Washington College Magazine
Lit House Unveils New Look, New Programs
As spring emerges, the Rose O'Neill Literary House is reinventing itself as a physical space dedicated to fostering a creative community on campus. Recent renovations have brightened up the Mary Wood Reading Room, the library and kitchen. New furniture and bookcases have brought a fresh sense of style and function.
Two of the most prominent changes—a blackboard wall in the kitchen and a lamp of paper plumage (more art than lamp!)— encourage visitors to actually write on the house, leaving their mark for all to see.
The Lit House's collection of nearly 1,000 posters were removed, reframed and scanned into a digital online archive, accessible at http://flickr.com/photos/literaryhouse/. By visiting the site, alumni can search for their Freshman Reading poster, recall who visited campus during their graduation year, and leave comments for classmates.
The refurbishment coincides with the College's affirmation of the Literary House as a center for literature and creative life. An interdisciplinary festival of the arts, featuring various interpretations of the word "shelter," runs through the spring semester.
The Shelter Arts Festival programs—representing music, art, theater and literature— showcase artists from four continents: from Cambodian master artists who revived a musical tradition in refugee camps, to a Russian-born video artist, to an American maestro of hip-hop theatre, to an eminent novelist born in Somalia. This last program, featuring Nuruddin Farah, marks the debut of the PEN World Voices/Washington College Fellowship in International letters, an annual program inaugurated for the 225th anniversary year.
The Festival culminates with the Lit House rededication featuring student performances on April 11.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782