Dear Forum Members,

We are all rightfully addicted to the excellent Twain conference held in Elmira every four years.  Barb Snedecor and her colleauges turn out a flawless, perfectly executed endeavor that bestows upon each of us unique and lasting memories in a setting of kinship and camaraderie.  No one is a stranger in Elmira.  Many of you have contributed in terms of papers, presentations, etc.; the collaboration is extensive and necessary.  And appreciated.

Henry Sweets and I have talked to a few of you in general terms - throwing out feelers - about the museum hosting a Twain conference here in Hannibal during the in-between years.  We've had enough positive feedback to take it to the next level: all of you here on the Mark Twain Forum.  We would in no way want to detract (or distract) from Elmira (knowing full well that is simply not possible nor desirable) but would only like to provide a wee "fix" to sustain us in between those long four year periods.  We also believe that Hannibal (and nearby Florida) have much to offer in our own right in terms of Sam Clemens's story, and this would give Twain scholars a chance to romp through the boyhood haunts.  We are now seeking your insights on the possibility of hosting a conference here starting in August 2011.

A few points:
-Hannibal-LaGrange College can host us in terms of meeting rooms, dorms, etc.
-Tentatively thinking of August 11-13, 2011 (dates of availability of campus) - trying to stay ahead of the fall semester (back-up dates: July 28-30)
-Could provide a menu of tours and activities (riverboat, cave lantern tours, Quarry Farm visit, behind the scenes museum tours, cemetery tours, Jackson's Island tour, etc.)
-If greenlighted by the likes of you all, we'd need a small committee of volunteers to oversee a call for papers, etc.
-If no one sees a problem with this (let's hope you jump up and down and say, "Yes, this just might hold me over until we all get together again in Elmira in 2013!"), we would need to get started right away.
-We would need a theme (childhood? river? slavery? no theme needed?)
-We could think of this as a "pilot" conference.  If we do it and the feedback suggests we go no further, no harm done.  But we do feel compelled to present Hannibal (and Florida) in an academic forum and believe this idea has merit.
-We can't do it without you.

Some "FYI" highlights about the museum - This year we have:
-installed several new permanent exhibits (handmade rug pallet in the Boyhood Home with panels discussing slavery in the Clemens household; period furniture in the reconstructed Blankenship home and panels discussing slavery; etc.), 
-launched a literary journal (The Village Pariah) inspired by Twain/Hannibal/"place" (Ron Powers graciously provided our introductory essay) Subscriptions available!
-completed restorations of the exterior of the Laura Hawkins/Becky Thatcher home; moving indoors this winter to continue work
-borrowed the "missing" Rockwell painting (whitewashing scene) for an extended loan, so we now have all 16 under one roof 
-recently hired African American storyteller Gladys Coggswell (author of Stories from the Heart: Missouri's African America Heritage - U of Missouri Press) to do storytelling at the museum (slave narratives, Mary Ann Cord's story, etc.)
-begun the historic preservation of the 1844 Van Swearingen house (a gift from Martin Zehr) to sell next year as a benefit for the museum (Thank you, Martin and Susan!)
-completed our 4th series of teacher workshops and 3rd young authors workshop 
(If you're interested, young author stories: 
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/08/mountain_gap_middle_student_wa.html 
and 
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2010/06/05/twain-leaves-mark-on-student-bound-for-authors-homeland.html)

We also learned recently we will receive the Governor's 2010 Humanites Award in October, and recent visitors included Senator Claire McCaskill and Prince Albert of Monaco.  Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) will perform here this Sunday; Ken Burns' pianist will perform on the Gabrilowitsch piano Oct. 28, and our CD tribute to Mark Twain is scheduled for release on Nov. 30 (Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Doyle Lawson, Carl Jackson, etc.).  

Again, my main reason for this email was to ask for your ideas, thoughts and yes, blessings, to give this Hannibal conference a try, but I thought I'd go ahead and share some other information in case you haven't been to the website - or Hannibal - lately.  We appreciate all of you and your efforts in preserving the legacy of Sam Clemens, and we are proud to play a small role as well.

It's been a great 2010 so far!  Here's hoping for an even better 2011.

Thank you,
Cindy


Cindy Lovell, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum

120 N. Main St.
Hannibal MO 63401
Phone: 573-221-9010 ext. 402
Cell: 386-748-1256
Fax: 573-221-7975
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web site: http://marktwainmuseum.org/

Have you signed our petition to designate 2010 as "The Year of Mark Twain" yet?  Click here, sign, and pass it on! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/designate-2010-the-year-of-mark-twain

"Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain