Caroline Maun shares the story of silenced women writers
Poet and scholar Caroline Maun spoke up on Wednesday evening on behalf of women writers silenced throughout the 20th century.
Students and faculty were informed about the lives and work of many women writers at the “Mosaic of Fire: Recovering the Lives and Work of 20th Century American Women Writers” event in the Charles V. Park Library.
Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program, College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of English Language and Literature, Central Michigan University hosted Maun, an associate professor and author from Wayne State University.
“She’s a poet and a scholar, and this is a chance for her to reach both of those audiences,” said Robert Fanning, English language and literature assistant professor and event organizer. “She’ll be reading some of her own poems and then, of course, sharing some of her scholarship and her research with us. It’s a great opportunity for that.”
Maun came to CMU to discuss her book, “Mosaic of Fire: The Work of Lola Ridge, Evelyn Scott, Charlotte Wilder, and Kay Boyle,” which focused on a group of women writers.
“They were driven by their desire to communicate, make beautiful poems, and they were all so very socially conscious,” Maun said. “So, I hope that I’ll be able to tell you about poets that you don’t know and share a little bit of my own poetry with you.”
Fanning said with this event he hopes the audience leaves knowing more about women writers who were overlooked.
“Particularly, as far as tonight’s event goes, the focus is on women and women writers and for young women writers to hear Caroline; to hear her research about women whose voices have been silenced over time,” Fanning said. “And for women writers to really think about that and to feel inspired.”
Maun spoke of the writers along with their work and lifestyles. She discussed how they’ve gained a lot from supporting one another and advised students to work with peers and do the same.
“At some point, you recognize that the people who will make the most opportunities for you are sitting to your left and to your right,” Maun said. “… The people who will have the most impact on your writing career will be your classmates. And so, the workshops are a great place to forge the connections and friendships to have life-long readers of your work.”
Because these women were mostly excluded from the literary realm, freshman Caitlyn Goins wanted to learn more about the writers and their work.
“Obviously you don’t get to hear about them more often, and when you get the chance to, it’s really interesting,” the Troy native said.
With the publication of the book, Maun said she'd like to inform people about the stories and work of the women in her book.
“I think in any community of people that would like to have the full story of American literature of the 20th century that there’s a great opportunity to know more,” Maun said.
