The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State UniversityBJonesboro campus is sponsoring its tenth Delta Blues Symposium on 25-27 March 2004. We welcome presentations on any aspect of Delta life (art, education, folklore, history, music, literature, politics, and sociology) and are particularly interested in proposals which focus on the seven-state Mississippi River Delta and its culture during the 1950s. Topics responding specifically to Symposium X=s theme might deal, for example, with the impact of the Brown v. Board decision, the decade’s literature and art, the rise of agribusiness, migration from the Delta, rockabilly music, and, of course, Elvis.

The Delta Blues Symposia have provided opportunities for scholars, artists, performers, and the general public with an interest in the blues and in the Mississippi River Delta to come together to share insights, discuss issues, and celebrate a regional culture. Among the presenters at Symposium X will be rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Sonny Burgess and Billy Lee Riley and Joel Williamson, Lineberger Professor in the Humanities at the University of North Carolina. John Bensko (poetry) and Cary Holladay (fiction) will read from their work and conduct workshops for creative writers.

Proposals for participation should consist of 250-word abstracts for papers and organized panels or a sample of work for creative presentations. The deadline for proposals is 5 January 2004. Address materials to the address below.