I still have space for two on the panel I am organizing for the American
Literature Association meeting, May 25-28, 2000, in Long Beach, CA.  The
deadline is January 5, 2000.

The session is titled "Why I Work On Mark Twain."  Since this roundtable is
a little different from the usual academic session, I thought I would
explain it a little more fully as I solicit participants.

The idea came from several sources, including Shelley Fisher Fishkin's book,
_Lighting Out For the Territory_, as well as Michael Kiskis's president's
columns for _The Mark Twain Circular_, especially his column "I Drink With
the Ghost of Mark Twain."  It also came from my observation of the varying
character of the different author societies at ALA.  Thus my idea of a panel
exploring the topic of why we work on Mark Twain.

The idea also came from a successful writing assignment that I give most of
my literature classes, asking them to write a personal essay connecting some
experience or experiences of their own to a work we have read.  The results
have often been the best piece of writing individual students have ever
produced, and the most meaningful for them, and in some cases, actually
healing and therapeutic.  The success of this writing assignment has
convinced me of the academic value of sharing personal stories.

What I am looking for, then, are 10-15 minute essays that answer "Why I Work
On Mark Twain," tying personal experience to academic pursuit.  As I look at
my own story, I see that the answer lies in large part in my childhood, with
some intriguing brushes with Mark Twain that led to an early interest and
love, but also going deeper into my early years and experiences.  My
preliminary answer includes a desire to explore some of my first questions
about race relations, as well as an attempt to recapture some of the
innocence of youth after some experiences that robbed me of that innocence.

I would like to assemble a panel as diverse as possible, in race and gender,
but also in academic experience and subject matter.  I invite "proposals" in
the sense of explanatory paragraphs and ideas; these need not be as formal
as usual.  Please e-mail to me at the address below.

The session will also include discussion among the session chair, the
panelists, and the audience, who will be invited to share their own stories.
Thank you for your interest in what I hope will be an intriguing session at
ALA.

John Bird