There was a time not long ago when there was some uncertainty about the future of the IWC. We have worked hard to show, as Mark Twain once said, that news of our demise was greatly exaggerated. Now, we are ready to move the IWC to the larger stage of the humanities. In a ceremony at Washington University on September 2, 2003, the International Writers Center will become the Center for the Humanities with the tagline: Dedicated to Letters and Humanistic Research and Their Presence in the Public Life.
What’s in a name? As we prepare to change our name, we hope people see both a little and a lot in our new title. As Gerald Early, director of the IWC explains, the name change marks the extension of the Center’s core literary endeavors to include other humanistic activities, as well as continued public outreach on all fronts. Thus, we hope our new name assures little change in our commitment to those we proudly serve in the St. Louis literary community and a lot of change to those who welcome opportunities to bring together the perspectives of diverse humanities disciplines under a single, synergistic roof.

We see the center as a focal point for exciting new possibilities designed to serve an area that would benefit from stronger representation at our university. The importance of renewed support for the humanities at Washington University can be found in publications ranking universities. The U.S. News & World Report 2002-3 academic ranking shows that Washington University has now moved to a 12th-place tie in their undergraduate list, with 19 programs among their top-10 national rankings. The average ranking for Washington University’s 17 humanities programs was, however, much lower: 30. We hope fresh opportunities for cross-fertilization among the various disciplines within the humanities will be inspiring and energizing for both faculty and students. But this is about more than national ratings; it is about the contributions Arts & Sciences at Washington University can make to the community, the nation, and the world. This past year, we have been investigating the kind of humanities center that would best facilitate this growth.

We took our task seriously. After considerable research, we chose to visit eight nationally recognized humanities centers, including the Stanford Humanities Center (founded in 1980) and the Whitney Humanities Center at Yale University (founded in 1981). We learned a great deal on these trips. We asked, for instance, how broadly each center defined the humanities, how each center secured funding, how the centers got started, whether the faculty and local community support increased or decreased over the years of the center's operation, and what was the most serious criticism experienced by each center.

Even before these visits, we were trying hard to evaluate and prepare for this transition. In October 2001, we distributed a questionnaire to 190 faculty members to help us understand and assess faculty expectations regarding the possible creation of a humanities center at Washington University. The survey results supported establishing a center for the humanities and, more importantly, provided faculty feedback about a humanities center’s role that has helped guide us as we turned this concept into reality. Professor Early and the Center’s Advisory Board have included faculty advice in creating our mission statement: “The Center for the Humanities at Washington University is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of humanistic thinking and the pursuit of letters as essential activities in the intellectual, political, cultural, and artistic life of this university, the community it serves, and the world.”

It is fitting that our center’s name change reflects Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton’s theme for the celebration of Washington University’s 150 years: “Treasuring the Past, Shaping the Future.” We treasure our past. Even as we expand our mission, we will continue to serve the literary community of St. Louis. Over the past two years, we have not only continued to carry out the usual IWC literary events—the Reading Series and St. Louis Literary Calendar; but also published Belles Lettres, a literary journal, and The Figure in the Carpet, a newsletter that accompanies the calendar. These two publications have expanded our outreach enormously and we will continue to improve them. In addition, we organized the Faculty Luncheon Series, the Faculty Book Celebration, and a Korean War Symposium (co-sponsored with the Missouri History Museum). Following up our conference on the Korean War, and in our continuing examination of the various facets of the topic of war, we will organize the first of the Center’s workshops—The Morality of War—this fall.

What’s next? The possibilities are nearly limitless, for the humanities offer as many avenues of inquiry as there are possibilities in life. As we cannot do everything, we must learn to choose wisely. Now we begin.

Jian Leng, Assistant Director
The Center for the Humanities

Sisters in Crime is: a) a support group, b) a group of mystery writers, c) a notorious gang, or d) all of the above. Can’t decide? Read on for “clues.”

