The Society for the Study of Rebecca Harding Davis and Her World will host two sessions at the annual conference of the American Literature Association. The conference will be held May 26-29, 2011, at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts. For further information about the conference, please consult the ALA website at www.americanliterature.org

Deadline for Abstracts: November 30, 2010

Session One: Rebecca Harding Davis and New England Literary Culture
The 2011 ALA conference in Boston provides a welcome opportunity for scholars to share original work about Davis's experiences in Boston and Concord during the 1860s as well as her relation to New England literary culture in general. Scholars of Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne, Holmes, Stowe, and others are invited to suggest readings and share research focusing on the significance of New England literary culture to Davis and her writing. We especially encourage proposals that focus on Davis's lesser known writings. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes.
Please send a one-page abstract and a C.V. by email to Blake Bronson-Bartlett at blake-bronson-bartlett@uiowa.edu.

Session Two: Rebecca Harding Davis's Civil War Writings
With the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War to be observed in 2011, we invite new research and readings that focus on Davis's Civil War writings, including works not written during but pertaining to the war. We especially encourage proposals that focus on her lesser known writings. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes.
Please send a one-page abstract and a brief C.V. to Aaron Rovan at rovana@duq.edu