L.M. Montgomery and

the Politics of Home

The L.M. Montgomery Institute’s Sixteenth Biennial International Conference

University of Prince Edward Island, 19-23 June, 2024

“Oh, I’ve got such a lovely home,” breathed Pat, clasping her hands. “It’s such a nice, friendly house.”
—L.M. Montgomery, Pat of Silver Bush (1933)

It’s the home of my heart, this little room—the spot I love, for here I am happiest.
—L.M. Montgomery, 30 April 1903

The conference theme for 2024 engages crucial questions about L.M. Montgomery and the Politics of Home. When confronting the timeless questions “Who am I?” and “Where do I belong?”, we must reckon with those two inarguable forces: politics and home. These forces inform who we are and how we are in the world. L.M. Montgomery was no exception—she was formed by the cultural and domestic politics of her time and place, and she engaged those politics in her work, alongside the ubiquitous motif of home. The year 2024 marks the 150^th anniversary of Montgomery’s birth, and we will especially engage the specificity of the homes that shaped her as author, diarist, and public and private citizen.

OUR CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS

Dr. Caroline E. Jones is the current Visiting Scholar at the L.M. Montgomery Institute. She received her Ph.D. in English Studies, focusing on children’s and young adult literatures, from Illinois State University and her M.A. in English from Hollins College. Her work on Montgomery goes back to her M.A. thesis, which explores the “happy ending” of the Emily trilogy. She has since presented and published on class, motherhood, the young artist, and more in Montgomery. She has essays in Children’s Play in Literature (2019), L.M. Montgomery and War (2017), L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valleys (2015), and Anne Around the World (2013). Her most recent publication is “Read What You Know: Nostalgia and the Discovery of Self through L.M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon,” which appears in the L.M. Montgomery and Re-Vision collection in the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies. A former bookseller and full-time academic, she currently works as an editor in Austin, Texas, USA.

Dr. Laura Robinson is a professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. Former Visiting Scholar at the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island and continuing member of its Steering Committee, she has published many articles on Montgomery’s work, most recently on Netflix’s “Anne with an E” in L.M. Montgomery in Conversation about Children and Childhood(s). With E. Holly Pike, she edited the volume L.M. Montgomery and Gender (MQUP 2021). She acted as a consultant on Historica Canada’s L.M. Montgomery Heritage Minute and the Inspiring Places: L.M. Montgomery Literary Tour in PEI, and she curated a multi-media exhibit that travelled internationally over the four-year centenary of The Great War, entitled, “The Canadian Homefront: L.M. Montgomery’s Reflection on the First World War.” She is also a consulting editor for the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies.

DRAFT PRELIMARY PROGRAMME AVAILABLE--CLICK HERE!

REGISTRATION OPTIONS

Virtual and In-Person Experiences: We are thrilled to be able to expand access to this conference by providing a hybrid experience, so that participants have the option to attend in person or virtually. We acknowledge that both modes will create different experiences for attendees, even as we make our best effort to ameliorate those differences. In-person attendees will have the benefits of hallway discussions, shared meals, and refreshment breaks, as well as being able to experience the glorious spring in PEI. Virtual attendees will have the benefits of reduced costs for travel and accommodations, as well as a robust ongoing chat during conference sessions, an unexpected delight of virtual connections. At the LMMI, we are working hard to improve upon the virtual experience, especially given that 2022 was our first hybrid experience. We will do what we can to ensure that the virtual attendees are seen and heard as much as possible. Because we will be recording the sessions, all attendees will have the option to view or revisit sessions for a set time period after the conference.

A number of registration options are available. Registration is open to all. If there are questions about the program or any of the registration options, please don't hesitate to contact us at lmmiconf@upei.ca. Please note that the Harmonized Sales Tax (15%) will be added to listed prices.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 16th BIENNIAL CONFERENCE!

FULL REGISTRATION: $350 in-person; $275 virtual

Admission to all conference sessions, keynote presentations and events, lunches, nutrition breaks, and receptions (Thursday to Sunday) as well as 1 ticket to the conference banquet. (Does not include Wednesday workshops.)

FULL EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR (WITHIN 2 YEARS OF GRADUATION) REGISTRATION: $250 in-person; $200 virtual

FULL STUDENT REGISTRATION: $160 in-person; $125 virtual

CONFERENCE PASSES: (FULL DAY: $115; HALF-DAY: $65)

Please note that such passes are for in-person attendance only and not available to conference presenters.

Includes admission to conference activities and presentations for the day/half-day indicated. Full day passes include lunch; half-day passes do not include lunch. Includes nutrition breaks and special events, but not Saturday's banquet. Day passes are available for Thursday, 20 June; Friday, 21 June; and Saturday, 22 June. Half-day passes are available for 20 June (AM/PM); 21 June (AM/PM); 22 June (AM/PM); and 23 June (AM only).

EXTRA BANQUET PASS: $65

Ticket to the conference banquet, which includes a delicious meal and enjoyable entertainment. Note: Full conference registrants (regular, early-career scholar, and student) are reminded that if they wish to bring a guest to the banquet, they will need to purchase an extra banquet ticket.

