Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[Henry Mills <hpmills3 AT austin.rr.com>]

Title: 2004  Oxford Conference for the Book dedicated to Walker Percy

Dear Percy-L:

For those of you interested, the 2004 Oxford Conference for the Book is dedicated to Walker Percy and will be held April 1-4 at the University of Mississippi.

I’ve pasted below the general announcement.  For more details go to: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/events/index.htm

Looks like a great celebration all around with some interesting talks on Percy.

Regards,
Henry Mills  

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Oxford Conference for the Book Announcement   
Notable authors, editors, publishers, and others in the trade as well as educators, literacy advocates, readers, and book lovers will gather for the 11th Oxford Conference for the Book, set for April 1-4, 2004. The program will begin on Thursday afternoon with two sessions and a special conference edition of Thacker Mountain Radio and continue through Sunday afternoon with addresses, panels, and readings.

The 2004 conference will be dedicated to author Walker Percy (1916-1990) in recognition of his contributions to American letters. Author and editor Paul Elie will present a lecture on Percy. A panel with the author's daughter Mary Pratt Percy Lobdell, grandson Robert Livingston Lobdell, William Jay Smith, and Patricia Sullivan, English professor at the University of Colorado, will discuss Percy's life and work. Dr. Luke Lampton will give a presentation about his extensive collection of Percy's writings.

Another special part of the 2004 conference will be the celebration of Mildred D. Taylor Day in Mississippi. The April 2 program will bring young readers, teachers, parents, and others together to recognize the achievements of this outstanding author.

Participating in the annual session celebrating National Poetry Month will be Jonathan Galassi, author of two poetry volumes Morning Run and North; William Jay Smith, poetry consultant to the Library of Congress (the position now known as the U.S. Poet Laureate) and author of ten collections of poetry; and Graham Lewis, whose poems are collected in Forever Came Today. Poets Beth Ann Fennelly, Ann Fisher-Wirth, and Tom House will also read at the conference.

Among the notable fiction writers scheduled to read and talk about their work are Kaye Gibbons, whose seventh novel, Divining Women, will be published this spring; Beverly Lowry, author of six novels and two nonfiction books, Crossed Over and Her Dream of Dreams; and Margaret McMullan, author of two new books, In My Mother's House and How I Found the Strong; and Bruce Murkoff, whose first novel, Waterborne, wasa recently published. Barry Hannah, David Galef, and Tom Franklin, who teach creative writing at the University, will also be on hand to discuss fiction, as will Amy Stolls, program officer in the literature division of the National Endowment for the Arts. 


Ole Miss journalism professor Curtis Wilkie will moderate a session on writing from the world's hot spots with journalists Tom Bissell (Chasing the Sea), Alan Huffman (Mississippi in Africa), and Sebastian Junger, best-selling author of The Perfect Storm. Newsweek managing editor Jon Meacham will discuss his Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship, and Gail Collins, editorial page editor of the New York Times will talk about her new book, American Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. Other nonfiction authors also scheduled are Roy Blount Jr., one of America's best-known humorists; this year's Grisham writer, Janisse Ray; Ben McClelland, author of the memoir Soldier's Son; and two Mississippi natives: University alumnus Ralph Eubanks, author of Ever Is a Long Time: A Journey into Mississippi's Dark Past; and Julia Reed, home to celebrate the publication of her first book, Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomenon. This year's Grisham writer, Janisse Ray, will read from her work and moderate a panel with author Tony Dunbar and publisher Randall Williams. 

The hour-long live Thacker Mountain Radio Show will feature a program of music by the house band and visiting musicians as well as readings by visiting authors. Another program of literature and music will be presented by Reckon Crew, who will perform selections from William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Lee Smith's Fair and Tender Ladies, Connie May Fowler's Remembering Blue, and other works of fiction they have translated to the musical stage. Reckon Crew members are Tommy Goldsmith, an editor at the Raleigh News and Observer; poet and folk singer Tom House, author of a new poetry collection The World according to Whiskey; and Karren Pell, a country music songwriter, producer, performer, and author of Alabama Troubadour.

The conference is open to the public without charge. To assure seating space, those interested in attending should preregister through the Center's Web site (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south). Reservations and advance payment are required for three optional events honoring conference speakers: a cocktail buffet at Isom Place ($50), a cocktail party at Off Square Books ($25), and a country dinner at Taylor Catfish ($25).

Conference sponsors include the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Department of English, Department of Journalism, John Davis Williams Library, Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, John and Renée Grisham Visiting Writers Fund, Barksdale Reading Institute, Sarah Isom Center for Women, Junior Auxiliary of Oxford, Lafayette County Literacy Council, and Square Books. The 2004 conference is partially funded by the University of Mississippi, a contribution from the R&B Feder Foundation for the Beaux Arts, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tribal State Compact Fund, the Mississippi Humanities Council, and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.