While blank spaces, silences and gaps may appear empty, St. Louis University English professor Jonathan Sawday questions whether true emptiness is even possible.
“When we look at a blank page, does it nevertheless convey meaning, as [if] it were inscribed beneath the surface of the page?” he asked on St. Louis on the Air.
In December, Sawday won the Modern Language Association's top award — the James Russell Lowell Prize for the most outstanding book published in 2023 — for his text “Blanks, Print, Space, and Void in English Renaissance Literature: An Archaeology of Absence.”
In addition to questioning the idea of a true void, the book explores the opportunities, pitfalls and stories behind blank spaces.
To learn more about the invitations that empty spaces provide, as well as the ways St. Louis and American history are embedded in such gaps, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Celebration for James Russell Lowell Prize awardee Jonathan Sawday
When: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 15
Where: Pere Marquette Gallery, on the second floor of DuBourg Hall (221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
