Paul Laurence Dunbar, a contemporary of Mark Twain's who died in
1906, addressed many of the same issues that Twain did, and helped
inspire some later writers who also drew inspiration from Twain (such
as Langston Hughes).   Forum members may be interested in the Paul
Laurence Dunbar Centennial Conference to be held at Stanford March
10-11, 2006.

  In eight consecutive panels, running from Friday morning until
Saturday evening, the conference will focus on   topics including:
Dunbar's relationship to his literary predecessors, contemporaries,
and successors; his stylistic innovations and experiments in literary
form; his engagement with cultural discourses of realism, humor, and
dialect; his personal and political confrontation with the history of
the Nadir; his interest in religious faith and folklore; his
engagement with visual culture; and his ground-breaking literary
movements onto the international stage and into transracial subject
matter.  It will include a performance of Dunbar's writing for and
about children.  It is free and open to the public.   Details at
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/dunbar/