Midwest Region
Regional director: Tiffany Eberle Kriner, tiffany.e.kriner@wheaton.edu
2012 Midwest Regional Conference
The Public Life of Literature
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
April 18-20, 2012
In conjunction with The Festival of Faith and Writing (April 19-21, 2012, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Featured Speaker: Marilynne Robinson, author of Housekeeping, Gilead, Home, Mother Country, The Death of Adam, and Absence of Mind
Call for Papers
For its 2012 Midwest Regional Meeting, the Conference on Christianity and Literature (CCL) solicits papers and panel proposals that address the conference’s theme: The Public Life of Literature. Such papers might consider, for instance, whether literature can function as public testimony, whether story can preach without becoming preachy, whether confessional poetry embraces or eschews repentance, or the like. Papers and panels focused on pedagogy or texts written in world languages are most welcome, too, as are papers that examine the work of any of the Festival of Faith and Writing’s 2012 participants, including Newbery winner Clare Vanderpool; poets Li-Young Lee and Maurice Manning; graphic novelist Craig Thompson; novelists and essayists Marilynne Robinson, Walt Wangerin, and Jonathan Safran Foer; or memoirists G. Willow Wilson and Mark Richard. For a complete list of the writers taking part in the Festival, see www.calvin.edu/festival.
Scholars writing about any of the Festival of Faith and Writing’s featured authors may also submit their papers for the Festival’s academic track. Such papers should be fitted to the Festival’s constituents, who tend to be serious lay readers rather than specialists. Those who want their papers considered for the Festival’s academic track must submit their manuscripts in full. For those proposals intended for the CCL, an abstract of 200-300 words will suffice. The CCL will also jury papers for an undergraduate track of panels; students interested in this track should send complete 10-page papers, labeled “undergraduate,” to the organizers.
All participants must be members of, or join, the CCL as well as register for the conference. Those delivering papers at the Festival of Faith and Writing must additionally register for the Festival. We heartily invite all members of the CCL, though, to attend both the Conference’s regional meeting and the Festival of Faith and Writing. To that end, all CCL members who register for the Midwest conference will receive discounted registrations to the Festival. Graduate students may also apply for a small travel grant. For a complete run-down of membership and registration fees, see www.calvin.edu/festival after August 15, 2011.
Please submit abstracts and papers to cclconference@calvin.edu no later than November 1, 2011.
See the conference poster here.
2011 Midwest Regional Conference
The Limits of Understanding: Encountering Mystery
September 22-24, 2011
University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Guest Speaker: Dr. John Alvis, University of Dallas
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Adam Deville, University of St. Francis
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” writes St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:7). This conference explores literature’s engagement with that “which passes all understanding.” How have humans found rest and peace in the embracing of mystery? How have they wrestled with that which cannot be grasped? How have they rebelled? Surrendered? Resigned themselves? From the mysticism of Saint Francis to the rebellious inquisitiveness of Faust, all human responses to the mystery at the heart of life are of interest.
Abstracts and/or proposals of 250-500 words should be submitted by May 30, 2011. Papers and readings should be about 15-20 minutes. Scholarly studies from a variety of theoretical perspectives are welcome, as is creative writing in all genres. Creative pieces should be submitted in full. All proposals should be sent as Word document attachments to Dr. Mark Buechsel at mbuechsel@sf.edu. Anyone interested in leading a session should also e-mail Dr. Buechsel. For more details, download a copy of the Call for Papers here.
2009 Midwest Regional Conference
The City
Keynote Speakers: Andrew Delbanco and Anne Winters
About 200 people attended at some point during the three-day Midwest regional meeting at Wheaton College on Sept. 24-26, 2009. The conference included keynote addresses by Andrew Delbanco and Anne Winters and 63 panel presentations. The conference provided CCL presenters and guests chances to discuss scholarly work and connect with others who have similar interests.
The next Midwest Regional Conference is scheduled to be at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at a date to be announced.
Return to the CCL Regional Conferences page