Gutenberg Conspiracy
The Gutenberg Conspiracy is a gathering of people interested in reading books and discussing them with others. Meetings take place several times during the fall and spring semesters. It has no official standing, having arisen strictly out of faculty interest in reading something other than what was required for class preparation, but it has become part of the school’s intellectual fabric.
Gutenberg participants suggest books they’ve read or want to read; the facilitator compiles and circulates a slate, tallies the votes, and announces the winners before summer begins. The facilitator also persuades various people to lead each book discussion. Some participants consistently read the books during the summer; others consistently read each book (or a portion thereof) immediately before the discussion; still others treat meetings as book review sessions to determine whether or not to read the volume. The chosen books have spanned genres in fiction and non-fiction, but have always been prose. Never has a theme governed any given year’s reading. See Gutenberg Conspiracy Lists for current and previous titles and discussants.
In addition to choosing books, the group each year asks one person to give a “Last Lecture,” and offers carte blanche to the deliverer. Sometimes, but not always, the vote goes to someone retiring or leaving as if it were indeed a final lecture. This tradition revived an earlier one originated by the Student Senate. Where possible, copies of those lectures have been included in the Gutenberg Conspiracy Lists; in some cases, a copy is no longer extant.
The Gutenberg Conspiracy originated in 1973 at English professor Jane Elizabeth “Missy” Archer’s call, beginning that spring by reading Islands in the Stream, The Painted Bird, and End of the Road. Subsequent facilitators have included Randall Wight (psychology), Wendy Richter (library), Edwina Thedford (music), Susan Zlomke (political science), and Shirley Dumais (library). The current facilitator is Chris Mortenson (history).
