23rd Annual Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Conference
April 16 and 17 - St. Augustine, Florida
Friday, April 16 - Casa Monica Hotel, 95 Cordova Street, St. Augustine
8 - 9 AM Registration and welcome by MKR Society President Dr. Brent Kinser
Professor of English Western Carolina University - Editor: The Collected
Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle - Coordinating Editor: The
Carlyle Letters On-line - A Victorian Cultural Reference. Co-Editor: The
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature.
9 - 10AM - Session #1
The first three speakers are winners of the Florida College English Association(FCEA)
Distinguished Colleague Award.
Dr. Kevin Mc Carthy 2007 FCEA Distinguished Colleague Award Winner.
Subject: Rawling's "Lord Bill of the Suwanee River".
Dr. Mc Carthy - Initial Executive Director of the MKR Society - 18 years service
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of linguistics and writing University of
Florida - 37 years. Lecturer and teacher for the Peace Corp and Fulbright
programs in Turkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, the Greek Island of Paros
and northern Spain. An author of over 48 books on Florida. Lecturer on over 33
cruise ships sailing in and around Europe and the Caribbean.
Dr. Anna Lillios 2008 FCEA Distinguished Colleague Award Winner.
Subject: Rawlings' - "Rawling's Queer Stories".
Dr. Lillios - Currently Executive Director of the MKR Society.
Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida.
Executive Board Member of the International Lawrence Durrell Society.
Author Crossing the Creek: A Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston
and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - Co-Editor: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Journal of Florida Literature.
Steve Brahlek 2009 FCEA Distinguished Colleague Award Winner.
Subject: Student Tours of Cross Creek and Eatonville.
Professor Brahlek - Professor at Palm Beach Community College.
Involved in student activities, teaches creative writing and coaches
soccer. A collector of Rawlings's books, pictures, videos and memorabilia.
He has displayed his collection in campus libraries.
10:20 - 11:15 Session #2
Rev. Vicky Woods - "A Bird's Eye View of Hollywood".
Rev. Woods - MKR Society Trustee.
Retired from her thirty year nursing career was recycled by her creator to be a
medical chaplain. For ten years she has ministered in hospitals, nursing homes
and hospice facilities. She is a Board Member of Beyond Grief Support Group.
Candace Boothe - "Memories of Dessie Smith Prescott".
Candace Boothe - For over 18 years a friend, caregiver and heir of Dessie
Smith Prescott. Dessie was MKR's friend, adviser and companion on the
"Hyacinth Drift", chapter of Rawlings' Cross Creek. In 1999 Ms. Boothe
petitioned Dessie into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame and presently
is campaigning to make Dessie's Ranch/Hunting & Fishing Lodge into an
Historical property.
11:15 - 12:15 - Session #3
Dave and Carol Grantges - Found!! 26 year old MKR Quiz.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Trustees-Co-chairs MKR Publicity Committee.
Organized Explorer Post and two Poetry groups - Guided over 200 canoe trips
in U. S., Ontario and Yukon Territories - Advisers for Olympic flat water
canoe and track and field athletes of national and Olympic caliber. Writers
and activists for canoeing and track and field.
Rodger L. Tarr - "Fish Fry and Fireworks".
Rodger L.Tarr - Lifetime Honorary Trustee in the MKR Society.
Considered the number one authority on the life and work of Marjorie
Kinnan Rawlings - Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Illinois State
University - His books on Rawlings include - Short Stories by MKR (1994)
MKR: A Descriptive Bibliography (1996) - Poems by MKR (1997) - Max and
Marjorie: The Correspondence Between Maxwell Perkins and MKR (1999)
As Ever Yours: The Letters of Max Perkins and Elizabeth Lemmon (2003)
The Private Marjorie: The Love Letters of MKR to Norton S. Baskin (2004)
Lunch on your own.
Noon - 2:00 - Tour Train of St. Augustine led by David Nolan.
David Nolan - Previous President of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society -
Trustee Emeriti of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society.
Civil rights activist for nearly fifty years. Promoted and protected historic
buildings in St. Augustine. Received Governor's Point of Light award in 2009.
Received President's Volunteer Service Award from Barack Obama in 2009.
Author: Fifty Feet in Paradise: The Booming of Florida (1984) - The
Houses of St. Augustine (1995).
2:30 - 4:30 - Boat Tour of Mantanzas Bay
7:30 - Banquet at Casa Monica Hotel
Guest speaker: Sandra Birnhak - "Living Under the Shadow".
The lovely Sandra Birnhak will enchant us speaking about her over 28 year career
as a film/TV producer. Most notable "The Yearling" and anong others
"Thornton Wilder's Our Town" and "Mr. North" (Theophilus North). There is
no powder puff division in the financial and book rights arena of the entertainment
business. But Ms. Birnhak is credited with purchasing the dramatic options of
more than 159 books and articles. Turning her career to "green" issues she has
sought to improve long line fishing methods that endanger Emperor Penguins
and Albatross research in the Atlantic. Presently she is the Director of the
Foundation for Antarctic Research. She is a member of the International
Explorers Club.
Saturday, April 17 - Casa Monica Hotel
9 - 9:30 - Presentation of MKR Writing Contest Winners from St. Augustine
schools awarded by Ellen Giallonardo.
Ellen Giallonardo - MKR Trustee and twelve year Chairman of the Society's
Outreach Committee. The Committee provides a nine week lesson plan for
schools in the area of each MKR conference. The committee donates videos and
hundreds of copies of Rawlings books to teachers and school libraries. They
conduct MKR writing contests and award prizes to the winning children at each
annual meeting. The Outreach Committe is the backbone of the Society.
Presentation of the Dessie Prescott Smith Award by Teri Sopp.
Teri Sopp - Trustee of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society - President of
the Nassau County Bar Association - Practiced law in northeast Florida for the
last twenty eight years. Is one of just nine board certified criminal trial lawyers in
northeast Florida. Board member of Equinox Documentaries.
9:30 - 10:30 - Session #4
Kathryn Lee Seidel - "A Boy and his Fawn: Parallel Animals in A Trip
to Florida for Health and Sport and The Yearling".
Kathryn Seidel - Professor of English, University of Central Florida.
Fulbright Senior Lectureship in Finland 1984 and in Japan in 2007. Dr. Seidel
teaches Southern Literature and researches Florida writers.
Billy Townsend - "The Cross Creek Trial through the Eyes of Kate and
J. B. Walton".
Billy Townsend - He is the grandnephew of Kate Walton and great-grandson of
J. B. Walton, the father and daughter lawyer team who sued Marjorie on behalf of
Zelma Cason. He will explain why the Waltons took the very difficult case and
why MKR's writings infuriated Zelma. He will present the original letter/contract
between the Waltons and Zelma that has never before been made public.
10:50 - 11:30 - Session #5
Performance of Selected Scenes from "My Friend Zelma" by the cast of
the play by Michael Gannon.
Michael Gannon was present at the first official meeting of the MKR Society
March 10, 1987. His bio and that of Sandra Birnhak were the subject of the
MKR Society Press Release (4/5/10).
Noon Luncheon - Casa Monica Hotel
Guest speaker: Allison Watson - Internationally famous artist - immortalizes
vanishing Florida wildlife and wild places. A canoeist and hiker whose work is
represented in more than five hundred public, private and corporate places since
1983. Art critics compare her skills with brush to the photo skills of Thomas
Moran who captivated the MKR Society's conferees at last year's annual meeting
For more information & registration form - or contact MKR Society President Brent Kinser OR contact Executive Director Anna Lillios
Dave and Carol Grantges
Publicity Committee