I'm forwarding the following call for papers on behalf of the Western Literature Association. I understand that Twain was a big draw at last year's conference in Omaha, NE. --Jim Leonard --------------------------------------------------------- "Lands of Little Rain: Creative Oases in the Arid West " October 9-12, 2002 The University of Arizona-- Tucson, Arizona This land of little rain that generates much controversy over urban growth, cultural identity and contested borders is the perfect setting for a lively WLA conference. We invite participants to submit papers addressing the themes below or Western Literature in general. We particularly encourage papers that: --discuss the role of the Southwest in writing and thinking about the West. Is this the "most" western place because of its uncompromising land, its multicultural vitality and its complex, contested borders? --explore literature, film, and art that address the relationships that have evolved between the land and the peoples of the arid Southwest, especially in this time of rapid population growth. --celebrate and examine the myriad past and present voices that emerge from the desert. How are the dances between and among cultures enacted on these landscapes? What are the in-between places for Southwestern peoples of multiple backgrounds? --focus on writers whose work has embraced this land of little rain such as Mary Austin, Edward Abbey, Rudolfo Anaya, Luci Tapahonso. --provide interdisciplinary meditations on the cultural geography of past and present borders, of immigration and border-crossings, of region. Proposals for panels should include a brief abstract of each paper. Individual proposals for papers and presentations should be no more than one page in length and be submitted by June 15, 2002. Graduate students who wish to compete for the J. Golden Taylor prize must submit their full conference-length papers--limit 15 pages--by June 15. Send all materials to: Professor Judy Nolte Temple Women's Studies Department The University of Arizona P.O. Box 210025 Tucson, AZ 85721-0025 Phone: (520)621-7338 Fax: (520)621-1533, ATTN: Temple Email: [log in to unmask] Website: http://www.coh.arizona.edu/english/WLA2002/ Submissions Deadline: June 15, 2002