For the week of August 21 - 27, 2002

Finding truth in letters

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By ADAM TANOUS
Express Arts Editor

On one level, the question posed by the theme of this year’s Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, "Does Truth Matter?" could be considered a rhetorical one.

Still, the theme suggests a host of other, more ambiguous questions. Perhaps, rather than, "Does truth matter?" we might ask, "Which truth matters?" For truth can come in many forms—emotional, historical, jurisprudential, intellectual—and they may not always be equally relevant. It is up to writers and their readers to sort out that relevance. That varied nature of truth may be what draws so many into the world of letters.

The Sun Valley Writers’ Conference opens Friday on the Sun Valley Esplanade. The image for the conference poster is by New York artist Robert Kelly.

This fact may, in turn, explain why the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference seems to grow in scope and importance each year. This year is no exception, as 35 fiction writers, poets, journalists and historians will participate in the conference Friday through Monday on the Sun Valley Esplanade.

It is a testament to the organizers of the conference that so many big-name writers keep returning to the conference year after year. At the same time, the conference keeps adding new names to its alumni list. This year, the SVWC will add 11 writers to its schedule, including David McCullough, Robert Pinsky, Jane Hamilton and Ryszard Kapuscinski.

The conference will be structured as in previous years, with a number of small breakout sessions held each morning, and larger keynote speeches, panel discussions and readings held in the afternoons and evenings.

While the conference tickets have been sold out, single-event tickets will be sold if seats become available at the last minute. Also, students and teachers in the Wood River Valley will be seated free of charge on a last-minute standby basis.

The keynote talk 6:30 p.m. Friday will be by Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough. McCullough won the Pulitzer this year for his biography of John Adams. His previous biography of Harry Truman also earned him a Pulitzer.

Former U.S. poet Laureate Robert Pinsky takes the stage Saturday evening. Pinsky has long promoted poetry’s place in American culture. Pinsky’s presentation titled, "The Poet at Work," will be a reading of his own work.

Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry is scheduled for the Sunday keynote address. His talk is titled "If Truth Does Matter, I Am in Serious Trouble."

Throughout the days of the conference, there will be a range of topics discussed. For instance, Saturday Duke University Professor Ebrahim Moosa will talk about the Qur’ as a literary text and how it shapes the Muslim imagination. David Halberstam and David McCullough will discuss their respective approaches to historical writing—how they gather and analyze information.

Sunday will bring more fiction writers to the podium. Anne Lamott will read from her latest novel, "Blue Shoe." W.S. Merwin will discuss some of the poetic responses to the Sept. 11 attacks in his presentation titled "Listening Afterwards." Novelist John Burnham Schwartz will offer a more technical take on writing, reflecting on aspects of character in fiction.

Playwright Jon Robin Baitz will tackle the question "Do Plays Still Matter" in his talk Monday. Baitz is the author of "The Paris Letter," which will be made into a movie next spring, directed by Mike Nichols. Also participating on Monday will be Frank McCourt and Roger Wilkins. Wilkins is an author, journalist and former assistant attorney general under President Johnson. In his presentation "Bearing Witness," he will discuss some of the major issues of his time.

And there is much more on and off the schedule. The conference is an event that stimulates discussion and debate, whether under the tent or in the coffee shops in town.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.