Incubator for writers marks birth at U. of I.

Ascent, the mighty "little" literary magazine of the Universityof Illinois, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its origins witha symposium Wednesday and Thursday.

The magazine, which has published some of America's finestwriters, actually has had two separate incarnations, published underdifferent but similar names. However, the symposium celebrates thesingle tradition of publishing good writing over half a century, saidGeorge Hendrick, a writer and U. of I. professor who is a symposiumorganizers.

"Down here in the middle of the cornfields and the beanfields,for 50 years the magazine has showcased some of the best writers ofour time," Hendrick said.

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