•
BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE Maine Women Writers Collection hosts conference on identity, memory, testimony March 30-31

University of New England's Maine Women Writers Collection presents the Spring Academic Conference "Identity*Memory*Testimony" Saturday, March 30-31, 2012 at UNE's Portland Campus at 716 Stevens Avenue.

The conference is a collaboration of the Maine Women Writers Collection, the Maine Women's Studies Consortium, and the New England Women's Studies Association. The snow date is April 1.

Keynote Address: Jennifer Finney Boylan

The keynote address, "Stuck in the Middle with You: a discussion of parenthood in three genders," will be delivered by well-known Maine writer and Colby College Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan on Saturday, March 31st.

Boylan is the author of twelve books, including She's Not There: a Life in Two Genders and I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted, both published by Random House. A novelist, memoirist, and short story writer, she is also a nationally known advocate for the civil rights of LGBT people.

Boylan has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Live with Larry King, the Today Show, the Barbara Walters Special, NPR's Marketplace and Talk of the Nation; she has also been the subject of documentaries on CBS News' 48 Hours and The History Channel. She is a regular contributor to the op/ed page of the New York Times and Conde Nast Traveler magazine.  This event is open to all conference registrants.

The conference will also feature scholarly presentations, book arts exhibits, library displays, two performances (Saturday evening), and a Portland Women's History Walking Tour (Friday afternoon).

Free Reception and Poetry Reading

Friday evening, March 30th, there will be a reception and poetry reading to kick off the conference. This event is free and open to the public.  The reception will take place at the UNE Art Gallery on the Portland Campus from 6pm-7pm.

The Friday night poetry reading will feature Abenaki writer Cheryl Savageau, Maliseet artist and author Mihku Paul, and Métis Blackfoot/Mohawk/Seneca poet and fiction writer Susan Deer Cloud. The three writers will read from their work and discuss reclaiming Native space, retelling Native history, bearing witness, and adaptation and celebration of the survival of Native culture. 

Registration

A registration fee is required for Saturday's conference. People are encouraged to register ahead of time, though they will be able to register on site as well. You can find registration information and a program schedule on our website.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.