November 5, 2012
Sara Spurgeon
The 47th annual Western Literature Association (WLA) Conference will be held Nov. 7-10 at the Overton Hotel & Conference Center and English Building of Texas Tech University.
The conference, hosted by Sara Spurgeon, associate professor of literatures of the American Southwest at Texas Tech, will offer support and opportunities for graduate students.
A reception celebrating the 20th birthday of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) will start the conference from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday. A reading and book signing with American journalist and author Annie Proulx will follow.
“The reception will be an informal celebration of the ASLE and the Western Literature Association, and will involve appetizers, birthday cake for 100 people and the unveiling of ASLE’s new logo,” Spurgeon said.
The rest of the conference will entail the following events:
Thursday, Nov. 8
Friday, Nov. 9
Saturday, Nov. 10
Hundreds of professors from universities around the world will attend events and present papers. Students may additionally attend a special session on “Graduate Student Professionalization” hosted by a panel of professors and graduate students from both large and small schools.
“We expect close to 400 people to attend this year’s conference and engage in our ongoing conversation about the literatures and cultures of the North American West,” Spurgeon said. “ Attendees are coming to Lubbock from the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, Denmark and the United Kingdom.”
While the opportunity to attend all events is only open to those registered, Texas Tech students, faculty and staff are invited to attend a single event of their choosing. Unregistered attendees are asked to bring their Texas Tech ID to the conference registration desk at the Overton for free admission and a temporary pass.
This event would not be possible without the support Texas Tech.
“The university has donated money, time and materials over the last three years that have brought the WLA conference to Lubbock,” Spurgeon said. “This demonstrates commitment to the very highest standards of scholarly excellence and community involvement.”