The 1st Annual Conference on Louisiana Studies will be held September 26, 2009 at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Conference is co-sponsored by the Folklife Society of Louisiana, the Louisiana Folklife Center, and the NSU College of Liberal Arts.

The Conference on Louisiana Studies is now accepting presentation proposals for the upcoming conference. This interdisciplinary conference will be accepting proposals from the following disciplines: American studies, anthropology, communications, criminal justice, cultural studies, cultural tourism, English and literary studies, environmental studies, ethnic studies, film studies, fine arts, folklore, gender studies, geography, heritage resources, history, journalism, linguistics, musicology, philosophy, political science, psychology, queer studies, religious studies, Romance languages, social work, sociology, and vernacular architecture. The theme of this year's conference is Cane River / Red River History and Heritage. Presentations that address any aspect of Cane River / Red River history, heritage, and culture are welcome.

Proposals are being solicited for fifteen minute presentations from scholars at all career stages as well as graduate students. Undergraduates are invited to submit, provided they are working with the guidance of a trained scholar. Creative work is also accepted. Proposals for panels are welcome.

Abstracts (300 words max.) should be sent as e-mail attachments to Dr. Shane Rasmussen, rasmussens@nsula.edu. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2009. Please include a separate cover page with your name, affiliation, mailing and e-mail address, and the title of your presentation. E-mails should be entitled: Louisiana Studies Conference Submission. We will send an e-mail acknowledgement of having received each abstract within one week of having received it. If you do not receive such an acknowledgment please resend your submission as we may not have received it. Accepted presenters will be notified via e-mail by July 15, 2009.

A selection of papers from the conference will be solicited for publication in Louisiana Folklife, an academic journal produced by the Louisiana Folklife Center, Northwestern State University, General Editor, Dr. Shane Rasmussen.

Additional information is available on the website for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University: www.nsula.edu/folklife.

Dr. Lisa Abney, Dean of Graduate Studies and Head of the Department of Language and Communication, Northwestern State University (co-chair)
Dr. Shane Rasmussen, Director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and Assistant Professor of English, Northwestern State University (co-chair)