Get Lit: A Call for papers
The Wiregrass Literacy and Literature Festival of the Deep South:
September 14-16, 2006
At Valdosta State University in South Georgia

Without a literate public, none of usâ€"creative writers, critics,
academics and schoolteachers, journalists, librarians, etc.â€"would have
a gig at all. Widespread illiteracy, besides its obvious humanitarian
costs in intractable poverty and crime, is also a professional disaster
for all of us in writing-related fields. The Deep South, with one of
the richest regional literary heritages, may also be considered the
front line of literacy challenges, with 23% of the adult population
testing at the lowest literacy level. The Wiregrass Festival is a
unique annual event combining an academic conference with a literary
festival, bringing together national and regional authors, educators,
artists, academics, and community leaders to celebrate the power of
writing and promote literacy.

We welcome papers and panel proposals from a variety of disciplines,
including:

education, English, sociology, political science, communications,
history, economics, library science, psychology, and philosophy, among
others.

Topics might include:

Status Quo, Causes and Effects:

Assessment of Literacy
Literacy and Economics/Class
Literacy and Race
Literacy and ESL Students

Making a Difference:

Adult Literacy Programs
Creative Writers and Literacy
Elementary Education and Literacy
Public Policy, Funding Strategies
Technology and Literacy
Innovative Teaching Strategies
Multiculturalism and Literacy
Dialectal Variation as a Factor in Literacy

Celebrating Reading and Writing:

Literature and Literacy
Literature as One of the Arts
Literature/Literacy as Empowerment
Literacy as Folk/Cultural Record

You must register for the academic conference to present a paper. All
registered participants in the academic conference may attend any of
the associated Festival performances and activities.

Send 200-word abstracts by April 24, 2006 to Jean Braithwaite,
Valdosta State University English Department, getlit_at_valdosta.edu.
Conference website under construction at http://www/valdosta.edu/getlit

“we still seek the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and
aspire. Work, culture, liberty, - all these we need, not singly, but
together…each growing and aiding each…” W.E.B. Dubois

         ==========================================================
              From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
                        CFP_at_english.upenn.edu
                         Full Information at
                     http://cfp.english.upenn.edu
         or write Jennifer Higginbotham: higginbj_at_english.upenn.edu
         ==========================================================
Received on Sat Feb 18 2006 - 09:59:55 EST