Eastern Washington University’s College of Arts, Humanities & Social Services (CAHSS) recently hosted the inaugural Jess Walter Week, a series of events celebrating the literary achievements of the best-selling novelist and Spokane native. Walter, a distinguished EWU alumnus, returned to his roots for a residency that engaged students, faculty and the Inland Northwest community through academic discussions and public honors.
The festivities began Wednesday, Feb. 11, with “An Evening With Jess Walter.” During the event Walter shared insights into his career as an author, and spoke candidly about the importance of applied learning in the creative arts. The session concluded with a Q&A during which attendees queried the author about his professional journey.
The celebration continued the next day with a mini-symposium titled “Eagles Engage The Work of Jess Walter.” Moderated by professors Kevin Decker and Julia Smith, the session provided a look into Walter’s storytelling process, offering students a unique perspective on the mechanics behind his acclaimed prose.
The event also provided an opportunity for Eastern students to showcase applied-learning projects related to works written by Walter. A student artist, for example, created a watercolor painting to illustrate one of Walters’ short stories, and students from the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program analyzed different aspects of the author’s history-based novel, The Cold Millions.
A group of students in public history classes, taught by Professor Larry Cebula, created an educational exhibit at Spokane Public Library’s Central branch. The EWU historians researched Walter’s The Cold Millions, using the same archival sources that the author used, and then came up with themes for a museum exhibit. They curated images and objects, including some borrowed from the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, and created captions for each piece.
EWU design student Jaeden Ives-Crow developed the exhibit design, and students Holly Claypool and Ben Gallon led a discussion with Walter about his novel to kick off the opening of the museum exhibit. Titled as The Cold Millions: Historical Fact and Fiction and the Spokane Free Speech Fight,” the exhibit runs through the end of March at Central Library, located at 906 W. Main Avenue.
[The “Cold Millions: The History of Spokane’s Free Speech Fight” exhibit runs through March 31. It features photos, flyers, artifacts and books reflecting the key role that the city played in that movement. Read more about the exhibit in this article published in The Spokesman-Review.]
Following the symposium, the university held a VIP reception where Walter met with student leaders, faculty and university administrators.
Beyond the classroom and lecture hall, the week also celebrated Walter’s long-standing support for the university’s athletic community. The longtime Eagle fan was honored during EWU’s Feb.12 men’s basketball game against Idaho State with a special in-game ceremony.
Eastern faculty and staff members also participated in the week’s programming through a CAHSS book group discussion of Walter’s novel The Cold Millions, led by Associate Dean Florian Preisig, and a prior book discussion led by CAHSS Dean Michelle DenBeste.
Here are some photographic highlights, with thanks to Jess Walter and to the EWU faculty and staff who organized the events.
**Photos provided by Aaron Weer.
