I am posting this call for papers on behalf of Laura Skandera-Trombley,
president of the Mark Twain Circle of America. Please respond to her with
proposals (her address at the end):

Call for Papers
Mark Twain Panels at the American Literature Association Conference
May 30-June 2 in Long Beach, CA

Panel One: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pedagogy and Critical Editions
The intention is to have a panel discussing the various editions of
Adventures of Huck Finn, specifically their use in the classroom. A variety
of editions would be welcome and they could be critically reviewed.  No
matter the edition chosen there
are always issues associated with that choice: whether or not to include the
raftsmen's chapter, the importance of textual illustrations, etc.

1 slot remaining

Panel Two: "Would someone please suggest a definitive biography dealing with
Mr. Clemens'life history?"

Earlier this year there was a spirited discussion on [log in to unmask] about
what constitutes "definitive" Mark Twain biography. Recommendations included
such well-known biographers as Kaplan and Hill, as well as votes to bypass
published biographies in favor of the Mark Twain Project's volumes of Mark
Twain's Letters and of his Notebooks and Journals. Papers would address such
topics as whether the term "definitive" biography is a myth or if biography
as a genre should be considered a responsible defining of a subject's
existence.

Please send paper proposals to [log in to unmask]