Midwest Regional Conference Program
Opening with a first-day symposium devoted to the life and work of Eugene O’Neill and following up with a day and a half with the full range of papers and roundtables devoted to all areas of Irish Studies, Washington University welcomes scholars to the Gateway City of the Midwest for exchange of ideas and sustaining fellowship! The first day of the conference will highlight the importance of the plays of O’Neill, with plenary remarks from Beth Wynstra (Babson College), author of Vows, Veils, and Masks: the Performance of Marriage in the Plays of Eugene O’Neill and Katie Johnson (Miami University), author of Racing the Great White Way: Black Performance, Eugene O’Neill, and the Transformation of Broadway. The O’Neill Symposium will form part of a grand opening to the Hammerman O’Neill Collection at Washington University, a generous gift from alumnus Dr. Harley Hammerman and a boon to drama scholars and Irish Studies scholars worldwide. The link to the Collection is here: https://library.wustl.edu/spec/eugene-oneill/ The symposium will conclude with the 2023 production of the seldom-performed O’Neill play, The First Man, directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes with dramaturgy by Beth Wynstra.
Since we wish to encourage the broadest range of recent work in Irish Studies, we welcome submissions addressing any and all topics or themes in the field. From its celebrated storytelling tradition, to its heritage of music, song, and dance, to its legacy of political oratory and written argument, drama and ritual, and beyond—Ireland and the global Irish diaspora are synonymous with performers and performance. Studies that probe narrative traditions in history, biography, pop culture, ethics, aesthetics, travel writing, the lore of place, and that speak to identity, roots, boundaries, belonging/not belonging; papers which explore issues of race, ethnicity, and gender in an Irish Studies context are all strongly encouraged. Papers which demonstrate the diversity and variety of Irish Studies will generate the debate and discussion we need for a successful Midwest ACIS Conference.
The Conference Hotel will be the Moonrise Hotel on the Delmar Loop near campus. Conference attendees can reserve rooms at a special rate of $149 per night plus tax (total $177.22.) This special rate is available until September 15.
The Loop is one of the area’s most dynamic venues, with plenty of options for food and drink near the hotel.
The Conference sessions and other events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be held at various locations on the Danforth Campus at Washington University in St. Louis.