Kevin Dettmar Reads from “Punk in 50 Pieces”

Monday, September 14, 2026 at 4:15 PM

Crookshank Hall, Ena Thompson Reading Room

The English Department at Pomona College, in partnership with the Humanities Studio, welcomes literary, music, and cultural critic Kevin Dettmar to read from his new book Punk in 50 Pieces: Punk Rock, Post-Punk, New Wave, and the Five Years That Changed Pop Music Forever (Harper, 2026). The reading is followed by a conversation between Dettmar and Jonathan Lethem, Dettmar’s colleague in the English Department and co-editor of the essay collection Shake It Up: Great American Writing on Rock and Pop from Elvis to Jay Z. Famed music critic Greil Marcus describes Punk in 50 Pieces as “an irresistible book that will spark a thousand arguments—and that's just on the day it's published. I haven't had so much fun with a work of criticism in years.” Come; hear; defend your favorite punk single! Refreshments are provided. Kevin Dettmar: https://www.kdettmar.com/music is W. M. Keck Professor of English at Pomona College and Founding Director of the Humanities Studio. His music writing includes the books Is Rock Dead?, the Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan, and Gang of Four’s “Entertainment!” in the 33 ⅓ series, as well as pieces for The Atlantic and the New Yorker. Free & open to the public

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