L.M. Montgomery Institute at UPEI hosts 17th biennial international conference
The L.M. Montgomery Institute’s 17th biennial international conference, titled “L.M. Montgomery and Change,” is taking place on the UPEI campus from June 24 to 28.
Delegates from 16 countries are participating in the hybrid conference, which is co-chaired by Dr. Allison McBain Hudson, Visiting Scholar at the L.M. Montgomery Institute, and Dr Caroline Jones, past Visiting Scholar. About 125 registrants will attend in person, and another 40 online.
Presenters will consider the theme of change in the author’s works and world.
“The constancy of change pervades Montgomery’s life, work, and legacy,” says the call for papers issued for the conference. “From the social, literary, political, and technological changes that took place throughout her lifetime to the ways in which she wrote about her characters coping with personal change, Montgomery engages change in all aspects of the human experience. Whether considered a positive or negative force, change is vital in both ‘real’ life and in fiction, for without it comes stagnation, boredom, or worse. Change is not an easy force to be reckoned with, and the challenges of change are a common theme in Montgomery’s world.”
Keynote addresses will be given by McBain Hudson on June 25; Dr. Kate Slater, Rowan University, USA, on June 26; and award-winning Canadian actress and director Megan Follows on June 27. Follows is widely recognized for her starring role as “Anne” in the Emmy Award-winning Anne of Green Gables TV movies.
Registration for Follows’ free virtual keynote is open until June 25. Thus far, her talk has drawn about 1,300 virtual registrations.
Conference delegates can also participate in activities and events related to the conference, including an evening of Montgomery Madness Trivia and Games; a one-day boutique in aid of the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies; an exhibition titled “Changing Face: Impressionist Portraits of L.M. Montgomery” by artist Janet Wilson; the launch of Romantic Suburbs: Imagining Home in Greater London by Dr. Kate Scarth, Chair of L.M. Montgomery Studies at UPEI; a live podcast by the Kindred Spirits Book Club; a meet and greet courtesy of the Heirs of L.M. Montgomery; a scrapbook project; social outings; and more.
