Conferences and Announcements
Check here to find news and announcements relating to CCL and CCL members. Also listed here will be information about conferences, calls for papers, and other happenings that may be of interest to anyone exploring various themes in Christianity and literature.
CCL Student Writing Contest Award Winners
The winners of the 2008 Student Writing Contest have been announced.
Poetry, selected by Thom Satterlee
First: "Young Entrepreneurs," Katherine Hartline, Trinity Western University
Second:: "On Caravaggio's The Incredulity of St. Thomas," Daniel Luttrull, Indiana Wesleyan University
Third: "when fathers leave," Kallen Akers, Pepperdine University
Fiction, selected by Marsena Konkle
First:: "Stars Over Triglav," Michael Doyle, Redeemer University College
Second: "And We Were Gone," Lydia Melby, Abilene Christian University
Third:: "Desert Fathers," Michael Doyle, Redeemer University College
Non-Fiction, selected by Karl Gunther
First: "Trojan," by Jay Jameson, Trinity Western University
Second: "Of Distrust," Katherine Klein, Cedarville University
Third: "A Dream in the City of Fires," Matthew Ryan Worthington, Abilene Christian University
For copies of the judges' citations and more information about the contest and the entries, please see the Student Writing Contest page.
Southwest Regional 2008 Conference
Christianity and the "Things of this World"
October 2-3, 2008
Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK
Featured Speaker: Gregory Wolfe
Papers are expected to deal with the literary outworkings of one's (or a community's) view of Christianity's relationship to the material world. A 300-to 600-word abstract may be sent as an attachment (.doc, .rtf, or .pdf) to CCL@okbu.edu. Please be sure to include your name, institutional affiliation, and contact information. For more information, see the Southwest Regional page or download the Southwest Call for Papers now.
Northeast Regional 2008 Conference
"Christianity and the Detective Story"
October 10-12, 2008
Pace University, New York City
Featured Speaker: Ralph McInerny
The deadline for proposals for papers has been extended to June 30, 2008. All proposals should be one to two pages and should be sent to Dr. Walter Raubicheck, Chair/English, Pace University, Room 1513, 41 Park Row, New York, N.Y. 10038. For more information, contact Dr. Raubicheck at wraubicheck@pace.edu.
Mideast Regional 2008 Conference
"The Poetics of Conflict and Reconciliation"
October 16-18, 2008
Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Virginia
Featuring a Poet's Panel: Claudia Emerson, Chris Mann, Valzhyna Mort
Papers are being sought on the role or /use of literature in mediating conflict and/or its relationship to Christianity. Student papers will be considered. Papers addressing the work of any of the featured poets are especially welcome. Download the Call for Papers or see the Mideast Regional page for more details. Preliminary deadline for submissions is April 4, 2008. More details also available at www.bridgewater.edu/~sgallowa/poetics08.
2008 CCL session at
South Atlantic Modern Language Association
"Trinity and Text"
November 7-9, 2008
Louisville, Kentucky
Papers will be delivered on topics addressing the relevance of Trinitarian thought for the interpretation and production of literary culture. For more details, contact William Tate, English Department, Covenant College, at william.tate@covenant.edu.
CCL MLA 2008
"Grace and Grand Laughter: The Christian Vision of Marilynne Robinson"
December 27-30
MLA Convention, San Francisco, CA
The seminar-style session will be called "Grace and Grand Laughter: The Christian Vision of Marilynne Robinson." For more details, contact Scott LaMascus at scott.lamascus@oc.edu.
Special Session at MLA 2008
Postmodern and Postsecular Fictions and Christianity
December 27-30
MLA Convention, San Francisco, CA
A special session will address the interactions between writers from the last forty years and Christian belief / spirituality. For more information, contact Christopher Wielgos, Associate Professor of English at Lewis University, at wielgoch@lewisu.edu.
2009 Southeast Conference on Christianity and Literature
"Hebrew Melodies: The Old Testament as Literature;
The Old Testament in Literature"
April 2-4, 2009
Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
Keynote Speaker: Scott C. Jones
Papers suitable for a twenty-minute presentation (2,000-2,500 words) are invited on the following or related topics:
- Old Testament texts as works of literary art
- ways in which secular or Christian authors use the Old Testament in their literary texts
- descriptions of works of art (like the temple) in Old Testament texts
- lliterary / artistic theories based on the Old Testament
- the influence of the Psalms in the Western tradition
- the Old Testament and film
We also welcome papers on any aspect of the relation between Christianity and literature.
