Inaugural Labriola Symposium Slated for April 1

Writing won out.

Uplifting the World Through Writing: How Poetry, Creativity and the Humanities Matter, the inaugural Albert C. Labriola Endowed Symposium in the Humanities, will be held Tuesday, April 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

"I think this topic will resonate well with our students, regardless of their major or academic interest,” Mitcham said. “Poetry and creative writing are artistic mediums we turn to in moments of happiness and celebration, as well as tragedy and despair. This kind of expression resonates in the soul in a manner that is intangible and defies explanation."

Named for the beloved Duquesne English professor who died in 2009 after teaching for nearly four decades in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, the Labriola Symposium will bring to campus area writers to share their favorite forms of creative writing. It will be moderated by Dr. Jake Grefenstette, president and executive director of Pittsburgh-based International Poetry Forum.

“Dr. Al Labriola believed passionately that literature was at the core of a liberal arts education,” said Gormley. “I’m proud to create this important new tradition in his memory, carrying forward the University’s historic commitment to excellence in the humanities.”

Speakers include area writers such as Cameron Barnett, Pittsburgh-based poet and writer-in-residence at Chatham University; Mary Biddinger, poet and English professor at the University of Akron; and Jill Moyer Sunday, published writer and longtime professor at Waynesburg University.

They will seek to reflect on how—in an era of TikTok videos, AI-produced text and digital music compositions—poetry and other forms of creative writing remain the most quintessentially human forms of expression.

“Our inaugural event will focus on a subject Dr. Labriola held close to his heart—poetry and other forms of creative expression,” Mitcham said.  

“I think he’d be pleased.”

Additional details and registration are available online. Email%20Mitcham with any questions.