The conference started yesterday, and they’re keeping us busy with lectures and panels and the like. Yesterday evening I walked with another girl to the fish fry (yep, you heard me: it was fried catfish, hush puppies, and french fries) that was held across the street from Faulkner’s home. The talks have been an interesting mix of academic papers and sessions on teaching Faulkner (yes, I’m definitely attending those). There are lots of different kinds of people here: professors and grad students, professors with their entire class of students, and groupies. I bet you never dreamed that Faulkner had groupies, but I’m here to tell you that they’re real. And numerous.
I had to walk across campus after the noon session to warm up my toes: they keep the auditorium freezing! I am trying not to think of the environmental cost of keeping a huge auditorium at 65 degrees when it’s 100 outside . . .
Erin
Alan Schmierer