Joseph Bathanti and Alessandro Porco Present The Anthology of Black Mountain College Poetry

        The Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library and the Cashiers Historical Society are excited to welcome Joseph Bathanti and Alessandro Porco to the ACCCl meeting room on Friday, November 21 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss the work they did as co-editiors of the recently released Anthology of Black Mountain College Poetry. Joseph Bathanti is a former North Carolina poet laureate and current professor at Appalachian State University. Alessandro Porco is a literary historian and associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

        The story of Black Mountain College begins in 1933 and comprises a fascinating chapter in the history of education and the arts. Conceived by John A. Rice, a brilliant and mercurial scholar who left Rollins College in a storm of controversy, Black Mountain College was born out of a desire to create a new type of college based on John Dewey’s principles of progressive education. Black Mountain College was fundamentally different from other colleges and universities of the time. It was owned and operated by the faculty and was committed to democratic governance and to the idea that the arts are central to the experience of learning. All members of the college community participated in its operation, including farm work, construction projects, and kitchen duty. Twenty minutes east of Asheville, the secluded environment fostered a strong sense of individuality and creative intensity.

        Legendary even in its own time, Black Mountain College attracted and created maverick spirits, some of whom went on to become well-known and extremely influential individuals in the latter half of the 20th century. A partial list includes Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers, Jacob Lawrence, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Cy Twombly, Kenneth Noland, Susan Weil, Vera B. Williams, Ben Shahn, Ruth Asawa, Franz Kline, Arthur Penn, Buckminster Fuller, M.C. Richards, Francine du Plessix Gray, Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, Dorothea Rockburne and many others who have made an impact on the world in a significant way. Even now, decades after its closing in 1957, the powerful influence of Black Mountain College continues to reverberate.

        This event is an exciting opportunity to learn about this historic local college and its contributions to the literary, visual, and performing arts. If you'd like to reserve a seat, please stop by the library circulation desk or call (828) 743-0215.





 

Location

Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library

249 Frank Allen Rd.
Cashiers NC
28717

Telephone: 828-743-0215
http://fontanalib.org/cashiers