Young scholars from institutions around the globe will converge in Charlottetown June 23 - 27 at the 2010 International L.M. Montgomery Conference, "L.M. Montgomery and the Matter of Nature", to share their research on the province's best-known writer.
For Alicia McDonald, an Islander, UPEI alumna and graduate student at the University of Western Ontario, Montgomery's works have hit close to home. "Having grown up on Prince Edward Island, I found myself drawn to Anne and subsequently, L.M. Montgomery because they were talking about places I knew, and represented kindred spirits who understood what it was like to grow up in a rural area where everyone knows you. As I've gotten older and have traveled further away from PEI, I've found Montgomery's vivid descriptions of our Island and rural culture to be a stunning reminder of home that I can easily carry with me." McDonald's presentation, "Literary Tourism - Anne of Green Gables and Twilight as Tourist Attractions", takes place Saturday, June 26.
Emily Woster, a PhD student at Illinois State University, will be attending the L.M.M. Conference for the third time, along with her mother, Christy Woster. "My love of all things L.M.M. began when my mother named me 'Emily' and my sister 'Anne' five years later," says Woster of her interest in Montgomery. L.M.M. has provided her both professional and personal opportunities and lots of "scope for imagination." The pair will be giving their presentation, entitled "A Book by Its Cover: Collecting the Artistic Interpretations of L.M. Montgomery's Works" together on Sunday, June 27.
Jean Mitchell, an associate professor of anthropology at UPEI and co-chair of the 2010 L.M.M. International Conference, sees these presentations as evidence of the continuing interest in Montgomery's works. "The students' topics are very far-ranging and eclectic, suggesting Montgomery's multiple and meaningful influences on a new generation."
Other student presentations include: Vappu Kannas, of the University of Helsinki, "Familiar landscape in L. M. Montgomery's Emily series: Nature as the integrating factor in the Finnish translations"; Christiana Salah, of the University of Connecticut, "Bonds of Sea and Shore: Locating the Gothic in Montgomery's Prehensile Landscape"; Erin Whitmore, of the University of New Brunswick, "The 'Old-Time Kitchen': Domesticity, Nature and Avonlea's Transforming Rural Economy"; and Kathryne Dycus, of the University of Glasgow, "Footprints on the Landscapes of Artistic Creation: "Wanderlust" in the Emily Books".
All are welcome to register, and day and session passes are available for those unable to attend the full conference. For information and to register, visit lmmontgomery.ca/events/conference2010, email katmacdonal2@upei.ca, or call 902-628-4346.
