“We are perched on a hill top that overlooks a little world of green valleys, shining rivers, sumptuous forests and billowy uplands veiled in the haze of distance. We have no neighbors. It is the quietest of all quiet places, and we are hermits that eschew caves and live in the sun.”
~ Mark Twain
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR MARK TWAIN STUDIES
Mark Twain wrote his most famous works in an octagonal study overlooking Elmira, NY, the hometown of his wife, Olivia. For more than two decades the Clemens family summered with Olivia’s siblings at Quarry Farm. All are buried at the nearby Woodlawn Cemetery. In 1983, both Quarry Farm and the study, since relocated to the Elmira College campus, became part of the Center for Mark Twain Studies. CMTS is dedicated to serving an international community of scholars interested in approaching Mark Twain Studies from a variety of different approaches and disciplines.
RECENT ARTICLES
CFP: “Speculative Souths” Symposium at the University of Tennessee (June 2027)
CFP: "Speculative Souths" The Denbo Center for Humanities & the Arts The University of Tennessee, Knoxville June 10-12, 2027 CFP Deadline: November 2, 2026 Keynote Speaker: Kiese Laymon, Rice University, author of Long Division and HeavyThe Denbo Center for...
Ben Bascom, 2026 Fellow, Contributes a Quarry Farm Testimonial
"Quarry Farm Senses" (A Quarry Farm Testimonial)EDITOR’S NOTE: We occasionally feature testimonials from recent Quarry Farm Fellows and Residents, which combine conversational illustrations of their research and writing process with personal reflections on their...
Elmira 2026 Quadrennial Conference Presentations Now Available
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL RECAP OF ELMIRA 2026 Conference Theme: Irreverence, Rebellion, and Resilience Established in 1989, the quadrennial International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies is the oldest and largest gathering of scholars interested in the field...
2027 QUARRY FARM FELLOWSHIP GUIDELINES
VISITING THE MARK TWAIN STUDY
2026 FALL TROUBLE BEGINS LECTURES
2026 QUARRY FARM SYMPOSIUM: “BLACK CHILDHOOD AND CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN THE 19th CENTURY”
MARK TWAIN DAY BY DAY
TROUBLE BEGINS
LECTURE ARCHIVES
ONLINE RESOURCES
FOR MARK TWAIN STUDIES
THE MARK TWAIN ARCHIVE
PHOTO GALLERY
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS
QUARRY FARM TESTIMONIALS
“FROM THE STUDY”
CMTS POST INDEX
PAST CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIA
KEEP MARK TWAIN’S LEGACY ALIVE
Upcoming Events & Calls for Papers
The Thirteenth Quarry Farm Symposium –
“Black Childhood and Children’s Literature in the Nineteenth Century”
October 16 and October 17, 2026 – Elmira, New York
CFP: “Speculative Souths” Symposium
Denbo Center for the Humaniteis and Arts
CFP Deadline: November 2, 2026
June 10-12, 2026 – Knoxville, Tennessee
Mark Twain Circle at South Atlantic Modern Langages Association 2026 Conference
November 5-7, 2026 – Atlanta, Georgia
Mark Twain Circle at Pacific Ancient and Modern Langages Association 2026 Conference
November 12-15, 2026 – Seattle, Washington