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The 2nd CFP for "Tools of the Sacred, Techniques of the Secular", an international conference already advertised on this listserv, is fast approaching (22 October 2009). "Tools of the Sacred, Techniques of the Secular: Awakening, Epiphany, Apocalypse and Doubt in Contemporary English-Language Verse" will be held in Brussels (Belgium) from 4 to 7 May and is convened by the English Dept. of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. The full descriptive of the conference can be accessed through the Convener's homepage at <http://www.ulb.ac.be/philo/langlitt/FB/FB.html>. We are extremely pleased to announce that BRON TAYLOR (Professor of Religion and Nature, University of Florida) has now confirmed his participation as a keynote speaker. As editor-in-chief of the massive Encyplodia of Nature and Religion (Continuum International, 2005) and author of Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future (University of California Press, 2009), Prof. Taylor will address the topic of poetry within grassroots environmental movements globally. Prof. Taylor is also President of the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture (ISSRNC). Forms of co-sponsorship between the ISSRNC and the Conference Convener are currently being explored. In particular, we are planning to have a "Tools of the Sacred" Special Issue of the ISSRNC Journal as part of the Conference Proceedings and as a future home for outstanding papers exploring "eco-spirit/ecopiety" in contemporary English-language poetry. Besides Bron TAYLOR, the other confirmed plenaries are: - poet and critic Michael HELLER, a major, award-winning specialist of objectivist poetics and a contributor to The Emergence of Buddhist American Literature (SUNY Series in Buddhism and American Culture, 2009). Michael HELLER will examine poets like Wallace Stevens, Charles Reznikoff, George Oppen and Robert Duncan through the combined lens of Western speculative philosophy and non-theistic/Buddhist thematics. - poet and critic Jane AUGUSTINE, who besides writing for The Emergence of Buddhist American Literature (2009), also contributed to Buddhisms and Deconstructions (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006). Jane AUGUSTINE will focus on quests for non-patriarchal versions of the sacred in contemporary American poetry by women, including quests hinging on "vacuity" and non-theistic space. - theolinguistics and Wesley expert, Jean-Pierre van NOPPEN, author of Transforming Words. The Early Methodist Revival from a Discourse (Peter Lang (Religion and Discourse, 1999). Prof. van NOPPEN will address the renewal of the Wesleyan hymn in contemporary hymn writing as a form of sung poetry. In the hope of being able to offer provocative comparative perspectives between American religion and verse and other traditions, we are also still awaiting final confirmation from a specialist of the sacred in Australian poetry. With its programme fast shaping up, "Tools of the Sacred, Techniques of the Secular" promises to be a stimulating, four-day platform of cross-cultural exchange. American poetry and religion scholars interested in joining it and contributing a 20-minute paper on any of the topics outlined in the CFP should, please, contact the Convener, Dr. Franca Bellarsi, by 22 October 2009 (fbellars@ulb.ac.be)
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