Conference on Southern Literature - April 24-26, 2003
Begun in 1981, the AEC Conference on Southern Literature has become a premier event for Chattanooga promoting the best in Southern literature and bringing to the area world-class writers. Working in fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction, children’s literature, criticism, film, music, and photography, these long-admired and newly emerging writers convene in Chattanooga for lectures, panel discussions, readings, and school residencies. An all volunteer Conference committee works with the AEC staff to plan and implement all aspects of the program. The 2003 Conference, which marks the twelfth biennial of this event, will look at “Southern Legends: From Eudora to Elvis.” The program will feature guest speakers, a variety of panel discussions conducted by Fellowship members, an historical examination of the Scopes Trial as well as Elvis, and a world premier of two never produced, never published Tennessee Williams one-act plays with commentary from renowned playwrights Horton Foote, Beth Henley, and Romulus Linney. Testimony to the excellence of the AEC Conference was the 1989 decision of the Fellowship of Southern Writers to locate its headquarters in Chattanooga and hold their biennial meetings in conjunction with the program. Their decision to affiliate with the AEC cited the efficiency with which the CSL was promoted and operated and the widespread support it enjoyed within the community. Among the 36 Fellowship members are Ernest Gaines, Lee Smith, John Hope Franklin, Reynolds Price, Doris Betts, and Louis Rubin, Jr. During the Conference, the Fellowship also inducts new members and gives awards of excellence to writers in various genres.
Conference Contributors
Email | Phone: (423) 267-1218 | Fax: 423-267-1018