PRE-CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY WORKSHOPS, 19 JUNE: $20 each in-person and $15 each virtual; $30 for both in-person and $20 virtual

Writing Home: A Writing Workshop for Prose and Poetry, with Julie A. Sellers, Wednesday morning

This dynamic and interactive writing workshop will allow participants to explore home as both a location and a sentiment through guided writing prompts for several simple poetic forms, short fiction, personal essay/memoir, and letter-writing. These purposeful yet broad prompts lend themselves to probing the richness of the many facets of home. Geared towards both experienced writers and those looking to explore written expression for the first time, participants will have the opportunity to share their written production from the workshop if they wish to do so.

The Icing on the Cake: Baking with L.M. Montgomery, with Andrea McKenzie, Wednesday afternoon

L.M. Montgomery’s books are deliciously flavoured with baking, especially cakes. Remember Anne’s disastrous liniment cake? Emily’s devil’s food cake? Susan’s gold and silver cake? Montgomery loved to bake with friends, especially Frede Campbell and Nora Lefurgey Campell, and at such times, her kitchen rang with laughter and “beautiful nonsense.” But what was involved in baking cakes in Montgomery’s Victorian girlhood, and what changes took place across her lifetime? This workshop celebrates Montgomery’s lifetime of baking by exploring vintage baking techniques and technologies, fashionable trends in ingredients in Montgomery’s time, and (of course!) recipes for cake, including a recipe that Montgomery published. We’ll begin with an illustrated talk about baking techniques in Montgomery’s time, move to an interactive discussion about ingredients, recipes, and their social and cultural aspects, and end by sharing participants’ own cherished family or vintage recipes and their memories in small groups, thus creating a shared and joyous community. Participants’ recipes and memories (with their permission) will also be scanned and shared as an online collection to give permanence to this Montgomery “baking” community. Please bring your own cherished family or vintage recipes to share!

POST-CONFERENCE BUS TOUR, Afternoon of June 23: $50

The tour will depart UPEI at 12:30pm, returning about 9:45pm. This year's tour will be led by The Friends of the L.M. Montgomery Institute's Carolyn Collins! Sites visited include;

Anne of Green Gables Museum, Park Corner

Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace, New London

L. M. Montgomery's Cavendish Home, Macneill Homestead

Green Gables Heritage Place, Cavendish

Chez Yvonne for dinner (price of dinner not included)

The bus tour price includes admission to all sites; it does not include the evening meal. Please note that the bus tour will take place rain or shine and that tickets for the tour are not refundable. (You are free to transfer a ticket to another person if you wish to make such an arrangement.)

Please note that refunds are only available up to 15 days prior to the conference start (4 June) and will be subject to a $25.00 administration fee. If the organizers announce that the conference is moving entirely online, full refunds will be available up to 15 days after that announcement.

Campus Map

Parking at UPEI:

You can freely park, no pass needed, in ungated lots in summer--even though the sign will say "permit holders only". The closest ungated lot to the conference “home base” of McDougall Hall is "B". Parking lot B appears straight ahead (though you need to take a left and a right to get to it) when entering campus off Belvedere Avenue. If you enter campus off University Avenue you will be near McDougall Hall and metered parking (which is monitored during summer), but you can follow the ring road around campus toward Lot B.

Accommodations:

Prince Edward Island is filled with wonderful options for accommodations, in many styles and across price ranges.  Visit this provincial government site for details:  https://www.tourismpei.com/pei-accommodations

The University of Prince Edward Island is pleased to offer all delegates of the 16^th Biennial LM Montgomery Institute Conference, on-campus accommodations in our two suite style residence buildings. Accommodations are available in both our Andrew Hall and freshly opened New Residence buildings. Please see below for room descriptions, prices and booking instructions.

Andrew Hall

UPEI's Andrew Hall offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites to suit your needs during your stay. Each bedroom features a double captain’s bed, desk, dresser, nightstand, and ample closet space. Each room features a kitchenette containing a microwave, sink and mini fridge. Accessible rooms and elevators are available.

Nightly Rates:

One Bedroom Suite - $119.99 (+tax)

Two Bedroom Suite - $129.99 (+ tax)

Three Bedroom Suite - $149.99 (+ tax)

New Residence
Summer accommodations in UPEI's New Residence offer a wide selection of rooms and full apartments for your comfort. This brand new 127-room apartment-style building features a mix of suites and apartments containing twin and double beds, desks, dressers, closet space, and most rooms include two full three-piece baths. This residence is also home to classrooms, meeting and conference spaces, and a grand theatre on the ground floor. Accessible rooms and elevators are available in this residence.

Single apartment (studio) - $139.99 (+ tax)

Two Bedroom Apartment (2 singles or 1 king per room) - $169.99 (+ tax)

Three Bedroom apartment -$189.99 (+tax)

UPEI room reservations can be made by doing one of the following:

Emailing: conference@upei.ca 

Telephoning 902-566-0442 or 902-566-0952

Filling out an online booking form - https://www.upei.ca/conference/summer-visitors

Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you back to our beautiful campus this June.

AIR TRAVEL TO CHARLOTTETOWN:

Delegates can fly directly to the Charlottetown Airport from connetions in Montreal and Toronto (and some other Canadian cities depending on the date).

Alternatives are to fly into Halifax, Nova Scotria or Moncton, New Brunswick, an either rent a car to drive to PEI, or travel via Maritime Bus (approxinately 4 hr 15 min from Halifax and 3 hr from Moncton--limited departure times available--check bus departure locations at the airport).

L. M. Montgomery Institute

University of Prince Edward Island

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L.M. Montgomery and the Politics of Home