On March 14, the University hosted writer and lecturer from University College Dublin Emilie Pine, PhD for an evening reading as part of the Villanova Literary festival. The event takes place annually in the President’s lounge, where students enjoy live music, a community-wide reception and reading.
Each spring, Villanova designates an Irish writer to serve as the Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Chair of Irish Studies. Inaugurated in 2000, this coveted spot serves as one of the most prestigious positions nationwide for Irish Studies.
As a Heimbold professor, one normally teaches a creative writing course and a literature course. Following years, the University has hosted several impressive scholars and writers to fulfill this spot, including Mike McKormac, Hannah Kahil and Irish-Nigerian author Emma Dabiri in 2022.
When previously interviewed by The Villanovan, Dabiri recognized her role as Heimbold Chair as one in which she could share her experience.
“[I am] a practicing writer who can share that first-hand experience of being a published writer with my students,” Dabiri said. “There can be some kind of practical application for students that want to be writers themselves, get into publishing or pursue any career in those kinds of spheres.”
This year, Pine served in this esteemed role.
Regarded as a leading scholar and academic of Irish Cultural memory, Pine’s notable works include The Memory Marketplace: Witnessing Pain in Contemporary Theatre and Politics of Irish Memory: Performing Remembrance in Contemporary Irish Culture. Along with these critical texts, Pine works alongside the National Folklore Collection to consistently work on her oral-history project, Survivors Stories.
Alongside her writing, Pine is an immensely acclaimed playwright. Her play Good Sex was shortlisted by the Irish Times for Best Production and Best New Play in 2023. To accompany her theatrical pursuits, Pine also has written Notes To Self, detailing many memories within her personal life, as well as Ruth and Pen, a critically acclaimed novel.
Notes to Self ultimately earned the award for Irish Book of the Year in 2018. Last year in a conversation with literary magazine Five Dials Pine affirms this work was not a memoir.
“I never call it a memoir,” Pine said. “I understand that it is, right, but I don’t call it that, because I associate memoirs with being written at the end. And it’s so not.”
On March 14, students, faculty and staff gathered to listen to Pine as part of a series of events hosted by the English Department, the Creative Writing Program, Gender and Women’s Studies, the Center for Irish Studies, Center for Peace and Justice Education and Falvey Library. Other speakers included V.V. Ganeshananthan, Carolyn Forche and past Poet laureate, Tracy K. Smith.
Many students affirmed that they genuinely enjoyed the events. One student who is interested in pursuing Irish Studies said that they felt excited with “how much effort the University put into events with the Irish Studies Department this month,” and that they felt “supported” in their academic interests because of events like these. Others chimed in explaining how interesting it was to hear from someone like Pine who was so immensely accomplished in an array of fields.
As the events come to a close and spring carries on, many are eager to see who will be chosen to serve as Hemibold Chair and await the next literary festival in 2025.
