Lawrence Weschler and William Finnegan both graduated from Cowell College, UCSC, in 1974. Both worked at The New Yorker, where Finnegan still works. Both studied here at UCSC with Harry Berger. And all three – Weschler, Finnegan, and Berger – are public intellectuals known for their humor and incisiveness and also for the zany connections they like to make.

In this symposium the three literary giants reflect on writing, music, time, and surfing. Weschler focuses on the temporality of both writing and music. The writer and the musician structure time much as the architect, the painter, and the sculptor structure spaces. Finnegan sees timing as crucial to his writing and to his passion for surfing, where the consequences of poor timing can be much more disastrous than in writing. Berger, who is still prolific into his ninth decade, will comment briefly on the ideas presented by Weschler and Finnegan; and then the gates will be thrust open for discussion among all in the room.

For more information, please contact Katie Linder, Cowell Events and Outreach Coordinator at klinder@ucsc.edu or call Emily Sloan-Pace, Cowell’s College Academic Programs Coordinator at cwprvsta@ucsc.edu.

Please note that parking can pose a challenge, but we hope the Cowell and Stevenson lots will be relatively open. Those lots include a parking station.