No place is better at celebrating William Faulkner as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century than Faulkner’s hometown of Oxford.
Registration for the 2024 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference, set for July 21-25, is now open to the public with the annual event promising to be “bigger and broader than ever.” According to a news release from the University of Mississippi, this year’s conference will feature speakers, panelists, and Faulkner aficionados from as far away as France, Japan, and Kazakhstan. It will also include tours of Oxford, the Mississippi Delta, and African American Heritage sites that helped inspire Faulkner’s novels and short stories.
“This is the longest continually running conference devoted to an American writer,” conference director Jay Watson said, noting the event is going into its 50th year after being founded in 1974. “We want to create new excitement or renewed excitement about Faulkner’s work and the thrill and challenge of reading it.”
Unlike previous conferences, this year’s will move away from a central theme or perspective and celebrate three key milestones:
- The 100th anniversary of Faulkner’s first printed book, The Marble Faun
- The 75th anniversary of Faulkner’s collection of mysteries, Knight’s Gambit
- The 50th anniversary of the authorized biography of Faulkner.
The 2024 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference will also focus on the stylistic element of Faulkner’s writing and how it impacted others through the contemporary period.
“We’re getting down in the weeds with his style and technique, but we’re also talking about larger historical perspectives of his work and his influence on other writers,” Watson continued. “That allows lots of different scholars to talk about Faulkner in many different ways.”
To partake in the annual Faulkner conference at the University of Mississippi or to learn more, click here.
