Just home last night from driving back from Hannibal...  I second Martin's 
praise of Henry Sweets for his thoughtful and careful planning for this 
conference. Anyone who has ever hosted a big event like this knows it takes 
patience and fortitude to carry it off, plus the ability to heard cats. And 
all of that happens before the conference even starts. Hats off to Henry!

My own paper on "Mark Twain Kills a Boy" drew about 55 people, and if I know 
the signs of dead cats and rotten vegetables, and I believe that I do, I 
detected none, and none were thrown at me. No dead cats or rotten veggies 
were apparent at the reading Richard Henzel and John Pascal gave of the 
"dialogue" written by Vic Fischer and Ben Griffin of the MTP for the Mark 
Twain & Youth book that Kent Rasmussen and I are editing. I should also 
mention that when I asked all of those who contributed to the book to stand 
and be recognized that I neglected to name Henry Sweets. I worked from a 
list of attendees and for that reason overlooked including Henry (he was not 
on the list, of course!). I expressed my abject apologies to Henry shortly 
after, but wish to make them public.

Besides the paper sessions, the presentation given by Susan Bailey was 
excellent and the performance of `A True Story' by Gladys Coggswell was 
wonderful.

My wife Donna and I drove up from Texas. We narrowly dodged the weather that 
smacked down Martin Zehr's oak tree in Kansas City, but otherwise had a very 
pleasant trip, and did some antiquing along the way. Donna found a ca. 
1890-1910 souvenir glass paperweight for the Boyhood Home in one shop. I 
have a seven or eight such turn-of-the-century paperweights from the Boyhood 
Home, Elmira, etc., but I did not have this one. I've had pretty good luck 
talking her out of it so far.

The dorms, cafeteria, and the building where the sessions were held were all 
within easy walking distance, and for those without cars there was a trolley 
to fetch attendees back and forth to downtown Hannibal. The tours of the 
home and museums (including Faye Dant's new museum, Jim's Journey) were 
nicely balanced with the sessions, and everyone had time to see the home, 
the museums, the cave, etc. The steamboat dinner that brought day three to a 
close was great. The tone of the conference was very casual and friendly, 
and the weather was not so blazing hot as it could have been, and parking at 
the college and anywhere else in Hannibal was absurdly easy. We all visited 
again with old friends and made some new ones. Papers were very good, with 
some new voices present, and with 76 attendees (maybe double the first 
Hannibal conference?) I think this conference is now established and here to 
stay. For those who like irony, the college dorms where the majority of the 
attendees stayed, is on a campus where swearing, boozing, and smoking are 
forbidden. I'm not sure where the swearing, boozing, smoking heathens 
stayed, and I'm not sure if I spotted any in the dorms. Some damned fool may 
have sworn a little while introducing one session, but this was a Mark Twain 
Conference, and not for those dainty Jane Austen and Henry James crowds.

I would predict that everyone who attended this conference will return to 
the next, and that it will reach double its present size the next time or 
the time after, and that we'll all be reading, thinking, and writing twice 
as often and twice as hard about Mark Twain as we are now, trying to keep 
up.

Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB
*************************
You may browse our books at:
www.macdonnellrarebooks.com


-----Original Message----- 
From: Martin Zehr
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 11:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Hannibal Conference 2015

Two days prior to the Hannibal conference, the large century-old oak tree
in our front yard was hit by lightning, causing large branches to fall on
our front porch, a corner of our house, the corner of our neighbor's house,
and both our cars.  Needless to say, we were under a bit of stress while
attempting to cope with the situation, dealing with insurance agents,
contractors, and the beginning of cleanup.  We decided to go to Hannibal
anyway, borrowing a car without AC to get there and back.  In retrospect,
it was a good decision, a brief period of stimulating relaxation with the
family of Twain scholars, and a very well-organized conference, thanks to
Henry's attention to detail.  We're back in KC, at our day jobs and dealing
with contractors now, but the Hannibal conference, one of the best we've
attended in the decade since our first, was a bit of a welcome tonic.

Martin Zehr & Susan Ikazaki
Kansas City, Missouri

On Tue, Jul 28, 2015 at 10:54 AM, Richey, Ms. Carolyn L <[log in to unmask]
> wrote:

> So glad to hear how well the conference was . . . and so disappointed I
> cou=
> ldn't make it.  I was supposed to present my paper on Hannibal's influence
> =
> on MT's new paradigm for the American folkloric hero, but I broke my
> pelvis=
>  7 weeks ago.  Am just now healing.  Is there going to be any sort of
> publi=
> shed compilation of the papers presented?  I would love to get something
> li=
> ke that.  =0A=
> =0A=
> On another note, I am presenting a similar paper to the one I was supposed
> =
> to present in Hannibal at SCMLA in Nashville in October/November.  Hope to
> =
> see some of my fellow Twainiacs there!  =0A=
> =0A=
> Carolyn Leutzinger Richey=0A=
> Tarleton State University=0A=
> Department of English and Languages=0A=
> [log in to unmask]
> 254-968-9511=0A=
> ________________________________________=0A=
> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Hal Bush
> <bushhk@SLU=
> .EDU>=0A=
> Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 9:48 AM=0A=
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Hannibal Conference 2015=0A=
> =0A=
> Colleagues;=0A=
> =0A=
> I'm a bit surprised (and disappointed a bit) that nobody has started a=0A=
> thread to share response to the conference.   So I am taking the
> initiative=
> .=0A=
> =0A=
> Hannibal was great, I really enjoyed it, the conference doubled in 
> size=0A=
> since the last one. Kudos to Henry and his staff for a great series of=0A=
> events.  For my talk on the forthcoming Twain-Twichell letters, (which is=
> =0A=
> now going to be comprehensive and is being supported by Bob Hirst and his=
> =0A=
> wonderful staff at MTP), there were almost 40 in the room and overall=0A=
> strong affirmation for the project.=0A=
> =0A=
> Unfortunately I had other obligations and missed many of the talks. 
> Bruce=
> =0A=
> Michelson dazzled us on changing media and representations of MT;  but as=
> =0A=
> much as I like Bruce and always feel rewarded by his insights, I must say=
> =0A=
> it was the riverboat cruise that proved most memorable.  Sorry Bruce!=0A=
> =0A=
> One other point:  an amazing turnout by international scholars, in=0A=
> particular the 5 or 6 folks who flew in from Japan, and Hamada from=0A=
> Dubai/Syria.  I also met a few brilliant young graduate students and even=
> =0A=
> some undergraduates attended!!  On a personal note, my wife Hiroko 
> also=0A=
> attended and she was very complimentary of the Twain folks who all 
> were=0A=
> friendly and reached out to make her feel the Twain love!=0A=
> =0A=
> I'd be interested in hearing any other reports, best wishes, --hb=0A=
> =0A=
> =0A=
> =0A=
> =0A=
> --=0A=
> Prof. Harold K. Bush=0A=
> Professor of English=0A=
> 3800 Lindell=0A=
> Saint Louis University=0A=
> St. Louis, MO  63108=0A=
> 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h)=0A=
> <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>=0A=
>