LCSNA 50th Anniversary Celebration and Fall Conference

The Lewis Carroll Society of North America is pleased to announce our Fall in-person conference, during which we will celebrate our 50^th anniversary “JubJub-ilee.”  This will be a very special event, and one we know Carrollians from around North America and the rest of the world will want to attend. Since space at the venue is limited, we recommend registering for the conference earlier. We can’t wait to see you in Boston!

REGISTER NOW!

Meeting Venue.  The conference will be held at the Boston Athenaeum, a landmark building in the heart of Boston.  The Athenaeum is one of the country’s oldest and most distinguished independent libraries, and it has been named one of the most beautiful library buildings in the world. The special collections house research holdings of 100,000 rare books, maps, and manuscripts, and 100,000 works of paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs.  The library is located at 10½ Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108

Hotel.  Omni Parker House (60 School Street), a short walk to the Boston Athenaeum. Since 1855, the Parker House has historic roots in Boston. Authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.  met there regularly. Charles Dickens was in residence for five months, and he recited and performed “A Christmas Carol” here. John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier at the hotel’s restaurant. And, the Parker House is the birthplace of Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Rolls.

Conveniently located near some of the city’s best-known sites, the LCSNA has reserved a special block of deluxe queen bedrooms at $219 ($255 per night with taxes, but excluding parking).  You can reserve your room by clicking here or by calling either 1-800-OMNI or the hotel directly at 617-227-8600 and  request the special “LCSNA Lewis Carroll Society of North America“ rate. This rate is good until October 8. Note: although you may find similar rates at the Omni online, those are for 125 sq.ft. “traditional” rooms, not the “deluxe” 215 sq.ft. rooms, and the $255 LCSNA rate also includes all taxes.

Registration Fees.  This will be our first in-person conference for which we must charge a registration fee. This has become necessary because of a combination of factors, including that there is no sponsoring institution, such as a university (which have, in the past, defrayed or underwritten some of the costs), increased costs for food, and the increased pressure on the LCSNA budget because of inflation and reduced membership revenues.  The Friday dinner is charged separately, and no early bird discount is available. The main conference registration fee covers the cost of lunch and breaks on Saturday, the venue rental cost, and the Sunday brunch. If you register by August 30, you can take advantage of a $35 discount if you choose the Early Bird combo rate, and $25 if you register for the conference only.

Conference Registration

Please Note:

• Book Early! Since the Society holds a limited number of hotel rooms in our block, and because space in the conference venue is limited, we encourage you to register early for the hotel rooms, the Friday dinner, and the conference.
• Reservation Cancellations. Should you be unable to attend, your registration is transferrable by simply notifying us to whom you have assigned your reservation.  Should you need to cancel prior to October 13, 100% of the paid fees may be refunded. If cancelled on October 14 or thereafter, the refund will be 50%. All refunds will be processed after the conclusion of the conference in November.

Program

Friday, November 1

• Schaefer Reading.  A reading will be held at a time and location to be announced later.
• 50^th Anniversary Jubilee Dinner.  A special dinner at the Omni Parker House to celebrate our 50th anniversary, with Edward Guiliano providing an after-dinner speech, regaling us with fun facts about the history of the Society. The cash bar cocktail party will be from 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm. Dinner will follow immediately thereafter.
• Board of Directors Meeting. Given that a formal dinner will be held on Friday this year, there will be no in-person meeting of the Board of Directors at the conference.

Saturday, November 2. The program will begin at 9:00 am and will conclude at 5:00 pm. Our keynote speaker will be Michael Dirda, the Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist for The Washington Post Book World. Our other speakers, listed in alphabetical order, are:

• Ryan Armstrong (visiting assistant professor of Religious Studies, Oklahoma State University) will address “For Now We See Through a Looking Glass, Darkly,” reflections of genre expectations get shattered repeatedly as Alice seeks to understand her identity in the mirror in her second literary adventure.
• Anna Henchman (associate professor of English, Boston University) will draw on science and math to address Carroll’s playing with space in a presentation on “The Space of Nonsense.”
• Charlie Lovett (author and Carroll collector) will speak about his work to create the upcoming publication of Charles L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) A Bibliography of Works Published in his Lifetime.
• Barry Moser and Vladimir Zimakov, two distinguished Carrollian illustrators, will be in conversation with moderator Mark Burstein.
• Jude Nixon (professor of English, Salem State University) will speak about Lewis Carroll and “The Garland of Rachel.”
• Laura Wasowicz (Curator of Children’s Literature, American Antiquarian Society) will speak about “Representations of Alice in the American Antiquarian Society from 1866 – 1930s.”

Sunday, November 3: Sunday Brunch (10:00 am – 3:00 pm).  Join us when we visit Alan and Alison Tannenbaum from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at their home in Chelmsford, MA to see the Tannenbaum collection, with a focus on their Carrollian Highlights and Curiosities. Sunday brunch will be provided at 11:30 am. There will be a Boojum Bookshop. (Note: transportation to the event is on your own.)

REGISTER NOW!

Touring Boston and Vicinity:  Some Sites of Interest And Entertainment Opportunities

Sites

• Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile path through downtown Boston that leads to sixteen significant historic sites, such as the Granary Burying Ground, the Old North Church, the Old Corner Bookstore, Fanueil Hall, the Paul Revere House, and the Bunker Hill Monument.
• The Old State House on Beacon Hill was built in 1714 and is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States. 
• Boston Common and Public Garden provide tranquil green space with picturesque flower beds and the iconic “Make Way for Ducklings” statues.
• Boston Public Library, designed by Charles McKim and opened in 1958, includes three sculptural seals by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and a two spectacular set of murals, one painted by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and the other, “Triumph of Religion,” by John Singer Sargent. 
• Museum of Fine Arts, one of the largest museums in the U.S., containing more than 450,000 works of art, including an outstanding collection of American art. Special exhibit on Dalí: Disruption and Devotion.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a Venetian palace displaying her eclectic collection of European, American and Asian art.
• New England Aquarium, with more than 8,000 aquatic creatures, including a penguin pool and giant ocean tank.
• Museum of Science, containing more than 700 interactive exhibits including a number of live presentations
• John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, overlooking the sea, the Museum portrays the life, leadership, and legacy of President Kennedy and his administration.
• Harvard University museums (in Cambridge) include the Harvard Art Museums and the Museum of Natural History.

Music and Theater

• Boston Pops.  Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert (in concert live-to-film). Thursday, October 31; Saturday, November 2.
• Huntington Theater.  Sojourners, by Mfoniso Udofia. Marriage, migration, and the pursuit of education collide when a young and brilliant Nigerian couple arrives in Houston, looking to earn their degrees and bring insights back to their home country.
• Speakeasy Stage. Pru Payne, by Pulitzer Prize nominee Steven Drukman, is about Prudence “Pru” Payne, a contemporary Dorothy Parker: a sharp-tongued intellectual and critic who recently signed on to share her extraordinary life in an eagerly-awaited autobiography until Pru’s memory starts to fade.