TCU is hosting the annual British Women Writers Conference this week, showcasing works written by women in the Regency Era, Romantic Era and Victorian Era.
The British Women Writers Association sponsors an annual conference each spring to provide a forum to discuss women’s writing that has been historically overlooked or excluded over time.
This year’s conference theme is “visions” in British women’s writing in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The conference includes ten panels and three keynote speakers. The keynote lectures are open to the public.
Graduate students working in 18th and 19th century literature traditionally organize the event.
Susannah Sanford, a graduate student, is one of three co-chairs hosting the conference.
“The British Women Writers Conference asks scholars to address British women writers of the 18th and 19th centuries,” Sanford said. “It is an opportunity to discuss research, receive feedback, test ideas and network with colleagues studying similar subjects.”
The conference originated in 1991 when a group of graduate students from the Universities of Oregon and Washington saw a lack of presentations on women writers during a regional British studies conference, according to the British Women Writers Association.
Founders Pamela Corpron Parker and Cindy LaCom decided to create a conference that focused solely on women’s writing for critical thinking scholars, students, researchers and teachers.
The departments of history, English, Asian studies, women and gender studies and graduate studies, as well as the AddRan College of Liberal Arts and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, have contributed to helping making this conference happen.
“We are proud to promote these departments among the presenters and attendees,” Sanford said. “A conference such as this one also helps to raise the research profile of TCU and present our university in a positive light in regard to research and learning.”
The conference will take place from March 5-7.
