By Aaron Calvin, Entertainment Editor
Kicking off this year's, "Great Writers, Great Readings," series on Wednesday, John Edgar Wideman read and answered questions in the Axinn Library.
Wideman is a professor at Brown University and has won a multitude of awards for his works of fiction and non-fiction including the PEN/Faulkner Award and the O. Henry Award.
The reading began with an anecdotal introduction from Patti Horvath, a professor at Hofstra. Wideman then took the podium and read an excerpt from what he described as a "work in progress."
The excerpt was the beginning of a work that Wideman said would be titled "Fathers and Sons." He described the work as being a combination of fiction and non-fiction. The work began with a description of Wideman's childhood and his encounter with seeing the corpse of Emmett Till, an African-American boy who was the real victim of a racially-charged murder in 1955. As the reading continued, Wideman incorporated several newspaper articles that betrayed the bigotry and bias which permeated the trial. The account also spoke of Till's father, who was hung during World War II for the alleged crime of rape.
The excerpt from the story highlighted the racial issues of mid-twentieth century America that are still relevant in today's society. After his reading, Wideman engaged in a Q&A session with the audience. He spoke of the current political climate, comparing it to protests witnessed in the 1960s and to the personal struggles of minorities as well as the general infringements on people's dignity. He also spoke at length on his distaste for the public "Blockbuster Syndrome," which he described as the tendency for corporations and publishers to care only about the profit of their work.
The next author in the, "Great Writers, Great Readings," series will be appearing in the Cultural Center Theater on November 14.
Wideman read his some of his work and answered questions on Wednesday. (Michaela Papa/The Chronicle)