Life Writing Symposium on June 27, 2008

March 3, 2008

Dear Suzanne Bunkers,

        Although I have probably discussed this with you already, I am writing to invite you formally to participate in the one-day Life Writing Symposium which will take place on Friday, June 27, the day after the conference finishes.  Here is the website description as it currently stands:

This one-day meeting will be held on Friday, June 27, as a gathering of representatives of academic programs, units, and centers, editors of life writing journals, directors of major publications series, officers of life writing organizations and societies, and individuals whose publications and contributions have profoundly influenced the course of life writing studies. The symposium is intended to serve as a forum for discussing future cooperative ventures, needs within the field and strategies for filling them, and more generally, the direction of the field of life writing. Invited participants should make sure that they have added this day to their travel plans; you will receive more information about the program in the next two or three weeks.

        What I’m confirming with this invitation is that we would very much like you to participate in this symposium, that you’ve made your flight and accommodation arrangements accordingly.  I’ll be sending out more information in the next week or two, and I’m hoping that you will offer suggestions about topics for discussion and directions for the future.  I’ve asked a few people to offer some informal opening remarks as a way to get things started; I also want to make sure that the representatives of various centers, units, and publications get the chance to provide information about what they are doing.

        If you have any questions about your participation in the symposium, please contact me.  I look forward to seeing you for the conference, and for this opportunity to discuss the field in its international and interdisciplinary dimensions.

        Me ke aloha

        Craig Howes
        Director, Center for Biographical Research
        Co-Editor, Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly
        Director, 6th Biennial Conference for the International Auto/Biography Association