Why can food activate such powerful memories? How do we translate the sensuous experience of taste and touch into writing? And why are we so eager to describe what we eat to others? These are just some of the questions Pen, Paper & Fork will explore. This special symposium and workshop will bring together nationally known food writers as well as local bloggers and journalists to explore how and why we write about food.
The event begins at 7:00pm on Friday, March 24 in Tyrrell Hall with a joint reading and conversation featuring two critically acclaimed food memoirists:
- Sasha Martin is the author of Life from Scratch, a story about food, family, and discovery that unfolds through beautiful writing and luscious recipes.
- Nina Mukerjee Furstenau in Biting through the Skin uses food to tell her story of growing up at the intersection of different cultures as her Indian family immigrated from Thailand to the American heartland.
Together, they will talk about food and memory while also exploring how recipes can tell stories of their own.
At 9:00am the next day, these two talented authors will then lead small writing workshops for symposium participants. They will use a series of inventive exercises to help get the words flowing and to develop new ways of writing about food, taste, and memory. After a break, the symposium will conclude with a roundtable discussion featuring several local food writers and journalists including Mark Brown (Philbrook), Angela Evans (Tulsa Voice) and Jessica Rodrigo (Tulsa World). The symposium will conclude at 12:30pm.
All events are free and open to the community. Registration is requested (though not required) through our Eventbrite page.