As we announced on January 31, we have our panels set for this year’s American Literature Association Conference in Boston, May 23-26, 2019. Come join us and other great societies and scholars, get a peek at The Journal of David Foster Wallace Studies, and maybe even walk away with some DFW Society swag.
We now have our dates and times! They are tentative and could change, and we will let you know if they do. Rooms are still TBA, but we will update when we can. We hope to see you there!
Friday, May 24, 2019
2:10 – 3:30 pm
Cognitive and Philosophical Approaches to David Foster Wallace
1. “The Progression (or Regression) of Mental Health in David Foster Wallace’s Short Stories,” Ashlie M. Kontos, University of Houston
2. “Kinaesthetic Reading and Infinite Jest,” Christopher White, Governors State University
3. “On the Spectrum: Empathy and Neurodiversity in David Foster Wallace,” Martin Brick, Ohio Dominican University
4. “The Ethics of the Nothing in Wallace’s Infinite Jest,” Vernon Cisney, Gettysburg College
3:40 – 5:00 pm
Intertextual Approaches to David Foster Wallace
1. “Metaphors of Vision: Film Theory and American Avant-Garde Film in Infinite Jest,”Cynthia Zhang, University of Southern California
2. “Alternative Lifestyles: Fyodor Dostoevsky, David Foster Wallace, and the Reimagining of National Life,” Colbert Root, East Stroudsberg University
3. “David Foster Wallace in a Contemporary Art Context,” Corrie Baldauf, Eastern Michigan University
4. “Consider the Soul: Wallace’s Intertextual Engagement with Joyce’s Portrait,” Michael O’Connell, Siena Heights University
5:10 – 6:30 pm: Business Meeting for the International Society for David Foster Wallace Studies
All are welcome to attend this business meeting of the society, whether you’re an official society member or not. Please stop by to say hi, ask questions, take a gander at the journal, or anything else you may want to stop by for.
Saturday, May 25, 2019
8:10 – 9:30 am
Situating David Foster Wallace in Canon and Culture
1. “Anti-Rebels: Infinite Jest and the New Literary Middlebrow,” Christopher Bartlett, Boston University
2. “David Foster Wallace’s ThePale King: The Struggle to Find Novelistic Form in the Information Age,” Jaime Harrison, Queen’s University Belfast
3. “‘Everything Is Thrown into My Writing’: The Difficulty of Teaching David Foster Wallace (Or, Teaching the Difficulty of David Foster Wallace,” Patricia Malone, University of Sheffield
If you are at ALA, please stop by and say hi, if not for the panels or meeting, then for a bite or a drink or even just a chat. Board members Ándrea Laurencell Sheridan (VP), Corrie Baldauf (Secretary), and Ashlie Kontos (Diversity Team Co-Chair) as well as Diversity Team member Cynthia Zhang will be around throughout the week. Catch us on the Society Twitter or Instagram pages to schedule a meet up, or contact us directly!
