The Rose O'Neill Literary House is one of three "Centers of Excellence" at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. With Director Mark Nowak[1] and Assistant Director Kathryn Bursick,[2] the house helps brainstorm and coordinate literature-centered programming as well as providing a place for students and student groups to gather.
In the past the house has been host to such notable writers as Allen Ginsburg, Toni Morrison, John Barth, Daniel Handler, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Smith and Isaac Asimov.
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The Rose O'Neill House started as the Richmond House by Professor Robert Day in 1970, shortly after his arrival at the college. It remained in its original structure until 1982, when the house was finally demolished. In 1985 a more structurally sound establishment, the Bell House was acquired in part thanks to Mrs. Betty Brown Casey '47 and her husband Eugene B. Casey. It was then renamed in honor of Eugene Casey's mother Rose O'Neill Casey.[3] It continued to be directed by Professor Day until his retirement from the house in 1997.
A series of directors followed including English Professor Robert Mooney, who acted as director from 1997 to 2005. Novelist Benjamin Anastas then served as interim director during the 2005-2006 academic year. From 2006 to 2009 novelist Joshua Wolf Shenk took the position before Mark Nowak, current director, was installed.
In 2007 the Lit House underwent its first phase of major renovations including a new kitchen, library bookshelves, a wider sliding door, and a new ceiling over the Mary Wood reading room. New couches, chairs and carpets were also purchased. Other accents include a chalkboard wall in the kitchen, sticky cork-board in the foyer, and a lamp where students and guests can write notes and hang them for the rest of the community to see. A large part of this refurbishment was the cataloging and framing of posters, which provided an opportunity for the house community to vote on which posters they would like to see re-hung.
In 2008 writer/illustrator couple Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr of Idiot's Books designed and installed the foyer mural "Six Degree of Sir Frances Bacon," outlining the comical relationships between literary figures form across cultures and time periods. The mural is a popular piece to observed by house visitors.
The House hosts a number of lectures and sit-down "tea & talks" each year with visiting authors. In addition to these talks, there are also a number of fellowships and residencies sponsored by the House including:
The Rose O'Neill House also operates in conjunction with the Sophie Kerr Committee,[6] whose endowment brings a variety of popular authors to Washington College. Sophie Kerr weekend is an event each spring in which perspective students are invited to stay with current students in order to attend workshops and presentations from visiting authors. In the past Sophie Kerr weekend has hosted Jane Smiley, Ted Kooser, and Daniel Handler.
Other programs include participation in the Chestertown Book Festival each fall,[7] and summer "Spoken Word Saturdays" in conjunction with the Spoken Word Assembly held in neighboring Kent County High Schools.[8]
This years visitors have also included poets Claudia Rankine and Patricia Smith and novelists Dan Chaon, Debra Spark, Mary Gordon, Jeff Talarigo and James McBride, as well as a variety of webcomic artists, humorists, historians, musicians, editors, and political reporters.[9]
In 1987 the house opened its Letterpress Room, run by Printmaster Michael Kaylor. In 1992 it was reinstated as the Literary House Press and in 2003 received added support from the newly instated Jacoby Endowment.[10] Today the shop uses a Vandercook 4, in addition to one motorized and two non-motorized Chandler and Price platen presses, and over 100 cases of type.[11]
In the past students have been invited to complete both beginner and advanced workshops on setting type and operating presses. From the print shop comes Washington College's "Print Club" as well as the job titles of "Printer's Devil" and "Print Shop Apprentice."
Often the shop will create limited edition broadsides for guest authors as well as limited edition books including John Barth's 1992 speech Browsing, Ron Carlson's Beanball and Idiots' Books "Jericho." Select copies are available for purchase via the Print Shop website.[12]
Part of the Print Shop also consists of a bookbinding area where students can learn the art of hand-binding books and journals.[13]
The House also offers a unique opportunity to six juniors or seniors each year, allowing them to reside in "Fellowship Rooms" located on the third floor of the house. Each room is given to two students as a quiet, personal space for them to work on portfolios or theses. In return each Fellow much propose a project in order to give back to the House Community.[14]
One of the most important traditions of the house is its posters. Lining the walls are various posters, covering everything from guest authors to student events. In 2007 and 2008 under the direction of then new director Joshua Wolf Shenk, the posters were re-framed, many of them professionally, and digitally cataloged. As of the 2009-2010 school year poester have been re-hung on all three floors of the House.[15]
Students are also able to voice their opinion about speakers and events by hanging the posters upside-down in order to show disapproval. In light of this, some authors have taken to signing the posters upside-down, while others, like playwright Israel Horovitz, prefer to sign notes such as "if you hang this poster upside-down you will get a disease."- just in case.
In conjunction with the Washington College English department, every year in the fall freshman are invited to share their work with the college community during the annual Freshman Reading.[16] Any prose or poetry is accepted, and admission is free. The same tradition happens in the spring for graduating seniors who would like the opportunity to show their growth.[17] Both readings together paint a picture of the students' growth as writers during their time at the college.
The Lit House also hosts the English Department holiday party, at which time the college's preeminent academic and literary publication, the Washington College Review, is unveiled. It is a semi-formal event where students and professors can relax before the end of the semester. The Review itself was at one time printed by the O'Neill Literary House Press, and still remains linked through the holiday party tradition.[18]
The Washington College Writers' Union has strong historic ties to the Literary House, going back to the original Richmond House which was started in part to house the events of the Writers' Union. Today the Union operates as a separate entity, but still hosts regular readings in the house as well as the annual Halloween Party and Blackhearts Ball.
In the spring of 1998, Writers' Theatre, a student group whose members write and perform original productions, used the Literary House as the staging ground for a murder mystery based on the movie Clue. This use of the Literary House has become an annual Writers' Theatre tradition.[19]
One of the most endearing elements of the Rose O'Neill House was Edith Wharton, cat-in-residence. Originally a gift to the students of the house after the death of a fellow classmate, Edith was a staple of the house, seen lounging at all hours of the day and often asking to be let in or out. She died at the age of 17 in May 2010 and was buried in the garden.[20]
Langston Hughes, a male cat found at the Washington College Boat House, has been adopted as Edith's successor.[21]