BARBARA BURKHARDT TO PRESENT "EARLY 20th CENTURY MIDWESTERN LITERATURE" SEPTEMBER 24 AT VACHEL LINDSAY HOME

SPRINGFIELD, IL - The author of a biography on modern literary legend William Maxwell will speak Saturday, September 24 at the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site, 603 S. Fifth Street, Springfield.

 

            Barbara Burkhardt, Assistant Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Springfield, will present "Early Twentieth Century Midwestern Literature," analyzing the works of Maxwell, Vachel Lindsay, Edgar Lee Masters, and Carl Sandburg.  Burkhardt conducted written and oral interviews with the late William Maxwell that were the basis for her book, William Maxwell:  A Literary Life.  As a result of their association, Maxwell, a renowned author from Lincoln, Illinois and an editor for 40 years at The New Yorker magazine, entrusted Burkhardt with organizing his voluminous archive of literary correspondence with such writers as Eudora Welty, J.D. Salinger, John Updike, Mary McCarthy, and Vladimir Nabokov.  Burkhardt has received several awards for her work and has been interviewed by numerous publications and National Public Radio.

 

            The 10 a.m. program on September 24 is the latest in the "Saturday Mornings at 603" series, designed to cover topics that relate to the time that the Lindsay family lived in the home at 603 S. Fifth Street.  The doors open at 9:30 a.m. that day, and light refreshments will be served before the 10 a.m. program.  There is no admission charge, although space is limited to 25 people and reservations must be made by calling (217) 524-0901.  Those interested may call as late as the morning of the program.

 

 The Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (www.Illinois-History.gov), is the birthplace and longtime residence of poet, author and artist Vachel Lindsay, 1879 - 1931.  It is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. for free public tours.