Students have a universal mindset. We all believe professors conspire to schedule tests on the same week, and that they eat, sleep and live on campus. This mindset has attributed these behaviors into the idea of a secret society of professors.
Ouachita does not have typical students or professors, however; this secret society is not made up of vengeful professors seeking to plot against students, but is made up of well rounded adults seeking to read books.
It is called the Gutenberg Conspiracy, but don’t be fooled by its name, it’s simply a liberal arts book club created by professors at Ouachita. After being created in the early 70s, the Gutenberg Conspiracy has become a highly attended monthly book club that allows professors to interact with colleagues in other fields, and become acquainted with books they may not have read.
“While it’s not a book club where everyone is able to get the book read, it is a club that allows discussion and the furthering of our education as professors,” said Johnny Wink, Betty Burton Peck professor of English. “The club works on two principles. It is a setting where one: people can argue their points and their thoughts. And two: it is a setting where those who didn’t get a chance to read the book can get a sense of what the book is about. In a sense, it is a glorified book review.”
Lead by Dr. Chris Mortenson, assistant professor of history, the Gutenberg Conspiracy meets once a month during the school year.
“We all get an e-mail calling for book suggestions. Each member can nominate as many books as they want.”
“When the nominations are all submitted we receive a ballot and vote for the seven to eight books we would like to read,” Wink said.
The books don’t always include fictional stories but vary from non-fiction, to educational, to biography and to recent pop culture obsessions.
“This past semester we have read The Fall of the Faculty, chosen by Hal Bass, professor of political science, The Help, chosen by Becky Horne, President Rex Horne’s wife, and What Money Can’t Buy, chosen by Kevin Motl, assistant professor of history,” Wink said.
Each book chosen is presented by the person who nominated the book.
“The nature of discussion is chosen by the discussion leader. Sometimes if no one has read the book the discussion can turn into a lecture.
“However, some discussion leaders choose to knock off introductory marks and ask for comments from the attending members,” Wink said.
“My favorite recent discussion was lead by Becky Horne, who nominated The Help. She gave a brief introduction about the book and its history, along with some of her personal experiences, before asking us questions. Toward the end, after we were allowed our say on the book and on our personal experiences, Becky compared the book to the movie,” Wink said.
Wink also said that his experience with the book club has allowed him to become more open to what other people bring away from a certain piece of literature.
“When I was younger I was territorial about my opinions,” he said. “But now in my older age I have a more sane view about disagreeing with people. Through the book club, I have come to the conclusion that two people can read the same book and come away with different estimations”.
