Announcements

International Society of Steinbeck Scholars Announces
an international conference

John Steinbeck as an International Writer
May 4–6, 2016

At the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Library, San José State University
Sponsored by the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies

In their 2009 essay “Prospects for the Study of John Steinbeck,” Robert DeMott and Brian Railsback suggest that “a consideration of Steinbeck as a translational/international writer would be a significant direction for future critics to take.” In response, the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars (formerly the John Steinbeck Society of America) invites contributions from a wide variety of theoretical applications on topics such as Steinbeck’s connections to world literature and world thought—for example, Classical Greek and Roman, Eastern, and twentieth-century Russian. How has Steinbeck adapted not only themes, but also aesthetic choices and narrative strategies? Other topics are welcome as well: deep ecology, power and subjugation, the concept of democracy and America, ethics and philosophy, gender studies. Those wishing to present proposals for presentation can submit them online from August 2015 to March 2016 at http://www.sjsu.edu/steinbeck. Presenters will be asked to sign a release form so that papers may be considered for publication in Steinbeck Review. If you are unable to attend the conference in person, virtual registrations are also available which allow you to submit a paper for refereeing and possible publication in this fully refereed academic journal.

Conference Directors
Nicholas P. Taylor, Director, Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies
Tom Barden, Professor Emeritus, University of Toledo
Barbara A. Heavilin, Editor in Chief, Steinbeck Review

Conference Steering Committee
Danica Čerče, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Chuck Etheridge, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Mimi Gladstein, University of Texas, El Paso
Luchen Li, University of New Hampshire

Steinbeck for America: Renaissance of an American Writer

The following is a letter sent to K-12 teachers and administrators by the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies declaring a “Steinbeck Renaissance” on the 113^th anniversary of Steinbeck’s birth.

February 27, 2015

Dear Educators:

Interest in the works of American author John Steinbeck is surging: last year saw the revival of Steinbeck’s play Of Mice and Men on Broadway, and Hollywood studios are preparing remakes of The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and the 1936 labor-strike novel In Dubious Battle. Today marks the 113th anniversary of Steinbeck’s birth. To celebrate the occasion, the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars and the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San José State University have proclaimed a Steinbeck Renaissance.

Nearly everyone receiving a high-school education in the United States has read something by Steinbeck, and studying his work has never been more convenient, thanks to the availability of materials in the local libraries, bookstores, academic research centers, box offices, and websites. We encourage you to begin your journey with Steinbeck in the Schools, a collection of free, downloadable lesson plans developed by experts at San José State University. All lessons are free to download and modify for use in the classroom, and all have been optimized for the new Common Core State Standards. Visit www.steinbeckinthe-schools.org to get started.

Here are just a few ways the K-12 curriculum is enriched by the themes of Steinbeck’s writing:

Social Justice

Throughout his career, Steinbeck was committed to defending the rights of the voiceless. His three novels about migrant farmworkers, In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), and The Grapes of Wrath (1939) inspire conversations about injustices in American society. As Tom Joad says in his famous speech in The Grapes of Wrath, “Wherever there’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there.” Unfortunately, these stories are as relevant today as they were in the 1930s.

Ecology and Conservation

Steinbeck also believed in the importance of protecting our natural environment. With his friend, the biologist Ed Ricketts, Steinbeck published The Sea of Cortez (1941), a groundbreaking account of a voyage to Mexico to collect marine specimens. Decades before global climate change surfaced as the issue of our era, Steinbeck was...