Gerber presents paper at Wallace Stevens conference

Department of English Professor Natalie Gerber was one of 13 international scholars, all of whom currently or formerly served on the board of The Wallace Stevens Journal, who participated in “Sincerely Yours, Wallace Stevens,” the first conference to consider Stevens, a highly regarded American modern poet in the first half of the 20th century, as a correspondent.

The Huntington, a library, art museum and botanical gardens complex located in San Marino, Calif., sponsored the conference, held Sept. 20 and 21.

The papers presented ­drew on the Huntington library's extensive archival holdings in its Wallace Stevens Papers collection and on three volumes of published letters. Dr. Gerber’s paper was titled “’Aesthetics, Poetry, Art, or Blondes': Why Stevens's Letters Don't Theorize Rhythm.”

Since much of Stevens's social activity and armchair travel occurred via his correspondence, this conference was a valuable opportunity to consider the letters as part of his literary heritage and to view them in their own right as a literary genre.

For more information about the conference, visit online