Office of Scholarly Publications at Georgetown University: 06/14/2009

Sunday, June 14, 2009

A week at Collegium Colloquy

The blog has been quiet while I spent a week in Collegeville, Minnesota at Collegium Colloquy, created by Dr. Tom Landy as a way for faculty and staff from Catholic universities to discuss faith and intellectual life. One need not be Catholic to attend, and in fact he always encourages more participation from non-Catholics, including nonbelievers. The point isn't to look at things a certain way, but to gather fresh perspectives on whether and how there is something unique and worth preserving in Catholic higher education that may be lost over time as fewer people choose to join the religious orders that founded these campuses long ago. Does it matter that the orders such as Jesuits, Benedictines, Franciscans, Salesians, and other groups are shrinking? Can lay people -- both those who share the faith of the founders and those who do not -- take up the slack, and more important should they? Is this even reasonable to ask of any faculty member, ever? Some say yes, others no, and the debate was engaging and smart. I had a great week.

Of course, writing can and should be part of this as a way of collecting and crystallizing ideas that groups like Collegium generate. But another interesting point about writing came out of Collegium, and that's the model of Collegium itself. There is a way to think about our books as potential beneficiaries of Collegium-type thinking. What if, for example, when undertaking something enormous such as a volume dedicated to the life and career of a major author, it were normal to gather a group of scholars and collectively consider some of the important aspects of the project? This kind of "brain trust" thinking is antithetical to the lone-wolf scholar approach, but that's part of why I love it. Collegium reminds us that there can be great wisdom in a collection of like minds. Although I'm not crazy about committees per se, this isn't committeethink, but rather a way to percolate ideas without having to all agree on the outcome.

Above: A group of great minds on our way to dinner in Minneapolis. Your book blogger is at the far left.

Writing a Book? Literary Advising at Booklab

Booklab works with authors outside Georgetown as well as faculty. Literary education is available either by the hour (advising) or by the project (nonfiction proposals, expert manuscript readthroughs, etc.). Write to us for more information and a course fee schedule.

If you're not a Georgetown author and you have a question, you can have it answered for free if you give us permission to post it on the blog. You will remain anonymous unless you wish to be identified by first name.

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Click here to see a list of books we recommend about writing.

Literary Events

William Morris Endeavor Agency Visited Booklab. Eric Lupfer of the William Morris Endeavor Agency was my guest for a Georgetown University faculty book talk at noon on October 15 in the Leavey Center. Over 70 faculty members attended, including special guests from the Center For Advanced Holocaust Studies at the Holocaust Museum, and some from Mary Washington College. Eric focused on his own approaches, work he admires, and backstage realities at a major literary agency.
Matthew Carnicelli Visited Booklab. This former Dutton editor turned literary agent, first in his own boutique and now with Trident Media, captivated an audience of 70 faculty members with his insights on how scholarly research can form the basis of engaging and popular books. He discussed some of the mechanics of approaching agents, but his core message was what he particularly looks for in an engaging crossover book.
Cary Goldstein Visited Booklab. Director of Publicity and Acquiring Editor Cary Goldstein at Hachette's estimable imprint TWELVE discussed how academic authors can become quoted experts in today's voracious news climate. He analyzed nonfiction from both of his unique perspectives: as an acquisitions editor, and as a senior-level publicity strategist. He also discussed TWELVE and what distinguishes its editorial and promotional approach from other houses.
Smithsonian Books Editor and Georgetown Alumna Visits Georgetown. Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard, a senior editor at Smithsonian Books who was an executive editor at Random House and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and who has been reponsible for several literary bestsellers, will co-teach a book proposal seminar in the spring. Please see the blog at the left for details.
Sebastian Junger Visited Booklab. Bestselling author Sebastian Junger -- who used to be a Washington, DC journalist and who is still a reporter at heart -- is also a great supporter of Booklab. He discussed his work with faculty. We met in the historic Philodemic Room, where he offered such unorthodox advice as "Write what you DON'T know... you'll learn along with your readers and tell a better, more thorough story." Afterward he accompanied our team to the National Press Club for its annual Book Fair and Authors Night.
Georgetown Author Barbara Mujica at Chapters Literary Bookstore. Georgetown alumna and Chapters co-owner Terri Merz hosted Barbara Mujica at Chapters for a special wine reception.
Oxford University Press Visited Georgetown. The Faculty of Languages and Linguistics hosted Cynthia Read, the executive editor of Oxford USA, on April 17 for a conversation and question and answer session.
University of Arizona Press Visited Georgetown. Carole Sargent welcomed Dr. Christine Szuter, Director of the University of Arizona Press, at the Book Lab townhouse on Wednesday, March 14 at 10:30 a.m.
The Authors Guild at Georgetown. Executive Director Paul Aiken and General Counsel Jan Constantine answered professors' questions about university press contracts, and authors submitted contracts ahead of time for detailed review.
Father James V. Schall read from his new book The Life of the Mind: On the Joys and Travails of Thinking, in late October.
Gemstone of Paradise: The Holy Grail in Wolfram's Parzival, by G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. was the subject of a book talk at the National Press Club's Eric Friedheim Library. Father Murphy regaled the audience with his fascinating story of actually finding the Holy Grail.

Office of Scholarly Publications
at Georgetown University

Sunday, June 14, 2009

A week at Collegium Colloquy

Write a Novel in November

Writing a Book? Literary Advising at Booklab

Booklab Welcomes Authors

Literary Events

About the Director of Booklab

"Inky Linkies"

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Ways To Make The Most of This Office