Growth: The Most Rigorous Law of Our Being
“What is the most rigorous law of our being? Growth.”
Mark Twain, from “Consistency,” a paper read in Hartford in 1887 (RPT CTSS1, 909).
Thursday, August 4 to Saturday, August 6, 2022
Established in 1989, the Center for Mark Twain Studies “International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies” is the oldest and largest gathering devoted to all things Twain. During times so turbulent and uncertain as to require that that the quadrennial conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies be postponed by a year, the theme of change and growth “speaks to our condition,” as the Quakers say.
The conference will be held from Thursday, August 4 to Saturday, August 6, 2022 on the campus of Elmira College in Elmira, New York. In addition to scholarly presentations, the conference will have events that provide contexts for Mark Twain and his life in Elmira, and will also feature a keynote by Jimmy Santiago Baca, an award-winning writer for whom Twain has been an important influence.
An important focus of the conference will be scholarly discussion of the study of Mark Twain and how the field might grow and change in response to changing conditions in the world, in the academy, and in the field of Mark Twain Studies.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Paper and panel proposal deadline – Friday, February 11, 2022Decisions deadline – Friday, March 11, 2022- Conference registration begins – Monday, March 14, 2022
- Conference registration deadline – Friday, July 15, 2022
- Elmira 2022 Conference – Thursday, August 4 to Saturday, August 6, 2022
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND ELMIRA COLLEGE LODGING
Conference and Housing Fees
The registration fee for Elmira 2022 – including all breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, special receptions, and programs is:
- Full Conference Registration – $375
- Daily Rate – $140
Conference-goers will benefit by an option to stay in the Meier Hall Dormitory, one of Elmira College’s residential halls.
- Lodging at EC Meier Hall (with A/C) – $70 per night
- 5 Rooms Remaining (as of Wednesday, May 11)
PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU REGISTER
- CMTS will refund 100% of your registration and lodging fees if requested 7 days before Elmira 2022. (Thursday, July 28 is the last day to request and receive a refund)
- Please be aware that Meier Hall is a dormitory, not a professional hotel setting. Most rooms come with two beds and share a common bathroom. The rooms in Meier Hall are clean, air-conditioned, but simple and austere. Past Elmira quadrennial conference attendees have affectionally called this option “Mark Twain Summer Camp.”
- Meier Hall rooms are charged by the room, not the number of people in them. It is up to the discretion of each attendee if they want to share their room with another person. As a result, two people sharing a room only need to reserve one room, however each person must register for the conference separately.
- Elmira College will provide bedding and a pillow for each bed.
- Conference attendees staying in Meier Hall are encouraged to bring comfort items and a light blanket since the August nights might get chilly.
- Conference attendees reserving rooms for three or four nights will have top priority. Conference attendees wishing to take advantage of the Meier Hall lodging option, but want to stay for one or two nights, must wait until July 1 and then check for availability.
- Conference attendees are not required to lodge at Elmira College. There are many other hotel options in the Elmira, Horseheads, and Corning areas.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ELMIRA 2022
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Conference Co-Chairs
- Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Stanford University
- Tracy Wuster, University of Texas at Austin
Conference Planning Committee
- John Bird, Winthrop University, emeritus
- Jocelyn Chadwick, National Council of Teachers of English
- Ben Click, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
- Susan K. Harris, University of Kansas, emerita
- Tsuyoshi Ishihara, University of Tokyo
- Ronald Jenn, University of Lille
- Holger Kersten, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
- Selina Lai-Henderson, Duke Kunshan University
- Judith Yaross Lee, Ohio University, emerita
- Joseph Lemak, Center for Mark Twain Studies, Elmira College
- James S. Leonard, The Citadel
- Linda A. Morris, University of California, Davis, emerita
- Matt Seybold, Center for Mark Twain Studies, Elmira College
- Seema Sharma, University of Mumbai
