The 26th Anniversary of the Elizabeth Madox Roberts Society Conference

October 3-6, 2024

Springfield, Kentucky

Call for Papers

The 26th Annual Elizabeth Madox Roberts Conference will coincide with Springfield’s Annual Sorghum Festival, so this year we invite papers focusing on agriculture, tradition, community, and celebration. We are excited to announce that our keynote speaker will be best selling author and Kentucky native Silas House, so papers dealing specifically with connections between his and Roberts’ works will also be encouraged (link to House’s website below). 

We continue, however, to welcome any and all papers exploring Roberts and her work through a wide variety of perspectives and lenses (Roberts and other southern writers, contemporaries, Modernists, etc.; regional and historical perspectives; recently published works by Roberts; first-time reader responses; essays of discovery; etc.). 

While the vast majority of past submissions have taken the form of conference papers, we would also like to invite proposals for panels and round-table discussions. See Society website (link below) for more details. 

Papers should be no more than 15 minutes in oral presentation. Paper sessions will be held at the Hampton Inn in Lebanon. Please submit abstracts no later than September 1.
 

Email title and proposal to Program Coordinator: 

Alex Pennisi (Culinary Institute of America) apennisi2@gmail.com

Direct all other conference inquiries to Conference Coordinators:

Goretti Benca (SUNY Ulster) bencag@sunyulster.edu 

James Stamant (Agnes Scott College) jstamant@agnesscott.edu 

Joseph Curra (SUNY New Paltz) jwcurra.93@gmail.com

Additionally, the Bardstown School district is having a Book Drive for Dictionaries/Encyclopedias. Given that we are a literary society, we would like to take this opportunity to make a call for any dictionaries/encyclopedias you may wish to donate. 

Check the Society website emrsociety.com for conference updates and more information.

See Silas House’s website Silas House for more information about the author and his works. 

 Registration Form:

 Please enclose this form and mail with check (payable to “Goretti Benca”) to:

Prof. Goretti Benca

Dept. Of English, Foreign Languages, & Philosophy

SUNY Ulster

491 Cottekill Rd

Stone Ridge, NY 12484

You may also print this form and bring it to the conference with a check, or you may send funds via Venmo (contact Goretti for more details). 

The conference registration fee is $95 (plus $15 annual EMR Society dues, required of all participants in conference programs and paper sessions). This $110 includes two dinners and all non-optional activities listed in the Conference Schedule.

NAME(S)________________________

ADDRESS_______________________

CITY___________STATE___ZIP_____

TELEPHONE ____________________

EMAIL__________________________

1. Enclosed please find $_____for ____registration(s) for the XXVI EMR CONFERENCE.

2. Enclosed please find $_____for ____annual membership(s) in the EMR Society (members receive the annual Newsletter and discounts on other Society publications). N.B. If you cannot attend this year’s conference and wish to remain a member in good standing (and receive the Newsletter, join the livestream of the keynote, etc.) please pay your annual dues now and enclose this form.

***Awards***

The Sparrow and Stoney Memorial Award Grant: you are invited to apply for this award if you are a currently enrolled graduate or undergraduate student and have a paper accepted for the program:

I, _________________, wish to be considered for an award. The title of my paper accepted for this conference is____________________________________.

Check One: I am a graduate student __ undergraduate __ currently enrolled at___________________________________

This is my first __ (other) __ EMRS Conference

I verify that I am receiving no institutional support to participate in this conference (please initial here)_____. Or, I am receiving institutional support in the amount of (approximately) $_____

Please check here ___ if you wish to be considered for The Butterbean Award for work on the poetry of Elizabeth Madox Roberts. My paper on Roberts’ poetry has been accepted for presentation at the 2024 conference [signature]____________________.

If this form is filled out and received with your paid registration, your award application will be considered. Late applications/registrations will not be considered by the Awards Committee.

 ***Lodging***

It is time NOW to book your lodging: The rooms will go fast, so you should reserve now if you have not already.

--Details:

  1) Call the Hampton Inn, Lebanon: +1 270-699-4000

  2) Say you are with the Elizabeth Madox Roberts Conference and you want to reserve your room for four nights at the Conference Rate of $119 per night ARR Thursday Oct 3--DEP Sunday Oct 6