Call for Papers
Lawrence’s 1920s: North America and the ‘Spirit of Place’
15th D.H. Lawrence International Conference, Taos, New Mexico, July 12-17, 2020
Lorenzo and Frieda arrived in New Mexico in mid-September of 1922, with Dorothy Brett, at the invitation of Mabel Dodge Sterne (who would marry Tony Luhan in 1923, becoming Mabel Dodge Luhan) and stayed for about two years. The Ranch property where they lived from 1924 was given to them by Mabel and was the only property they ever owned during their marriage. Most of St. Mawr was written there, and The Plumed Serpent was begun. Frieda died in New Mexico in 1956 and is buried on the ranch. New Mexico, then, is a magical place in the journey of Lawrence and Frieda, where he wrote some of his most powerful work and where both of them felt a sense of belonging. Lawrence was prolific in the last decade of his life and arguably his talents were at their zenith. This conference encourages papers on all aspects of Lawrence’s life and work, but especially studies pertaining to his last decade and to his imaginative engagement with North America.
The 15th International D.H. Lawrence conference—while open to all considerations of Lawrence’s work and life–is especially interested in proposals reassessing Lawrence’s work 100 years earlier, in the 1920’s; in exploring Lawrence’s engagement with Mexico, New Mexico, North America, and ideas of democracy and “the open road”; in studying the immeasurable influence Lawrence’s criticism had on the study of American literature as late as the 1950’s and 60’s; in examining interconnectivity between artists—dance, ritual, music, visual arts as well as writing—and aspects of modernism across the arts; as well as interdisciplinary studies that deepen our sense of Lawrence’s engagement with Native peoples and cultures.
Papers are welcome from Lawrence scholars, graduate students, and the public. Papers should last no longer than 20 minutes and will be followed by 10 minutes of questions.
If you would like to contribute, please send an abstract of 350 words to the Executive Director, Dr. Nanette Norris, c/o dhlconf2020@yahoo.com by midnight on October 31, 2019. Submissions will be assessed by the Academic Program Committee detailed below, and responses will be issued by December 15, 2020. The abstract should include the following information as part of the same file (in either MS Word or pdf format):
- Your name, postal address, telephone number, and email address
- The name of the institution (if applicable) at which you are registered
- A short bio
The conference is being held at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos, New Mexico. The conference fee is $350 USD for the week (there is an early-bird special), and includes all meals and transport to special events. The conference website may be found here: dhlconf2020.org.
Academic Program Committee
Chair: Julie Newmark
USA:
Peter Balbert
Jill Franks
Feroza Jussawalla
Julianne Newmark
Judith Ruderman
Garry Watson
Joyce Wexler
Canada:
Mark Deggan
Ronald Granofsky
Nanette Norris
David Pratt
Laurence Steven
Italy:
Simonetta de Filippis
Stefania Michelucci
UK:
Howard Booth
Catherine Brown
Jane Costin
Susan Reid
Germany:
Christa Jansohn
Ireland:
Jenkins, Lee
Japan:
Hiroshi Muto
South Africa:
Dawid De Villiers
Pakistan:
Naveed Rehan
Australia:
David Game
Austria:
Paul Poplawski
Korea:
Sungho Kim