April 29, 2011: This Space for Rent

[AmericanStudier Ben is handing the keys over to New England AmericanStudies President Ben today, to extend the following invitation to all of you, dear readers.]

Dear Colleague,

I’m writing you as the current President of the New England American Studies Association, to invite you and your colleagues, students, friends, and peeps [okay, that part isn't in the usual version] to attend our fall 2011 conference, on “American Mythologies: Creating, Re-creating, and Resisting National Narratives.” The conference will be held at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Friday November 4^th and Saturday November 5^th. The program features:

1) 24 scholarly panels that cover a rich and diverse range of topics, from war and religion to the body and transnational narratives; the visual arts and literature to pop culture and film.

2) A Saturday keynote luncheon and address by Dr. James Loewen, author of best-selling works on national myths and narratives such as Lies My Teacher Told Me and Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong.

3) A Friday plenary panel and luncheon focused on images and narratives of Plymouth, Plimoth, and New England, and featuring Wampanoag historian Linda Coombs, Wampanoag elder and author Joan Tavares Avant, University of Southern Maine Professor (of New England Studies) Joseph Conforti, Tufts University Professor (of Heritage and Cultural Tourism and Sites) Cathy Stanton, and UConn Professor (of Anthropology) and Pequot Museum contributor Kevin McBride.

4) A Friday evening reading and performance at Plymouth's Pilgrim Hall by regional indigenous writers and musicians, including Melissa Zobel (reading from her novel Fire Hollow), Larry Spotted Crow Mann (reading from a forthcoming book of short stories), Mikhu Paul Anderson (reading from a forthcoming book of poetry), and Joan Avant (reading from her book People of the First Light).

5) And many other concurrent sessions focusing on and utilizing Plimoth Plantation’s facilities, including a Friday session on teaching New England led by Dr. Loewen; these sessions are intended to be especially meaningful to secondary educators and broader public audiences as well as scholarly attendees.

NEASA is proud to offer a set registration fee of only $20 for all “Attendees” (anyone not presenting at the conference), which includes full access to Plimoth Plantation’s facilities for both days of the conference. The Friday evening event is free; tickets to either or both luncheon events can be purchased for a small additional charge as part of the registration process. To register, just go to www.regonline.com/2011neasaconference. For more info on the conference, including lodging, check out the Conference tab at www.neasa.org. And if you have any questions, please email me at brailton@fitchburgstate.edu.

Thanks, and we hope to see you at Plimoth Plantation in November,

Ben