Heartland History

From the 47th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature in East Lansing, Michigan. Dr. Jeffrey Swenson (Hiram College) presents his paper "Defending the Revolt from the Village: Reinforcing Sinclair Lewis in the Age of Trump." Dr. Marcia Noe (University of Tennessee Chattanooga), Jon Lauck, and the audience respond.

Jeff Swenson's primary research focus is Midwestern Regionalism, including recent publications on authors Jim Tully, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and J.F. Powers. Beyond regionalism, he is interested in material culture–particularly the canoe–and its influence on literature and culture, as with the work of Canadian First-Nations author E. Pauline Johnson. His most recent scholarly work considers representations of Autism Spectrum Disorder in popular culture, particularly television.

Marcia Noe teaches courses in American literature and women's studies and is the Coordinator of the Women's Studies program. She is the author of Susan Glaspell: Voice from the Heartland and over twenty other publications on this Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. In 1993 she was Fulbright Senior Lecturer-Researcher at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; with Junia C.M. Alves, she has edited a collection of essays on the Brazilian theatre troupe Grupo Galpao (Editora Newton Paiva, 2006). She is a senior editor of The Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, editor of the journal MidAmerica, and chairs the editorial committee of the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature, which gave her the MidAmerica Award for distinguished contributions to the study of midwestern literature in 2003. She has supervised 27 student conference presentations and supervised or co-authored 27 student publications. In 2004 she won the UTC College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher award and is an elected member of UTC's Council of Scholars and Alpha Society.

Matt Pehl, Assistant Professor of History at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dr. Pehl specializes in twentieth century U.S. history, which a special interest in religion, race, gender, and working-class history. His book, The Making of Working-Class Religion, was published in 2016 by the University of Illinois Press.

Dave Page discusses the life and writings F. Scott Fitzgerald, in addition to, his latest work, F.Scott Fitzgerald In Minnesota: The Writer & His Friends At Home, published by University of Minnesota Press.

Andrew Jewell is a Professor of Digital Projects at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries and the editor of the Willa Cather Archive. Andy has published several essays on Willa Cather and other American writers, scholarly editing, and digital humanities. He is co-editor of the book The American Literature Scholar in the Digital Age (University of Michigan Press, 2011) and has edited, with Janis P. Stout, The Selected Letters of Willa Cather(Knopf, 2013). He also serves as co-editor of the open-access, digital journal Scholarly Editing: The Annual of the Association for Documentary Editing.

An interview with Scott Atkinson Editor-in-Chief of Belt Magazine and writing instructor at The University of Michigan-Flint. Scott is an award-winning journalist who has written for several publications including The New York Times, Vice, and Writer's Digest. He is also the editor of Belt Magazine and in 2016 edited Happy Anyway: A Flint Anthology from Belt Publishing.

Jon Lauck discusses The 49th annual Dakota Conference on the Northern Plains with Dr. Harry Thompson, Executive director for The Center for Western Studies at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS: OBSERVING THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFORMATION

The conference will be held April 21-22, 2017, in the CWS Fantle Building on the Augustana campus.

This year’s theme The 49th annual Dakota Conference on the Northern Plains will examine the variety of religious expression in the region, both historical and contemporary. Approximately 80 presenters from as many as 15 states gather to present papers and participate in panels to at this two-day national examines issues of contemporary significance to the region in their historical and cultural contexts. Recent topics of interest have included western highways, regional identity, World Wars I and II, Wounded Knee 1973, and Spanish exploration of and Hispanic/Latino immigration to the region

Patrick Kerin discusses his work as the President of the Greenhills Historical Society and "Buckeye Muse" his new blog which focuses on Ohio and Ohio Valley writers and and writing, past and present, and Ohio Valley literary culture, in addition to, sites of literary and historical significance in Ohio and the Ohio Valley.

Jonathan Kasparek, Associate Professor of History at University of Wisconsin, Waukesha discusses progressive politics in Wisconsin and his recent book, "Fighting Son: A Biography of Philip F. LaFollette," which traces La Follette's journey through public office, as well as, his life after the waning of the Progressive era.

An interview with Dr. Nancy Berlage, professor of History at Texas State University. Her research and teaching interests include public history, the American political culture, and rural culture. Dr. Berlage discusses her most recent work, Farmers Helping Farmers

The Rise of the Farm and Home Bureaus was published by Louisiana State University Press in July 2016. Berlage explores how bureaus (more specifically the American Farm Bureau) served as the locus of science-based agriculture for rural communities. Drawing on community bonds and culturally powerful metaphors to overcome skepticism, bureaus played a critical role in circulating knowledge grounded in the new disciplines of agricultural economics, rural sociology, home economics, veterinary medicine, child science, and public health.

An in-depth interview with Dr. Christopher Phillips, Professor of History and Department Head, at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Phillips discusses his new book, "The Rivers Ran Backward: The Civil War and the Remaking of the American Middle Border" which underscores the regional consciousness during this divisive time period.