Thursdays, September 22 through November 17

Join local author Jeannette de Beauvoir in the Marc Jacobs Reading Room for a seminar on the literature that has emerged from the AIDS epidemic.

If Yeats thought sex and death were the only two topics worthy of adult consideration, then AIDS wins hands-down as a subject matter. (Edmund White)

40 years after the first reported cases of AIDS, and living as we are through another, different epidemic, we have an opportunity to look back at the literature (novels, poetry, films, etc.) that came out of the crisis and see how it caught, or failed to catch, the essence of experiences of HIV/AIDS and its impact on communities all over the world.

The arts tackled the epidemic through books, plays, poetry, visual representation, music, and films. (It took time for studios to get over skittishness around dealing with such a powerful subject, but Hollywood and the indie film community would go on to produce some excellent AIDS-related films.)

In this seminar, participants will read, view, and discuss both some of the most well-known and most obscure literature emerging from the epidemic and how creators viewed and interpreted the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its effect on various communities.

Every week one or two seminar participants will present a book, film, or play for group discussion. 

The seminar will meet for nine weeks. A bibliography will be distributed. To register for any or all of the sessions and for questions, please email jeannettedebeauvoir@gmail.com.