Mission

The Gene Barnett Literary Society seeks to broaden literary and cultural experience of the university through a trinity of activities, each important to the student body.  The first, the Lecture Series, is ideal for giving students access to the most influential minds of each speaker's respective field.  Knightscapes, A Literary Magazine, is a rare opportunity for students, faculty and staff to publish and express to a wider audience their creative achievements.  The poetry readings allow members of the Literary Society a forum where their words can be comfortably shared with an accepting and interested audience.

History

Founded in 1977, the Gene Barnett Literary Society is one of the oldest organizations on campus.  For nearly thirty years, the Literary Society has been sponsoring its speaker series, which has attracted many of the foremost literary figures of the world.  Past speakers have included Arthur Miller, Joyce Carol Oates, Toni Morrison, John Updike, Saul Bellow, Amy Tan, Umberto Eco, and United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins.  The Literary Society also has published "Knightscapes," its magazine of creative prose and poetry works, each semester since the autumn of 2000.