Eudora Welty's Secret Sharer: The Outside World and the Writer's Imagination

Description

This workshop will explore the life and times of author and photographer Eudora Welty (1909-2001). Hosted at the Welty House, the workshop will include visits to archives and historic sites, lectures, discussions, and curriculum development.

Contact name
Manor, Wanda
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
National Endowment for the Humanities
Phone number
1 601-974-1130
Target Audience
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Start Date
Duration
Six days
End Date

John Steinbeck, Voice of a Region, Voice for America

Description

During this two-week institute teachers and scholars will reconsider iconic American writer John Steinbeck, author of more than 30 books, winner of the Pulitzer Prize (in 1940, for The Grapes of Wrath), the Nobel Prize for Literature (1962), and the United States Medal of Freedom (1964). Days will be filled with study, exploration of the area, discussion, and reflection. During the two weeks, participants will have ample opportunity to appreciate "Steinbeck Country" through exploration of the land and Steinbeck's literature.

Contact name
Judnick, Maria
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
San Jose State University
Phone number
408-924-4487
Target Audience
K-12
Start Date
Cost
Free; $2,000 stipend
Course Credit
Optional continuing education units (CEUs are not equivalent to college course credit, however) can be earned for 1-6 units at the nominal fee of $25 per unit. These units have been arranged at one of the host institutions, CSU Channel Islands, in Camarillo, California. Additional work beyond attendance and full participation at the institute is not required to earn this credit.
Duration
Thirteen days
End Date

Jump at the Sun: Zora Neale Hurston and Her Eatonville Roots

Description

This weeklong seminar will bring together a distinguished team of humanities scholars who will provide an interdisciplinary exploration of Zora Neale Hurston's life and work. Participants will examine Hurston's accomplishments within the context of the historical and cultural development of the Eatonville community. They will grapple with compelling questions about how this unique black enclave fueled Hurston's appreciation of folk culture, inspired her literary works, created her racial identity, and formed her sometimes controversial views on race.

Contact name
Schoenacher, Ann
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
Florida Humanities Council
Phone number
727-873-2009
Target Audience
K-12
Start Date
Cost
Free; $750 stipend
Duration
One week
End Date

The Jack London Online Collection

Image
Annotation

The full-text versions of more than 40 works by Jack London (1876–1916), a prominent early 20th-century writer who was also involved in the socialist movement, are available here. Materials include famous fiction, such as The Call of the Wild (1903), and lesser-known works, such as War of the Classes (1905), a collection of speeches London delivered on behalf of socialism. The website includes 20 novels, 19 short story collections, two collections of essays, three plays, and six additional published nonfiction works. The website is keyword searchable. In addition to providing the writings of Jack London, there is plenty of biographical and historical information about London and his times. Outside resources are suggested, divided into those suitable for students and those for teachers. Combining London's original works with other contextual materials provided by the site could be valuable for studying early 20th-century American literature and journalism and its relation to radical political and social currents of the time.

Willa Cather Archive

Image
Annotation

Willa Cather (1873–1947) wrote 12 novels and numerous works of short fiction. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 and is known for her intensive examination of life in the midwestern U.S. This extensive archive is dedicated to her life and work. At its core is a collection of all of her novels, short fiction, journalistic writing, interviews, speeches, and public letters published before 1922. All materials are fully searchable. Notably, both O Pioneers! and My Antonia are accompanied by extensive scholarly notes, historical context, and introductory material. Accompanying her published materials is a collection of 2,054 of Cather's letters (again annotated and fully searchable), more than 600 photographs of Cather and important people and places in her life, audio of Cather's Pulitzer Prize acceptance speech, and a short video clip of Cather. Several scholarly articles and a text analysis tool are also available.

Mark Twain in His Times

Image
Annotation

Based on Mark Twain's works and life, this engaging website focuses on the author's life and career, including the creation of his popular image, the marketing and promotion of his texts, and live performances. Five sections center on major works, including Innocents Abroad, Tom Sawyer, and Pudd'nhead Wilson. Each section is placed within a historical context.

The website offers an extensive collection of text sources, including 50 published texts or lectures, 16 letters, and over 100 texts and excerpts from other late 19th-century authors. Twenty-nine items from publishers, more than 80 newspaper and magazine articles, 35 obituary notices, over 100 period literary reviews, and hundreds of illustrations and photographs round out this informative site. An interactive graphic essay explores the issue of racism through various American illustrations of "Jim" in Huckleberry Finn. This is an invaluable resource for studying American literature and its place within the 19th-century marketplace and landscape.