Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, what hath thou wrought?   This thread reminds me of a remark by a colleague many more years ago than I care to recall:  "Most members of author societies resemble their author."  Superficially that does appear to be the case; such at least is the gist of these posts.  But on a deeper level, perhaps not-so-true, or even more disturbingly, true in ways we never suspect.  I belong to the Twain Circle, American Humor Studies Association, the Stephen Crane Society (where we soldier bravely along) and the Poe Studies Association.  How do I reconcile such disparity, other than the perhaps too-broad "all deal with humor, albeit in very different ways?  Or do I just accept my schizophrenia and enjoy it all?

I do regret missing the Elmira conference, which is truly a unique event.  Maybe next time around.

Dennis Eddings