The 42nd annual Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference began Sunday and will continue to this Thursday, July 23. The five-day conference, held in honor of William Faulkner, began at the University Museum with an opening reception and presentation, followed by dinner held at Rowan Oak, the site of Faulkner’s home.
The conference is designed for anyone who loves Faulkner, including students, teacher and writers. It includes four days of lectures and panels, an afternoon cocktail reception, a picnic served at Rowan Oak, an evening salon at Southside Gallery, guided tours and a closing party.
“We are expecting around 100 people to participate this year,” said Barbara Thompson, senior project administrator at the Outreach Center. “This conference is a great place to come and learn what you didn’t know before and meet new people.”
One unique aspect of the event, Thompson said, is the guided tours of north Mississippi and the Delta. Each location emphasizes a unique aspect of Faulkner’s life.
“There are four tours to choose from, depending on what you’re interested in,” Thompson said. “One tour focuses on the history of Faulkner in Oxford, another about architecture and historical structures, one even goes to where Faulkner is from in New Albany.”
Each day books, manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia will be on display in the J.D. Williams Library. There will also be a display with books for sale by Seth Berner.
“I fell in love with Faulkner’s works in high school,” Berner said. “He puzzled me like I had never been before. I kept wanting to know more and find out what it was about him that intrigued me.”
Berner’s appreciation of “his use of language and his compelling view of ordinary people,” led him to become a collector of Faulkner’s works.
Berner is a 19-year attendee and 9-year speaker at the conference, and has the largest catalog in the world of Faulkner materials.
“I would encourage everyone to attend the conference,” Berner said. “There will be many knowledgeable people, it is close by and all attendees are friendly.”
Berner will give a lunch presentation on “Collecting Faulkner.”
Many panel speakers are coming into town from across the nation for the conference to give presentations and sessions on “Teaching Faulkner.”
Among the presentation speakers include James B. Carothers, University of Kansas, Terrell L. Tebbetts, Lyon College, Brian McDonald, J. P. McCaskey of Lancaster, Pa., Charles Peek, University of Nebraska at Kearney and Theresa M. Towner, University of Texas at Dallas.
More information and the schedule of daily events may be found online on the University Outreach website.
