Initial Plan. Literary Houston is an initiative in the “public humanities” — students and professors who are producing research for this site share with the public what we teach and write about in classrooms.  In the Spring semester of 2020 an enthusiastic group of undergrads and grad students launched this project with Professor Krista Comer.

We began by venturing together into Houston’s literary and art scenes through the generous support of the Rice Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL).  We attended an Inprint literary reading as a class at Houston’s Alley Theatre (see us on the bus to the left!). We met during seminar with Directors of two long-standing Houston organizations — Tony Diaz of Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Our Say, and Rich Levy of Inprint: Houston’s Premier Literary Arts Organization. Our plan was to work with them and other groups, go to additional readings in varied venues, take a Chicano murals tour of Houston’s East End, and from these sources and additional research to produce an “infrastructure map” of literary Houston for presentation to Mayor Turner.   We will say more about why . . .

Change of Plan. But COVID-19 has changed those plans.  Rather than give up on  conversations that open our work to readers outside of the classroom, we decided to write “White Papers” (research in progress) as well as share what we’ve learned about Organizations, Venues, and Houston Writers.  The project is begun thereby, and classes in the future can build on what has been founded here.

Who is the “we?”  Thanks to Rice undergrads whose studies cross interests and majors in humanities, social sciences, and STEM including:  Matthew Archibald, Robbie Blosser, Emily Dickinson, Caleb Dukes, Morgan Gage, Bri Gonzalez, Hania Nagy, Mary Claire Neal, Aaron Nguyen, Rebecca Noel, Sarah Swackhamer, Jacob Tate, Maddie Turner, Alejandra Wagnon, Abby Webb, and Kierstin Wilkins.  Also thanks to Chaney Hill, first year doctoral student in English.

Learn More About Us: Click to learn more about what public humanities research is and why infrastructure matters so much in this field. Alternatively, proceed to learn more about Houston organizations or dive right into student white papers!