LauraPalooza 2019 –
All Roads Lead to Laura
The Laura Ingalls Wilder
Legacy and Research Association Conference
We invite submissions of paper, panel, and workshop proposals for review and possible acceptance for presentation at the fifth LauraPalooza conference, to be held at the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center in Onalaska, Wisconsin, on July 7-10, 2019. The conference will be followed by a field trip to Pepin, Wisconsin, on July 10.
The theme for the 2019 conference theme is “All Roads Lead to Laura.” The travels of the Ingalls and Wilder families take their enthusiasts literally journeying across the United States of America every year. Wilder devotees and scholars often note how her words and the lessons of the “Little House” weave themselves into everyday modern life. Connections to pioneer life and Wilder’s works are endless. It is fitting that we host our fifth conference where her life began, near the Big Woods and mighty Mississippi river of Wisconsin. Potential presenters are welcome to interpret the theme as they like. The conference timing also capitalizes on our association members who may want to travel to related sites in Burr Oak, Iowa, and Spring Valley, Minnesota. Conference-goers may want to consider traveling to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, for the 45th Anniversary and cast reunion of the Little House on the Prairie television series, an event separate from LIWLRA and LauraPalooza but certainly of interest to our members and attendees.
“LauraPalooza” embodies the community spirit, work ethic, and social interaction embraced by the Ingalls and Wilder families. Academic presentations mingle with Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy Award recipients, ice cream socials, workshops, field trips, trivia contests, and more. Join scholars, writers, and professionals who specialize in Ingalls and Wilder literary, historical, and cultural impacts.
Topics may include:
• The broad influence Laura’s writings may have had on American culture in the last 100 years
• The history of the books and their cultural, educational, political, and social impact
• The influence of the Little House books on the towns that still exist today, including Pepin, Wisconsin
• The preservation of American folk music, food, and handwork
• The strategic and political influence of the timber industry, or hunting/trapping themes in American history
• The influence of trade on the Mississippi river in the upper Midwest
• The intersection of the Ingalls and Wilder families with Wisconsin’s culture and history
• The importance of family as portrayed in Little House in the Big Woods by sharing in work, gathering in celebration and passing stories/lessons to the next generation
• The long-term ramifications of the 1862 Homestead Act and westward expansion on American culture
• Historical racism and its lasting effects
• New discoveries in individual research that add to the legacies of Laura, the Ingalls family, and the Wilder family
• Any other way you might interpret the legacies of the Ingalls and Wilder families
Submit your proposal in the form of a 250 to 500 word abstract, outlining your idea and research, by the end of the day on Rose Wilder Lane’s birthday: December 5, 2018. All proposals should include a 200-word biography as would be appropriate for the conference program. Panel proposals should include biographies for all panelists and their topic of discussion. Workshop proposals should include an outline of the workshop curriculum and materials needed. Be sure to include all contact information.
Abstracts should be sent via email to Patty Collins, Conference Program Chair, at pattyontheprairie@gmail.com. Acceptance notifications will be sent out via email on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday: February 7, 2019. Those with accepted proposals will be expected to register for and attend the LauraPalooza 2019 conference.
More information about the conference, including logistical information such as meeting location and registration, featured speakers, and other announcements will be posted at www.beyondlittlehouse.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter @LIWLegacy.