Send completed manuscripts (no abstracts or rough drafts) before Feb. 1, 2009, to
Paul Hesselink
Department of English
Covenant College
14049 Scenic Highway
Lookout Mtn., GA 30750
Email attachments in Word also accepted: hesselink@covenant.edu
Call For Papers for Proposed Book:
Perspectives on the Integration of Faith in the Discipline of English
700 word proposals due July 30, 2008
Dr. Andrea Ivanov and Dr. Thomas Allbaugh of Azusa Pacific University are preparing a book on the topic of faith integration in the academy with particular reference to research and teaching in English. Proposals are sought for papers in all domains in the field of English, including all aspects of literature (including nonfiction and children's literature), linguistics, creative writing, and composition and rhetoric studies. For all areas, papers are sought in two categories
- faith integration research by faculty, that is, research demonstrating integration of faith and theoretical perspectives in English; and
- faith integration and pedagogy in English education.
Proposals that set forth faculty research findings demonstrating faith integration and English scholarship in all of the above areas will be considered. In order to be accepted, authors must demonstrate theological rigor and clarity, expertise in an area of specialty, and faith integration. Work with both theory and pedagogy will be welcomed with interest.
Proposals should be sent in a Word attachment or in the body of an email to Dr. Andrea Ivanov at aivanovcraig@apu.edu or to Dr. Thomas Allbaugh at tallbaugh@apu.edu by July 30.
C.S. Lewis Summer Institute - Oxbridge 2008
"The Self and the Search for Meaning"
July 28 - August 8, 2008
Oxford and Cambridge Universities
Oxbridge 2008 is an interdisciplinary conference that serves as a focal point of the C.S. Lewis Foundation's efforts to advance a renaissance of Christian scholarship and artistic expression among faculty. Participants will explore the theme "The Self and the Search for Meaning" with scholars from the arts and sciences, leaders in ministry and the major professions, as well as an array of literary, visual, and performing artists. Speakers will include Richard Mouw, Wilfred McClay, Dana Gioia, Francis Collins, Philip Yancey, and Laurie Beth Jones. The Institute will feature two internationally recognized plenary speakers each morning followed by academic sessions of faculty papers, as well as seminars and workshops in the afternoons. For more information, see the Oxbridge section of the C.S. Lewis Foundation website, www.cslewis.org/programs/oxbridge/2008/index.html.
"George Herbert's Travels: International Print and Cultural Legacies": An International, Interdisciplinary Conference
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
October 9-11, 2008
Keynote Speakers: Richard Strier, , Elizabeth Clarke, Judith Maltby, Carl Phillips, Mark Strand
Conference organizers expect presentations from literary scholars, historians, and scholars of religion who seek to discuss George Herbert's print "afterlife" and reception history from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. For more information, visit http://www.uncg.edu/eng/george_herbert/
International Thomas Merton Society
Bearing Witness to the Light:
Merton's Challenge to a Fragmented World
June 11-14, 2009
Nazareth College
Rochester, New York
The Eleventh General Meeting of the International Thomas Merton Society will focus particularly on the ways in which Merton serves as a model of creative interreligious dialogue and witnesses to its importance in building a world in which the dignity of every person is respected and nurtured.
Proposals are invited for presentations on Merton's life and work, particularly those related to the conference theme. Session formats include:
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Scholarly papers on a variety of topics on Merton's life and work, particularly those related to the conference theme. Papers should be designed for presentation in twenty minutes.
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Workshops on Merton themes designed to promote audience participation. Workshops and creative presentations should be designed for a ninety-minute session.
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Creative/Dramatic Presentations using music, poetry, dance or other media to provide insight into aspects of Merton's life or work related to the conference theme
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Guided Meditation/Prayer Sessions, particularly those using Merton's own writings as a framework for prayer and meditative reflection.
Proposals, of no more than 250 words, accompanied by a short biographical identification (1-2 sentences), should be submitted by May 1, 2008 by e-mail attachment to: merton2009@bellarmine.edu; or by mail to: ITMS 2009, Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University, 2001 Newburg Road, Louisville, KY 40205.
Questions to Tammy Ditmore (tammy.ditmore@pepperdine.edu)