The University of Pennsylvania Web Cover Page

Starting 11/20/1996

Screen shot of Penn's home page circa November 1996

Screen shot of Penn's home page circa November 1996

Thanks to the efforts of some enterprising Penn students, faculty, and staff, there is now a place in the heart of campus where writers of all types can meet to discuss their craft, hear readings and talks by authors, and just have some serious fun. The Writers House, which opened in September, is a prime example of the type of academic community the Provost's 21st Century Project for the Undergraduate Experience seeks to create. It combines scholarship and social life in an informal setting and encourages students to cross disciplinary boundaries and explore common interests. In just three months, the Writers House has become a popular gathering place for students from across the University and others interested in writing. On the lighter side, it also hosts events like the October 30 Halloween party. Here, English professors (left to right) Maureen Quilligan, Toni Bowers, and Michael Gamer get in the literary spirit of the holiday by performing the well-known opening scene from Act IV of Shakespeare's Macbeth.