The Center for Mark Twain Studies is pleased to announce the posting of the following audio files from the first two lectures of our Spring Series: Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 in the Barn at Quarry Farm How Mark Twain Changed His Very Own Mind Tom Quirk; Professor of English; University of Missouri-Columbia One of the remarkable and often neglected facts about Mark Twain is that he had the capacity to change his mind, even well into old age, when most of us nestle in the Barca-lounger of settled opinion. Tom Quirk will posit that Twain's changing views on women's suffrage, trade unions, capital punishment, patriotism, and the insanity plea were the byproduct of Mark Twain's thinking on human nature and that, more than anything else, they were the result of careful and consistent reasoning, not of some sudden revelation or conversion experience, still less of an impulse to conform to prevailing opinion. Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 in the Barn at Quarry Farm Mark Twain: His Business (Mis)-Adventures Peter Krass, Independent Scholar There have been many books on Mark Twain, but few have fully developed his rabid entrepreneurial side and pursuit of great wealth in the spirit of the robber barons. Peter Krass will discuss what he discovered in writing Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends: The Business Adventures of Mark Twain, which explores this oft-neglected side of Twain's life. The talk will illuminate his rollercoaster ride through America's Industrial Revolution and Twain's rich experiences, which were at times hilarious, exuberant, and painful, yet always instructive. Forrest Robinson will present on May 28th. To access the audio files, go to: http://www.elmira.edu/academics/distinctive_programs/twain_center/troubl e_at_eight/recordings