Folks; Forgive me if this is the umpteenth time you have received the following invitation. However, given the new year, and in view of the fact that according to Ken Burns religion, Joe Twichell, and so on played absolutely no part in almost any aspect of Mark Twain's life and times, I send this out one last time by way of reminder. As many of you know, I am putting together a book of essays on MT & religion. Half the book will consist of recent important works; half will be newly-commissioned pieces by some of the readers of this LIST. I am extending the deadline for proposals until Feb. 15, so I hope to attract at least a few more folks to contribute. See below for details. The list of potential contributors is shaping up quite nicely; but there is still room for a few more. Best wishes for the new year, --Hal Bush Call for Proposals: Mark Twain & American Religion Prof. Hal Bush, St. Louis University, <[log in to unmask]> I am a member of the American Literature and Religion Project, a three-year study group sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts and co-sponsored by the Erasmus Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Roger Lundin (Wheaton College) serves as the director of the project. This project represents an exciting opportunity, bringing together as it does a group of American literature specialists who share an interest in the influence of religion in American literature and criticism. Besides featuring a number of younger scholars like me, the project working group includes such nationally recognized authorities as Lawrence Buell (Harvard), Michael Colacurcio (UCLA), Barbara Packer (UCLA), Andrew Delbanco (Columbia), and Ralph Wood (Baylor). One aspect of the project will be the publication of a series of volumes that will present the best current scholarship on the religious dimensions of the works of major American authors. The vision for the series is to combine the best recently published scholarship with a number of newly-commissioned essays for each volume. Mark Twain is at the top of the list for this series, and I have been selected to organize and edit the Twain volume. Thus, I am interested in soliciting proposals for a book collection that will present innovative and original approaches to the achievement of Mark Twain from the perspective of his engagement with and interest in various aspects of American religion of the Gilded Age. The books in this series will be published by a major press and will be supported by subventions from the project’s budget. Additionally, members of the working group will contribute to these volumes. For this work, I am seeking to recruit some of the top names in Mark Twain scholarship at the present time, so that this collection will represent the very best work currently being done on the religious aspects of Mark Twain’s life and literary achievement. All proposals, including a 1-2 pp. abstract and preferably a brief works cited list, should be sent by Feb. 15, 2002 to: Prof. Harold K. Bush, Jr. Dept. of English Saint Louis University 3800 Lindell Ave. St. Louis, MO 63108 or via e-mail: [log in to unmask]