Please join us for a Making the (Richard) Wright Connection virtual seminar – “Autobiographical Elements of Richard Wright’s Haiku” – led by Toru Kiuchi, Professor of English at Nihon University, Japan on Tuesday, May 17th at 6:00 p.m. CST.

Abstract:  95.7 per cent of Wright’s haiku carry a season word. It was easier for Wright to return to his childhood memory of Mississippi, which was full of trees and flowers, than to use images taken from Paris. Sick in bed in Paris, Wright must have been trying to find a season word without going out, recalling his childhood days in Mississippi, which was “a whole world of emotion, of sounds and scents and colours.” Composing haiku, Wright returned not only to his childhood, but also to Chicago and New York days. Accordingly, his haiku comprise quite a few autobiographical elements in them. This lecture makes clear how Wright include his autobiographical factors in the composition of his haiku.

Please feel free to e-mail questions in advance for Professor Kiuchi to the Wright Connection (wrightconnection@ku.edu)  

 To attend the virtual seminar:

1) Go to https://desktopconnect.ku.edu/kiuchi

2) Select “Enter as a Guest”

3) Type your name in the box

4) Click on “Enter Room”

5) The virtual seminar “room” will open at the start time of the seminar.  If you try to enter before then, you will see a message that reads:  The meeting has not yet started.  You will be able to access the meeting once the host arrives.  Please wait.

All participants will need a Flash-based web browser and an Internet connection to access the virtual seminar.  Please feel free to email Keah Cunningham (keah@ku.edu) with any technical questions or issues. 

Additional information at www.wrightconnection.ku.edu