DATE: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. April 7 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 8, 2006.

EVENT: A two-day conference,” Responding to Nature,” will honor the work of retiring English professor John Knott and celebrate his dynamic engagement with ecology, ecocriticism and nature writing.

“The English Department, with support and involvement from across the University, is very excited to host an interdisciplinary event that will both highlight creative and scholarly work on the American environment as well as honor the contributions of one of its exemplary scholars and citizens, John Knott,” said Susan Scott Parrish, associate professor of English language and Literature in U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Some of the most accomplished people in the field will participate. John Elder, a leading ecocritic, will deliver a keynote address. Other speakers include David Baker, who will read from his poetry, and Janisse Ray and Joy Williams, who will read from their non-fiction work. Eminent photographer Emmet Gowin will present and discuss his work at the Museum of Art. Two panels of literary scholars will address recent and promising directions in the field. Robert Grese will lead a tour of the Arboretum, including the restored prairie in Dow Field.

Knott came to LSA as an assistant professor in 1967. In the years that followed, he served both as an associate dean and as acting dean of LSA. He was an organizer and initially headed the Institute for the Humanities and subsequently chaired organizing and implementation committees for the Program in the Environment, again serving as interim director to get a new program running. He also started the MFA program in creative writing when he chaired the English Department.

PLACE: 3222 Angell Hall, the University of Michigan. Central campus map

SPONSORS: The U-M English Department, the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

CONTACT: Davi Napoleon, (734) 998-6249 or davinapo@umich.edu.

More information about the conference