“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
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...
CFP: Mark Twain Circle at SAMLA 2026
The Mark Twain Circle invites abstracts for a panel at the 2026 South Atlantic Modern Language Association (SAMLA) conference in Atlanta, Nov. 5–7. This year's theme is hospitality; a full description is available at https://southatlanticmla.org/.Papers should engage...
Gowen’s Park Church Lecture Now Available
The Center for Mark Twain Studies (CMTS) at Elmira College concluded the 2026 Park Church Summer Lecture Series last night. The lectures took place on Wednesdays throughout July at the historic Park Church. Located at 208 West Grey Street (Elmira), the lectures are...
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
Mark Twain Circle at South Atlantic Modern Langages Association 2026 Conference
CFP Deadline: September 1, 2026
November 5-7, 2026 – Atlanta, Georgia
Call for Abstracts: Judith Yaross Lee Publication Grant in American Humor Studies
Abstract Deadline – September 10, 2026
CFP: The Thirteenth Quarry Farm Symposium –
“Black Childhood and Children’s Literature in the Nineteenth Century”
October 16 and October 17 – Elmira, New York
Mark Twain Circle at Pacific Ancient and Modern Langages Association 2026 Conference
November 12-15, 2026 – Seattle, Washington