Inaugural Conference Asian American Ministry Program
Conference on Christianity and Literature | Western Regional Meeting | May 24–25, 2012
In recent years, the so-called “New Atheists” — Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens — have taken up the cudgels against religious belief. At the same time, the “New Atheist Novel” has made its debut as a genre, thanks to the efforts of such sympathetic writers as Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie, and Philip Pullman.
And yet religious belief is far from dead. At the “Belief and Unbelief in Postmodern Literature” conference, we’ll explore the many contemporary literary manifestations of popular religion, including Oprah Winfrey and her Book Club, and trace the signs of “postmodern belief” in the work of Allen Ginsberg, Don DeLillo, Cormac McCarthy, and Toni Morrison, among other post-1960 writers.
Keynote Speakers
Amy Hungerford
Yale University
Keynote Address:
”Believing in Literature: Religion and the Contemporary Author“
Hungerford is the author of Postmodern Belief: American Literature and Religion Since 1960 (Princeton, 2010)
Kathryn Lofton
Yale University
Keynote Address:
”Believe in Reading: The Reformations of Oprah's Book Club“
Lofton is the author of Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon (University of California, 2011)
Added Bonus: The Denise Levertov Award and Reading
Hear Levertov award recipient Patricia Hampl on Thursday evening, May 24. Affiliated with the University of Minnesota, Hampl is the author of several memoirs, including The Florist's Daughter (2007). View Hampl's website.
The Levertov award is co-sponsored by Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion and the SPU English Department.
Event Details: 7:00 p.m. at Union Church of Seattle (425 Westlake Ave. N.)
Date and Time
May 24–25, 2012
Costs
New CCL Members: $85
Current CCL Members: $50
Location
Fine Center, First Free Methodist Church, 3rd Ave. W. and W. Cremona St.
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, Washington
Where to Stay
Courtyard by Marriott on Lake Union
(view location in relation to SPU’s campus)
1-800-228-9290
The Silver Cloud Inn on Lake Union
(view location in relation to SPU’s campus).
1-800-551-7207
Mention “Conference on Christianity and Literature at Seattle Pacific University” to receive the group rate of $139 per night. SPU will operate a shuttle service between the hotels and the campus.
Questions?
Contact Mark Walhout, Ph.D., in SPU's English department at
mwalhout@spu.edu or
206-281-2981.
