As further evidence of the Twain community's interest in and support of nonacedemics, I point out the Mark Twain Journal's publication of articles by independent scholars, with notes by Tom Tenney acknowledging the work of independnt scholars. I cannot think of a Mark Twain Circle gathering that did not include Twain lovers from a variety of professions, and also point to the number of panels discussing Twain and HF made up largely of authors, essayists, and even rap singers. We're an eclectic crowd and prod of it. wes britton a part time affiliate a part time independent