The 9th annual Fall Convergence begins Thursday, Sept. 30, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 1. This year鈥檚 theme is Memory and Memorial, which invites participants to consider where and how memories are made: written into our very DNA, constructed and imposed by power systems, and collectively authored with others, whose memories may converge or diverge from our own.
鈥淭he last year has been filled with loss,鈥 noted Dr. Amaranth Borsuk, who along with Dr. Ching-In Chen, organized this year鈥檚 event. Borsuk is associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and serves as associate director of the Master in Fine Arts in Poetics program. Chen is assistant professor in the School of IAS. 鈥淚n the last year, we have experienced a pandemic, police murders, public and private losses,鈥 Borsuk said. 鈥淭his fall we had the 20th anniversary of 9/11. How do we grapple with this moment?鈥
Borsuk joined UW Bothell in 2012, the year that UW Bothell founding faculty Dr. Jeanne Heuving started the Fall Convergence series.
鈥淭he Convergence was my real introduction to campus life,鈥 Borsuk said, noting that each year the event now 鈥済ives our students entry into a larger community of writer/thinkers.鈥
Virtual conference, real connection
The Fall Convergence in 2020 was virtual, and this year鈥檚 event will follow suit.
鈥淟ast year, we were especially pleased with the high amount of participation from those who may not have been able to attend the Convergence when it was in-person,鈥 Chen said. 鈥淏ecause we were cognizant about Zoom fatigue, we intentionally invited those performers and artists who we thought would bring an innovative approach to virtual performance and presence.
鈥淲e are continuing this tradition this year,鈥 Chen said, 鈥渨ith our commissioned performances Friday night. Some examples are Larissa Lai鈥檚 鈥榤ovietalking鈥 videos based out of a performance practice where people used to talk over the movies to creatively tell a film鈥檚 story against the grain of the filmmaker鈥檚 intention as well as Aisha Sabatini Sloan鈥檚 new media exploration through image and sound.鈥
The event will feature more than 20 presenters and performers. Borsuk said she is particularly excited about a new component that asks each presenter to provide a creative prompt for others to use. 鈥淭he prompt is an instigation that can lead to making work. It鈥檚 a launching pad and akin to being under the mentorship of another writer,鈥 she said.
A digital e-book of all the prompts will be compiled by MFA student Madison Nikfard (IAS 鈥19) for distribution to participants.
Saturday, the lineup features paired conversations. 鈥淲e asked MFA students and alumni whose work seemed resonant with those presenting to moderate these conversations,鈥 said Chen. For example, second-year MFA student Amy Hirayama will be in conversation with Tamiko Beyer and Purvi Shah who will be sharing from their experiences in creating 鈥楾ogether We Are New York,鈥 a collaborative performance that marked the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.鈥
Alumni reunion
This annual event is an opportunity to engage with and promote MFA students and alumni, said Chen.
鈥淭his year, we are showcasing MFA alumni Stephanie Segura鈥檚 鈥極pen Door Behind You,鈥 which documents her experience tracing the history of her family via artifacts and documents.
鈥淚 am really excited about the participation of our MFA students and alumni in this year鈥檚 Convergence,鈥 said Chen, 鈥渂ecause it is an event organized to give our students the opportunity to interact with internationally celebrated writers, artists, performers and scholars 鈥 and be part of these emerging conversations in the field.鈥
In addition to the Fall Convergence, the MFA program also hosts Gamut, a literary series in which students, alumni and faculty present readings for the public. View the Gamut website.
Fall Convergence 2021 schedule & registration
The Fall Convergence is free and will be held via Zoom. Registration is required. To register, click on the daily links or visit the Fall Convergence website. All events listed in Pacific Time.
