'Community Read' aims to get people talking about 'The Intuitionist'

Penn State's new Center for American Literary Studies is sponsoring a "Community Read" of Colson Whitehead's prize-winning first novel, "The Intuitionist," throughout the spring term.

Starting Feb. 27, the center will host a series of informal discussions of the novel open to the public. The "Community Read" will end with a gala event April 6 during which Michael Berube, Paterno professor of literature and a distinguished scholar of contemporary American literature and culture, will give a public lecture about "The Intuitionist" and author Whitehead will respond to Berube's comments about his work. Whitehead is the author of four books, a MacArthur "genius grant" winner and a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

The discussion evenings for the "Community Read" of "The Intuitionist" will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 27, March 6, March 20 and March 27 in 102 Kern Building, University Park. The events will hosted by teams of faculty members from the Penn State department of English. The "Community Read" gala will take place at 7 p.m. April 6 in the Palmer Lipcon Auditorium of the Palmer Art Museum, University Park. In addition to Berube's lecture and Whitehead's remarks, the gala will showcase reflections on "The Intuitionist" by professors Charles B. Harris of Illinois State University, Louise Bernard of Georgetown University and Aldon Nielsen of Penn State.

"The Intuitionist" was chosen as the novel for the "Community Read" by Berube. The goal of the linked series of "Community Read" events is to get as many people reading and talking about the same book as possible. "Shared texts constitute a key form of community building," said Robin G. Schulze, director of Penn State's Center for American Literary Studies, "whether readers agree or disagree about the interpretation of a given text, the act of discussing it brings them together."                                                                                                                         
The book is a thought-provoking consideration of power, morality, politics and race through the quirky world of elevator inspectors in a major American metropolis. In Whitehead's city, the elevator inspectors divide into two distinct camps -- the Empiricists who inspect elevators by carefully testing every bolt and switch, and the Intuitionists who inspect elevators by instinctively sensing their operations. The book focuses on Lila Mae Watson, the city's first black female inspector, an Intuitionist with a perfect inspection record. When an elevator that she deems fit for service suddenly drops 60 stories, she is forced to solve the mystery in order to clear her name. Copies of "The Intuitionist" are available at the Penn State Bookstore at a 20 discount.

The center also sponsoring a "Community Read" essay prize for Penn State undergraduates with a first prize of $500. All events for the "Community Read" are free to the public. For more information, see the Center for American Literary Studies Web site at http://English.la.psu.edu/CALS/ or contact Schulze at rgs3@psu.edu via e-mail.