(above image source)

While the greater collegiate community will spend the summer swilling penny beer out of Solo Cups and engaging in intellectual exchanges (“bro?” “bro?” “bro!”), the equally as exotic literary community, as the New York Times‘ Julie Bosman reports,  will invest energy in a different branch of festivities; celebrating the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. 

That is:

“In Santa Cruz, Calif., volunteers will re-enact every word and movement in the famous courtroom scene.  In Monroeville, Ala., residents dressed in 1930s garb will read aloud from memorable passages…All summer “To Kill a Mockingbird” will be relived through at least 50 events around the country, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of a book that became a cultural touchstone and an enduring staple of high-school reading programs.”

According to Bosman, publisher HarperCollins hopes the celebration will bring attention and strong sales to the novel, of which “four new editions…each with a different cover” will be available.  Not that a promotion is necessary to boost the book’s popularity- “popular” translating into 40 million copies sold.  Unfortunately, the “TKM” cirque-de-celebration doesn’t appear to be making any Midwest stops– though I certainly wouldn’t mind if any theatrically-inclined U-M students went full Atticus Finch on the Diag.

But that’s wishful thinking.  Even so, there’s no shortage of literary anniversaries to honor; consider:

• 2011 will mark the 60th anniversary of the late J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye.”
• 2012 will see the 60th anniversary of Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
• Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” turns forty in 2012.
• “Run Rabbit,” by John Updike, celebrates its 50th this year.
• And, for those keeping score at home, Shakespeare’s “Othello” reaches another birthday this year…407th, to be exact.

A handful of parties to plan, suffice to say.  For “Catcher”? Maybe jettison to NY for some Big Apple antics; “Othello”?- speak in meter.  And so forth- just be original.  In the meantime, I’ll keep watch atop the “TKM” perch for any pertinent parties (keg-less, presumably).