Episode 21: Teju Cole + Ben Lerner (September 1, 2017)

Two brilliant novelist/essayists dive deep into issues of photography and text as Teju Cole talks with Ben Lerner on June 14, 2017. Cole returns to St. Joseph’s College to present his book Blind Spot, which uniquely synthesizes his photography and essays; after a reading accompanied by images on screen, Cole talks with Lerner about the uses of syntax, montage and interconnection; influences including John Berger and filmmaker Chris Marker; the tension between certainty/objectivity and freedom/positionality; and the complex relationship of political responsibility and visual arts, among other topics.