The Society of Early Americanists Newsletter, Vol. 11, n. 2

Dear SEA Members ...

It was a pleasure to see many of you at the first biannual meeting of SEA held on March 4-7 in Charleston. Two-hundred thirty-four persons attended, including strong contingents of material culture scholars and political historians. There were forty-six sessions, including two plenary panels, an inaugural lecture by Philip Gura entitled "From Prospect to Prospect: The Study of Early American Literature at the New Century" (soon to be printed by the William & Mary Quarterly), Sharon M. Harris's presidential address, and a closing roundtable on Annette Kolodney's Failing the Future: A Dean Looks at Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century, several social events, open house tours at several historical buildings. Five important matters were discussed at the business meeting that should be recorded here as well.

(1) Prof. Zabelle Stodola of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock was elected the new executive coordinator of SEA. For the next two years she will maintain the Society's records, oversee membership recruitment and renewal, and serve as treasurer. Her address is Dept. of English, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204. Phone: (501) 569-3161. Fax: (501) 569-8185. For inquiries only use kzstodola@ualr.edu.

(2) The site for the second biannual meeting (2001) of the SEA will be Norfolk Virginia, hosted by Old Dominion University. Prof. Jeffrey Richards, chair of ODU's English Department, will chair the program and local arrangements, with Prof. Dennis Moore of Florida State University as an associate chair. The tentative date for the meeting is March 8- 10 (Thursday-Saturday). Persons interested in communicating ideas about the design of the program may contact Prof. Richards at Dept. of English, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23321 (757) 683-3991 FAX (757) 683-3241orjhrichar@odu.edu

(3) President Sharon Harris recognized three persons with engraved plaques honoring their selfless work on behalf of SEA: founding president Carla J. Mulford, SEA's second president, Rosemary Guruswamy, and William J. Scheick, editor of the Society of Early Americanists Newsletter.

(4) Notice was given of the talks between SEA and the Society of Eighteenth-Century American Studies (SECAS) about merger. SECAS president, Frank Shuffelton, presented a document indicating the conditions for a merger; these were agreed to by the SEA Governing Council; and the document was forwarded to the SECAS membership for their approval. Since the meeting the SECAS membership voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger and since June 1, 1999, the combination has been in effect. A committee of former SECAS officers will operate to effect a smooth transition, oversee the selection of an American Studies session on the ASECS program, and distribute award monies for the best paper on the 18th-century American topics delivered at ASECS. The members of this committee are Dennis Moore, Chair, Julia Stem, and Thomas Krise.

(5) Brief notice was made of plans by members of the SEA and Alfred Bendixen of the American Literature Association to sponsor a symposium of lbero-American and Anglo-American colonialiterature scholars three years from now. The purpose of this meeting would be mutual edification about texts, interpretative is- sues, and pedagogy. Since March, Tucson has been selected as the site. A date has not yet been determined. For those interested in further information, contact me. For further information on these concerns, including updates on the SECAS merger and the lbero/Anglo-American symposium, consult the SEA Website at http: //www.hnet.uci.edu/mclark/ seapage.htm.

In 2000, the Society of Early Americanists will hold their annual meeting at the American Literature Association (ALA) meeting in San Diego. The meeting has tentatively been scheduled for the first week in June. (A firm date will be posted on the SEA website when ALA posts it.) We will be sponsoring three panels on the program and invite submissions on any subject pertaining to American literature of any tradition (Native American, Dutch, Hispanic, French, British American) prior to 1800. Three copies of one page abstracts should be mailed to Dr. Philip Gould, Vice-President SEA, Department of English, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 FAX (401) 863-7412 Philip-Gould@brown.edu. Submission deadline is November 15, 1999.

At the most recent ALA meeting (the 10th annual) held in Baltimore Maryland, SEA sponsored three panels: Early American Literature Around the World, Feminine Figures, and Pirates, Captives, and Spies.

After stepping down as SEA president, Sharon Harris, immediately assumed other executive burdens, presiding over the formation of the Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW). The organizational meeting was held at the 10th annual ALA meeting in Baltimore this past June. Those interested in joining SSAWW, please send your inquiries to Prof. Harris at sharris@unlinfo.unl.edu. A meeting of the organization is tentatively scheduled for San Antonio in 2001.

Some closing thoughts: while SEA was founded in large part by scholars of literature, the number of persons from other disciplines attending the Charleston Conference revealed the extent to which it has become an interdisciplinary Early American Studies organization. I urge the membership to seek out persons in other departments concerned about early American culture to tell them of our organization and the benefits of membership.

David S. Shields