William Souder—the Minnesota journalist whose book-length lives of John James Audubon and Rachel Carson established his reputation as an ecology-minded biographer with a nose for the human back story—will discuss the art of biography, and his upcoming life of John Steinbeck, as featured speaker for the 2019 International Steinbeck Conference, May 1-3, at San Jose State University. “The Subject is Steinbeck: Thoughts on the Theory and Practice of Biography” may sound academic as a title for the talk, but Souder as a speaker rarely does—as demonstrated by this 2016 interview, in which he explains how writing about Audubon, Carson, and a plague of frogs led him to undertake the first major life of Steinbeck in 25 years. Scheduled for publication in the summer of 2020, when environmental collapse and humanitarian crisis are destined to dominate the most divisive presidential election news cycle since 1968, Souder’s biography of an author who stayed “angry at the world” for most of his life is likely to make literature newsworthy again by connecting books, as Steinbeck did, to burning issues.

Planners for a May 1-3, 2019 conference on John Steinbeck’s continued relevance invite academics and others to submit proposals for papers on the conference theme—“Steinbeck in the Twenty-First Century: Identity, Influence, and Impact”—for their consideration. Susan Shillinglaw will give the keynote speech at the three-day, two-night event, which will take place in San Jose, California under the auspices of the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies and the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars. Submission guidelines can be found at the conference website along with registration forms, logistical details, and information about subsidies for students whose papers are selected for presentation.

In observance of the anniversary of John Steinbeck’s death on December 20, 1968, the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars invites proposals for papers exploring Steinbeck’s continued relevance, 50 years later, to be delivered at the organization’s May 1-3, 2019 conference at San Jose State University. “Steinbeck and the 21st Century: Identity, Influence, and Impact” is sponsored by the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies and will take place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in downtown San Jose, California. According to Nick Taylor, the center’s director, proposals for papers are welcome from a wide variety of disciplines, including literary and cultural studies as well as ecology and pedagogy, and may encompass the comparative examination of Steinbeck and 21st century authors, issues surrounding the reception and translation of Steinbeck’s books in the 20th century, and commentary on Steinbeck’s writing from the perspective of movements like #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and organized resistance to the mistreatment of migrants and refugees in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Also of interest is how classroom teachers today use Steinbeck to engage students on social issues, popular culture, and artistic expression. Travel funding is available for students whose papers are accepted. For details visit the conference web page.

As of today’s post we are temporarily suspending weekly posts at SteinbeckNow.com to pursue a print project requiring attention. We will continue to respond to email inquiries, curate comments, and post news about opportunities like this one, and we will review guest-author submissions in the order they are received when we resume weekly publication. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.—Ed.

The Pacific Grove Heritage Society is an appropriate host, and the Pacific Grove Performing Arts Center an appropriate venue, for Pacific Grove author and art expert Steve Hauk to talk about the writing of Steinbeck: The Untold Stories—a collection of 16 short stories inspired by people, places, and incidents from the life of the Nobel Laureate who did much of his writing at the Pacific Grove cottage built by his family more than 100 years ago. Presenting Steve Hauk on John Steinbeck fits the mission of the Heritage Society, to raise public awareness of local history and architecture, and the purpose of the Performing Arts Center, built in 1923 to accommodate concerts and lectures—a popular pastime in Pacific Grove since its founding as a Chautauqua assembly ground in 1875. The annual meeting of the Heritage Society featuring Steve Hauk starts at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, February 11, and is open to the public. The Pacific Grove Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of Pacific Grove Middle School at 835 Forest Avenue. Street parking is free and donations are tax-deductible.