Or . . . The B. Traven Conference, where nobody knows the true identity of the other attendees. Or . . . The Anton Chekhov Conference, where everybody stays home, talking about how everything would be all right if we could only get to Moscow, where the conference is being held. Or. . . The William Makepeace Thackeray Conference, where everybody sits around, complaining about why the Charles Dickens Conference has far more attendees. Or. . . The Arthur Conan Doyle Conference, where attendees announce the conclusion of papers before the speakers have finished. On 8/19/2013 10:28 AM, Ben Wise wrote: > I prefer the Emily Dickinson conference where everyone stays home. > > Ben > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kevin Mac Donnell" <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2013 5:36:37 PM > Subject: Re: Elmira Twain Conference 2013 > > Well, it's no wonder we have good attendance at the Mark Twain Conference. > At the end we all sing and smoke cigars (but we don't inhale) and then we > light out for the territories for four years. > > At the Melville Conference they all get tangled in the ropes during the > harpoon-throwing contest (and unless you know some pretty fancy moves you > don't want to be the fattest white guy there). At the Virginia Woolf > Conference they all wade out into a river, and they don't all come back. > It's much worse if you're an attendee at the Hart Crane Conference --they > take a cruise but the ship returns to port empty. At the Frank Norris > Conference they head off into the desert with handcuffs, which sounds like > fun, but isn't. I've heard the Salinger Conferences can get edgy; what a > bunch of fakes! And after that last bar fight I flat out stopped going to > the Christopher Marlowe Conferences. > > Twainians are such a friendly bunch. > > 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: "John Bird" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2013 2:52 PM > Subject: Re: Elmira Twain Conference 2013 > > >> I am late chiming in on the success of the Seventh Quadrennial = >> International Conference on Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College a few = >> weeks ago. I have now been to all seven, and it does seem that it just = >> gets better and better. When I introduced the Hal Holbrook documentary, = >> I asked how many people were there for the first time, and over half the = >> people raised their hands. I was really happy to see so many new folks, = >> as well as to renew old friendships. The Cigar Ritual at the end was = >> lively and moving, with raucous but heartfelt group singing, heavy on = >> spirituals and camp songs. Fitting for what Tracy Wuster calls = >> =E2=80=9CMark Twain Summer Camp.=E2=80=9D I look forward to the next = >> one. Hats off to Barb Snedecor and her crew! As Bruce Michelson said = >> when he won the Louis J. Budd Certificate of Merit from the Mark Twain = >> Circle of America, we certainly must have the most congenial author = >> group on the planet! >> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >> John Bird >> [log in to unmask] >> >> >> >> ----- >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3211/6587 - Release Date: 08/18/13 >> > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3211/6587 - Release Date: 08/18/13 >