LEWISTON, Idaho – Author Kent Dixon and his son, illustrator Kevin Dixon, will be on the Lewis-Clark State College campus during Nov. 4-8 to discuss readings and illustrations from their book “The Epic of Gilgamesh” as part of the college’s Rosehill Estate Visiting Scholar Lecture Series.
Kent Dixon is a prose writer, poet, and translator. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa – The Writer’s Workshop, and worked as a professor of creative writing at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, until he retired in 2013. Kevin Dixon is a graphic illustrator from Chapel Hill, N.C. He has completed graphic versions for a portion of “Oliver Twist” and “Brothers Grimm” stories for the three-volume anthology “The Graphic Canon: The World Great Literature as Comics and Visuals.”
The Dixons collaborated on their book, which is considered the most complete Gilgamesh in English translation. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia that is often regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature. The work is a hero’s story of a journey, quest, and education. Some versions of the epic date back almost 5,000 years. The Dixons translated the story into English and a graphic novel, which was published in 2018.
There will be two events during the week that are free and open to the public. The first is a dramatic reading of scenes from the book, which will be held at the college’s Center for Arts & History, located at 415 Main St. in Lewiston. The readings by LC State students and faculty will start at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, with doors opening at 7 p.m. The readings will be illustrated in real time with Kevin Dixon’s comics from the book. Kevin Dixon will then discuss his art and challenges of turning the epic into a comic book.
The second public event is set for Nov. 7, also at 7:30 p.m. at the LC Center for Arts & History. Kent Dixon will present “What To Be Excited About, in Gilgamesh.” This will be an illustrated discussion of the “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and how it relates to us now.
The two also will be on the LC State campus during the week and Kevin Dixon will hold a three-day workshop for students in graphic novel development at 3-5 p.m. on Nov. 5-7 in the Art Building.
The visits by the Dixons are made possible through a donation from the Rosehill Estate and the college’s Humanities Division.
For more information on the visits, contact on Harold Crook, a professor of Nez Perce Language in the LC State Humanities Division, at either [email protected] or 208-791-5333.