International L.M. Montgomery Conference to Explore Conflict
Since the first symposium in 1994, the L.M. Montgomery Institute's biennial conferences at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) have brought together scholars, researchers, students, and Montgomery enthusiasts to explore the world and the works of PEI's most famous author. This year's conference on the theme of "Storm and Dissonance" is no exception, having attracted registrants from Canada, U.S., Germany, U.K., Finland, Australia, Japan, Lithuania, and South Africa.
More than 30 presenters from all over the globe will explore the theme of conflict in Montgomery's work, from June 21 to 26, with topics ranging from the differences between public and private lives, to life on the Home Front in Canada during WWI, to the challenges of mothering. For the first time, a special Montgomery course is being offered at UPEI in connection with the conference. World-renowned scholars, Dr. Elizabeth Waterston and Dr. Jennifer Litster, are presenting English 333: The Literature of L.M. Montgomery. The course started on June 15.
The L.M. Montgomery Institute is benefitting from some special connections with Finland this yearand#151;two of the keynote speakers come from Helsinki and two Finnish poets are participating in the international poetry event at The Guild in Charlottetown at 7pm on June 21. This free event is open to the public and includes readings by Riina Katajavuori, Vilja-Tuulia Huotarinen, Frank Ledwell, Deirdre Kessler, John MacKenzie, and John Smith.
Just a few of the highlights of the conference include a keynote address on June 22 by author Margaret Doody on the topic, "L.M. Montgomery: the Darker Side" and a keynote address on June 23 by Suvi Ahola and Satu Koskimies entitled, "Anne, Emily and the Finnish Women: Love and Corntroversy For More than Eighty Years." A special workshop called "Rilla of Ingleside: Canada's War?" led by Dr. Andrea McKenzie, Director of Writing in the Disciplines at New York University, is scheduled for June 24. This workshop is open to the public at a cost of $40. It runs from 9am to 12pm and takes place in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre at UPEI.
More details are available on the L.M. Montgomery website at www.lmmontgomery.ca/lmmi/ or by calling (902) 628-4346.
