Rivers forge the language of a place and its people. In this comparative literature seminar, we will explore selected works of Dante, Mark Twain, and James Joyce; tracing their literary connection to rivers, and groundbreaking use of informal, regional dialects. Supplemented with Mary Ann Messick’s History of Baxter County.

*Class dates are as follows: February 4th,11th,18th,25th, March 4th & 18th

Instructor BIO:

Matt Powell is a writer and musician. His writing has been featured in Variety, No Depression, Angels Flight—literary west, Community Works Journal, The Happy Music Center, StyleBlueprint, Scanner Zine, Temporary Detective and Emmys.com. He served for five years as Contributing Music Editor for Humor in America, a blog affiliated with the Department of English at the University of Texas at Austin. He performs music regularly throughout the area, and you can often catch him at an open mic reading from a classic book.  Matt was born and raised in Southern California, but his roots in Baxter County go back to the 1860s. He moved to Mountain Home in 2021 to be around family roots, nature, and good neighbors.