Notable authors, editors, publishers, and others in the trade as well as educators, literacy advocates, readers, and book lovers will gather for the 11th Oxford Conference for the Book, set for April 1-4, 2004. The program will begin on Thursday afternoon with a panel, readings, and a special conference edition of Thacker Mountain Radio and continue through Saturday afternoon with addresses, panels, and readings.

The 2004 conference will be dedicated to author Walker Percy (1916-1990) in recognition of his contributions to American letters. Two sessions will examine Percy’s life and work through discussions and comments by friends and literary scholars. Author and editor Paul Elie will present a lecture on Percy and moderate a panel during which the author’s daughter Mary Pratt Percy Lobdell, grandson Robert Livingston Lobdell; friend Shelby Foote, and Patricia Sullivan, English professor at the University of Colorado, will discuss Percy’s life and work. Dr. Luke Lampton will give a presentation about his extensive collection of Percy’s works.

Another special part of the 2004 conference will be the celebration of Mildred D. Taylor Day in Mississippi. The April 2 program will bring young readers, teachers, parents, and others together to recognize the achievements of this outstanding author. (See page 5 for details.)

Participating in the annual session celebrating National Poetry Month will be Jonathan Galassi, author of two poetry volumes, Morning Run and North; William Jay Smith, poetry consultant to the Library of Congress (the position now known as the U.S. Poet Laureate) and author of ten collections of poetry; and Charles Wright, a Pulitzer Prize/National Book Award winner who teaches at the University of Virginia. Poets Beth Ann Fennelly, Ann Fisher-Wirth, and Tom House will also read at the conference.

Among the notable fiction writers scheduled to read and talk about their work are Kaye Gibbons, whose seventh novel, Divining Women, will be published this spring, and Margaret McMullan, author of two new books, In My Mother’s House and How I Found the Strong. Barry Hannah, David Galef, and Tom Franklin, who teach creative writing at the University, will also be on hand to discuss fiction, as will Amy Stolls, program officer in the literature division of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Journalists Alan Huffman and Sebastian Junger will be here to talk about their new books. Ole Miss journalism professor Curtis Wilkie will moderate a session during which Newsweek managing editor Jon Meacham will discuss his Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship, and Gail Collins, editorial page editor of the New York Times will talk about her new book, American Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. Other nonfiction authors also scheduled are Roy Blount Jr., one of America’s best-known humorists; this year’s Grisham writer, Janisse Ray; and two Mississippi natives: University alumnus Ralph Eubanks, author of Ever Is a Long Time: A Journey into Mississippi’s Dark Past; and Julia Reed, home to celebrate the publication of her first book, Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomenon.

The hour-long live Thacker Mountain Radio Show will feature a program of music by the house band and visiting musicians as well as readings by visiting authors. Another program of literature and music will be presented by Reckon Crew, who will perform selections from William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, Lee Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies, Connie May Fowler’s Remembering Blue, and other works of fiction they have translated to the musical stage. Reckon Crew members are Tommy Goldsmith, an editor at the Raleigh News and Observer; poet and folk singer Tom House, author of a new poetry collection The World according to Whiskey; and Karren Pell, a country music songwriter, producer, performer, and author of Alabama Troubadour.

The conference is open to the public without charge. To assure seating space, those interested in attending should preregister through the Center’s Web site (www.olemiss.edu/depts/south). Reservations and advance payment are required for three optional events honoring conference speakers: a cocktail buffet at Isom Place ($50), a cocktail party at Off Square Books ($25), and a country dinner at Taylor Catfish ($25).

Detailed information about the program, speakers, and registration is available on the Center’s Web site (www.olemiss.edu/depts/south) or the Square Books site (www.squarebooks.com).

Courtesy of Campbell and Leighton McCool
Illustrating 2004 Oxford Conference for the Book materials is Baxter Knowlton’s portrait of Walker Percy. The portrait is reproduced on posters and T-shirts available from the Center by calling 800-390-3527.