Mennonite/s Writing: Manitoba and Beyond

The fifth international conference on Mennonite/s Writing since 1990 features scholarly papers on the work of individual “Mennonite” writers, on Mennonite writers’ inscription of Winnipeg or Manitoba landscapes, and on other subjects related to Mennonite/s writing across North America. Writers who have grown up within the Mennonite communities of Manitoba have made a huge contribution to Canadian literature over the course of the last half century. Half a dozen have been nominated recently for national literary awards. These and other Mennonite writers, well known in the worlds of Canadian literature and beyond, have roots in various parts of Manitoba. Most of these writers were first published by Manitoba’s premier literary publisher, Turnstone Press. Several were founding members of the still thriving Manitoba Writers Guild. Many first received attention in Winnipeg’s stellar literary magazine, Prairie Fire. Their work is read around the world. This conference celebrates and analyzes their work, and that of authors from other parts of North America.

Scheduled participating authors include Patrick Friesen, Di Brandt, David Elias, Armin Wiebe, David Bergen, Sarah Klassen, David Waltner-Toews, Rudy Wiebe, Maurice Mierau,  Al Reimer, John Weier, Andreas Schroeder, Connie Braun, Elsie Neufeld, Ann Hostetler and others.

For more information see: http://mennonitestudies.uwinnipeg.ca/events/mennolitad08.php.