Every other year the Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University holds a conference that draws speakers from all over the United States and around the world. While every conference’s theme is related to author William Faulkner, each is made unique by the inclusion of another writer whose themes and style may be compared to and contrasted with Faulkner’s.

“We always pair Faulkner with another author,” said Dr. Christopher Rieger, director of the Center for Faulkner Studies. “This time we went with Ernest Hemingway. They’re probably the two greatest American novelists of all time, frankly — certainly of the 20th century.”

Since the first Faulkner conference in 2006, which paired Faulkner and Mark Twain, the Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has supported the Center for Faulkner Studies. The MHC is again supporting the organization’s conference by awarding a grant of $2,260.

Rieger said the money will go toward this year’s conference, which will be the largest one yet.

“We have presenters and scholars coming from 20 different states and nine different countries,” Rieger said. “It’ll be our biggest conference yet. So the grant is really going to help us put on a good conference for our visitors coming to Cape from all over the world.”

According to the Center for Faulkner Studies website, the conference invited “... proposals for 20-minute papers on any topic related to William Faulkner and/or Ernest Hemingway. All critical approaches, including theoretical and pedagogical, are welcomed. We are particularly interested in inter-textual approaches that treat both authors. Proposals for organized panels are also encouraged.”

Reiger also said in addition to the more academic presentations and panel discussions, there will be events aimed at more general audiences, including an individual presenting and taking live questions in character as William Faulkner, as well as an art exhibit at Catapult Creative House centered around Faulkner and Hemingway.

Dr. William Belko, executive director of the MHC, said his organization is glad to see the relationship with the Center for Faulkner Studies continue.

“We’re very excited they received the grant,” Belko said. “And they received full funding for it, too, and a unanimous decision by the grants committee.”

Belko said he hopes the MHC will further support the Center for Faulkner Studies in the future as part of a statewide literacy initiative.

“In fact, I would like to go beyond the grants program and partner with them,” Belko said. “One of the initiatives that the Missouri Humanities Council has started since I’ve been on board is new kinds of literary ventures where we would partner with various organizations across the state. ... So this is something we want to continue beyond just a simple grants application.”

In addition to the biennial Faulkner conference, the MHC is involved with Southeast in several ways. Dr. Adam Criblez, an assistant professor of history at Southeast, is on the board of the council and chairs the membership committee. The council also helps Southeast’s University Press produce an anthology of literature written by veterans, titled the “Proud to Be” series, the fifth volume of which is currently being compiled for publication.

The Faulkner and Hemingway conference will be held Oct. 20 to 22.