Dear Members of the 19th Century American Women Writers Reading Group:
We are pleased to be hosting the group meeting at William & Mary on Saturday, March 29th! Details are in this letter. Responses to the questionnaire will assist with planning, but you should feel free to attend even if you don’t fill out the form. Don James McLaughlin (donjames-mclaughlin@utulsa.edu) and Sarah Chinn (sarah.chinn@hunter.cuny.edu) will be coordinating the readings and leading the discussion. Our primary text is Sarah Orne Jewett’s A Marsh Island, edited by Don James for the Q19 series at the University of Pennsylvania Press. Other readings will be made available soon.
Please let me know if you need a specific invitation letter in order to be reimbursed by your department. Last minute attendees are very welcome. We have plenty of room in the Ford Classroom at Swem Library, and the English Department and the office of the Dean of Faculty of Arts & Sciences at W&M are paying for breakfast and lunch.
In addition we have set up a group visit to the Special Collections Research Center at Swem Library for Friday, March 28th, from 2:00 to 4:00. Please meet in the front lobby area, by the Circulation Desk, at Swem.
Here’s a rough schedule for the visit:
Friday, March 28th: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Tour of Swem Library’s SCRC. The evening is not scheduled, but we can make informal arrangements for dinner at this time.
Saturday, March 29th: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm: Meeting and discussion of readings at Ford Classroom, Swem Library. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
More concretely, we plan to follow a tradition of spending the first hour with (self) introductions of the scholars who are present with announcements about new work and work in progress. After lunch we will discuss the readings in detail. Feel free to bring copies of new books to pass around and/or flyers about your work and your plans.
Meals: We will have a group dinner on Saturday night around 6:00 p.m. Arrangements will depend on how many people are attending and what sort of dietary restrictions we have to consider. Hotel: We have a group rate of $110 per night at the Fairfield Inn, a mile and a half away from campus. Please book as soon as possible as late March is tourist time in Williamsburg. There are many hotel and B&B options in town, so you can certainly shop around. We will need to book at least ten rooms to retain our group rate though, so if it is a difference of a couple of dollars, please stick with the Fairfield.
Parking and Campus Maps: Parking permits are not required in most spaces on the weekends, but please be aware of signage and restricted spaces. Here is a link to Parking & Direction information for Swem Library. You can also view or print a campus map here. Travel to Williamsburg: If you are flying, you can arrive at either the Richmond International Airport, the Newport News Williamsburg Airport, or the Norfolk International Airport. Richmond is usually easiest, NN/W is closest, and Norfolk is occasionally cheapest, depending on where you’re coming from. Either way, you’ll be responsible for getting yourself to Williamsburg. I’ll do my best to coordinate rideshares.
Seeking a ride and a roommate: If you would like to coordinate a ride or split the cost of a room with someone, please reach out so that we may put you in contact with others.
If you need to email me directly, you can reach me at jlputz@wm.edu. I look forward to seeing you in Williamsburg!