Poetry and Print in Early America | American Antiquarian Society

Saturday, September 29, 2012, 8am - 6:30pm EDT

American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609
United States

The American Antiquarian Society is proud to host a research symposium on Saturday, September 29, 2012, titled "Poetry & Print in Early America." This event is being held to mark the publication of A Bibliographical Description of Books and Pamphlets of American Verse Printed from 1610 Through 1820, compiled by Roger Stoddard and edited by David Whitesell and published by Penn State University Press. Both the publication of this landmark bibliography and the symposium are sponsored by the Bibliographical Society of America. The symposium will take place at the Society's library building, at 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA, 01609.

The symposium will be preceded by the 29th annual James Russell Wiggins Lecture in the History of the Book in American Culture, on the evening of Friday, September 28. This year's lecture will be delivered by Vincent Carretta, professor of English at the University of Maryland, who will speak about his recently published biography of Phillis Wheatley.

The symposium will offer a rich set of conversations and papers by bibliographers, scholars, and book dealers and collectors about early American poetry. The opening keynote address will be given by David Shields, McClintock Professor of Southern Letters at the University of South Carolina and editor of the Library of America's volume of early American Poetry.

Held at the American Antiquarian Society and sponsored by the Bibliographical Society of America

Schedule

8:00 - 9:00 AM	Registration, coffee
9:00	Welcoming remarks
9:15 - 10:00	Introductory keynote Three Tasks of the First Poetry: Announcing Discovery, Invoking Society, and Disclosing History David Shields, McClintock Professor of Southern Letters, University of South Carolina
10:00 - 10:15	Coffee break
10:15 - 11:30	Collecting Early American Poetry Robert Fraker, Proprietor, Savoy Books, Lanesboro, MA Christina Geiger, Director of Fine Books and Manuscripts, Bonhams New York Chair: Eric Holzenberg, Director, The Grolier Club
11:45 - 1:00 PM	Race, Religion, and Early American Poetry Versifying African Methodism; or, What Did Early African-American Hymnbooks Do? Christopher Phillips, Assistant Professor of English, Lafayette College "The Letters All Stand in One Root": Theory and Practice of Multilingualism in Early American Religious Poetry Patrick Erben, Associate Professor of English, University of West Georgia Revival Poetry and Race, 1740-1770 Wendy Roberts, Visiting Assistant Professor, Northwestern University Chair: James N. Green, Librarian, Library Company of Philadelphia
1:00 - 2:15	Lunch
2:15 - 3:30	Poetry in Circulation The Versified Lives of Unknown Puritans Meredith Neuman, Associate Professor of English, Clark University Clericus and the Lunatick Max Cavitch, Associate Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania "Of snatching captive souls from satan's paws": A Fundraising Poem for Wheelock's Charity School Laura Stevens, Associate Professor of English, University of Tulsa Chair: Michael Winship, Iris Howard Regents Professor of English II, University of Texas at Austin
3:30 - 3:50	Coffee break
3:50 - 5:00	On Writing and Editing A Bibliographical Description of Books and Pamphlets of American Verse Printed from 1610 Through 1820 Introduction: Marcus McCorison, President Emeritus, American Antiquarian Society David Whitesell, Curator, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Roger Stoddard, Curator of Rare Books emeritus, Houghton Library, Harvard University Chair: Gregory Pass, Head of Special Collections, Saint Louis University
5:00 - 6:30	Reception Goddard-Daniels House