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  • Dickens Society 24th Annual Symposium July 26–28, 2019, Salt Lake City, Utah

In July 2019, Dickens goes west, and into the mountains! The 24th Annual Dickens Society Symposium will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, cosponsored by the Dickens Society and Utah Valley University.

Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah, nestled between two mountain ranges, a gateway to some of the most spectacular geological formations on the planet. Though Dickens himself never visited Utah, the region is explored several dozen times in his journals, referred to variously as an "unknown land," a "New Jerusalem," "a flat desert," out of which rise "a number of parallel ridges of considerable elevation." Conference participants are encouraged to encounter the western wonders that Dickens only ever imagined: within one hour, they might travel to Park City or Antelope Island State Park; a little further, to Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Goblin Valley State Park, the Golden Spike National Historic Site, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, or Capitol Reef National Park (where UVU has a field station). Another hour or two would take the road-tripper north into the Tetons and Yellowstone (WY) or south into the Grand Canyon (AZ). Salt Lake itself is a small, lively city: summers are host to farmers' markets, festivals, and outdoor music concerts, and hiking trails for hikers of all skill levels can be accessed directly from downtown. The SLC International Airport (Delta hub) offers direct flights to many American – and several European – cities. Details about accommodations, events and excursions, as well as conference sessions will be posted on the

Dickens Society website: dickenssociety.org. For more information about location and logistics, please contact Organizing Committee Chair, Leslie Simon (lsimon@uvu.edu).

Host institution Utah Valley University, located 40 miles south of Salt Lake in Orem, is the largest public university in the state. Currently serving over 37,000 students, this rapidly growing teaching institution is dedicated to a legacy of open-enrollment admissions, to student-centered and innovative learning initiatives, and to a uniquely diverse and interdisciplinary program of undergraduate study. This symposium is sponsored specifically by the UVU College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Department of Philosophy and Humanities. [End Page 116]

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