PAMLA Seattle (2026) - November 12-15, all in-person conference 

2027 is the centenary year of the birth of US American poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner, Galway Kinnell (1927-2014). This session seeks to celebrate his life and legacy while pointing to future thematic and prosodic engagement in Kinnellian studies. Papers offering approaches to any aspect of Kinnell’s work are invited and most welcome.

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This session aims to celebrate a century of Galway Kinnell. 2027 marks what would have been his 100th birthday and suggests a critical time for both introspection as well as re-evaluation of his life and literary accomplishments. Participants in the panel will also be invited to contribute to an edited compendium.

Kinnell is perhaps best known for The Book of Nightmares (1971), widely considered to be his most masterful volume, and for Selected Poems (1982), for which he was awarded the Pulitzer in 1983. Readings, retrospectives, and artistic renderings of Kinnell’s corpus honour a poet whose humanistic contributions and unwavering commitment to social justice extend far beyond the boundaries of his century. New and future studies of Kinnell and his texts (including poetry, prose, and ethnographic journalism) hold manifest promise and interrogation for our current moment.

Kindly send in an abstract (250-300 words) along with a short bio. To submit a proposal, visit: https://pamla.ballastacademic.com

Please contact Presiding Officer, Dr. Ariana Lyriotakis, with any questions you might have.