020 presidential election, writer and Quogue resident Roger Rosenblatt began to feel a distinct sense of unease.
“When Biden and Harris won and Trump started his malevolent mischief around November 10 or 11, a week after the election when all the results were in the news went to riots in various cities where Trump-inspired thugs were fighting those who were celebrating,” Rosenblatt recalled. “The visual impact from that was severe.”
His was a common reaction, and one that only grew worse during the subsequent interregnum the two months between the election and the date on which President Joseph Biden officially took office. Normally, it’s a period of calm, transition and celebration (for the victor’s camp, at least). This time around, it was anything but. The visual impact that first disturbed Rosenblat