“Storied” Exhibit Opens at UH Libraries

September 17, 2016, by

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On Wednesday, September 14, the University of Houston Libraries celebrated the opening of Storied: The First 10 Years of the Creative Writing Program with a reception in the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion of MD Anderson Library. The exhibit was put together using UH Libraries Special Collections materials and focuses on the founding and first decade of the UH Creative Writing Program. It highlights faculty members Cynthia Macdonald and Donald Barthelme, as well as showcasing works by alumni who graduated within that first decade (1979-1989).

Within the first few years of its founding, the UH Creative Writing Program had already become a leading program in the nation. Inprint formed virtually alongside the program in the mid 1980s and quickly became a crucial source of fundraising and support for students and the student-run magazine Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts.

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Katharine Barthelme speaks at the reception for Storied:The First 10 years of the Creative Writing Program.

Attendees on Wednesday enjoyed wine and light bites as librarians Julie Grob and Mary Manning spoke with passion about putting the exhibit together. Katharine Barthelme, daughter of Donald Barthelme, also spoke and expressed her gratitude for the continuation of her father’s legacy through UH.

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UH librarian Julie Grob shows a group some of the alumni works on display.

Afterwards, the librarians led guided tours of the exhibit on the first floor of the library. Some highlights include a photo of Cynthia Macdonald by Annie Leibovitz that appeared in Life Magazine, a letter to Donald Barthelme from close friend Susan Sontag, original collages by Donald Barthelme, and recordings of UH faculty Martha Serpas and Roberto Tejada reading works by founding faculty members.

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UH faculty John McNamara takes a closer look at the materials on display.

Visitors are invited to view Storied: The First Ten Years of the Creative Writing Program on the first floor of the MD Anderson Library through January 2, 2017. For more information, contact Julie Grob, 713-743-9744, or Mary Manning, 713-743-5893.

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