Broadly speaking, Sisters in Crime is a worldwide network of writers, readers, booksellers, librarians, agents, editors, reviewers and teachers interested in promoting the work of women mystery writers. Officially, the organization’s bylaws state that “the purpose of Sisters in Crime shall be to: combat discrimination against women in the mystery field, educate publishers and the general public as to the inequities in the treatment of female authors, raise the level of awareness of their contributions to the field, and promote the professional advancement of women who write mysteries.” Now, for a closer look “behind the scenes.”

Kate Flora, president of Sisters in Crime, discusses the intangible benefits of membership in the March issue of InSinC, the Sisters in Crime newsletter, in her article “Why Bother with Sisters in Crime?” It was her Sisters authors, she says, who taught her to do a bookstore reading and a library talk. Together, they formed a speakers’ bureau within the local chapter. This subcommittee contacted guest authors to share opportunities and show members how to avoid the “deadly experience of sitting in a bookstore all alone.” The bureau brought in crime experts, psychologists, agents and editors to do panels for the members. It’s where they got answers to a legal or medical question, or found out what kind of shot to put in a shotgun. The group also obtained and circulated lists of reviewers, media contacts, bookstore contacts, and mailing lists.

Kate stresses that Sisters in Crime is not just a local organization; it is an international community. It has more than 3200 members, 939 of whom are published mystery writers, and 472 are published in other fields. It isn’t unusual, for example, for a member to offer a spare room to a member visiting from another city, or to introduce local contacts, or identify strategic bookstores. This year, the Midwest chapter paired with Mystery Writers of America to host a regional mystery conference. In addition, the Greater St. Louis chapter has hosted a Midwest Mysteryfest, featuring a panel of published mystery writers, and presentations by a forensic pathologist, several homicide detectives, and other criminal experts. A writers’ workshop, in which samples of works-in-progress were critiqued, has also been sponsored.

It is true that the world of the struggling writer can be daunting. It’s hard to keep up your spirits in front of a circle of empty chairs in a lonely bookstore. But, when you can call a Sister to empathize, or better yet, bring some with you the next time to beef up your audience—now, that’s support.

So, have you decided? “All of the above” is the best choice. It’s a worthwhile association, and by the way, it’s also open to interested males. The Greater St. Louis Chapter meets on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. at the St. Louis County Library, 1640 S. Lindbergh (just south of the Lindbergh-Clayton Rd. intersection, on the east side of Lindbergh). Meetings feature a guest speaker’s presentation, including time for questions, followed by readings from works-in-progress. Recent programs have included a criminal attorney, a clinical psychologist, workshops on writing techniques, and a writing critique session. Join us!

Claire Applewhite is the publicist for the Greater St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime and a member of Mystery Writers of America. A past participant in the Summer Writer’s Institute at Washington University and the St. Louis Writer’s Workshop, she is the author of three mystery novels, currently represented by her agent.

In honor of the new name and to show our appreciation for all who’ve supported the Center over the years, The Center for the Humanities will host a celebration and name-changing ceremony at 4:00pm on Tuesday, September 2 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge on the hilltop campus of Washington University in St. Louis. For more information, call (314) 935-5576.

The ceremony will include brief remarks by Mark Wrighton, Chancellor of Washington University, Edward Macias, Executive Vice Chancellor of Washington University and Dean of Arts & Sciences, and Gerald Early, director of The Center for the Humanities. There will be a reception immediately following the remarks. The event is free and open to the public.

Please join us for the celebration!

Please note also that beginning September 1, 2003, our new email address will be cenhumartsci.wustl.edu and our new website address will be http://cenhum.artsci.wustl.edu.

Lorenzo Carcaterra will read from his work on Monday, September 22 at 8 pm, location TBA. He will give a seminar with time for audience questions on Tuesday afternoon, September 23, at 4 pm at McMillan Café in Old McMillan Hall. A reception and book signing will follow both events, which are free and open to the public. For more information, call (314) 935-5576.