Annual Conferences
The 2021 Conference will be held virtually on May 19-23, 2021. Lindsay Holmgren, Erin James, and Sue J. Kim are serving as conference coordinators and can be reached at narrative2021@gmail.com.
Below is a list of past conferences, with coordinators and major speakers. The first conference was held at Ohio State University in 1986, and in subsequent years, the meeting has been held at sites across the United States, Canada, and France. At each conference, approximately 350 speakers address issues of narrative from a variety of positions and perspectives.
Past Conferences
- Sponsored by Mississippi State University
- Coordinators: Kelly Marsh and Dan Punday
- Major Speakers: Jussi Parikka and Daphne Brooks
- Conference Program
Pamplona, Spain, May 30-June 1, 2019
- Sponsored by University of Navarra
- Coordinators: Rocio G. Davis and Roslia Baena
- Major Speakers: Rebecca Garden and Julie Rak
- Conference Program
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, April 19-22, 2018
- Sponsored by McGill University
- Coordinators: Lindsay Holmgren
- Major Speakers: Ato Quayson, Xavier Dolan, Sheri Fink
- Conference Program
Lexington, Kentucky, March 23-26, 2017
- Sponsored by The University of Kentucky English Department, The University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences
- Coordinators: Alan Nadel and Eddie Maloney
- Major Speakers: Judith Butler, Kenneth Warren, Linda Williams
- Conference Program
Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 16-18, 2016
- Sponsored by Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis, Amsterdan School of Historical Studies, The Netherlands Research School for Literary Studies (OSL)
- Coordinators: Tara MacDonald and Dan Hassler-Forest
- Major Speakers: Espen Aarseth, Clare Hemmings, Roberta Pearson
- Conference Program
Chicago, Illinois, March 5-8, 2015
- Sponsored by Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, The University of Illinois at Chicago, and Purdue University Calumet
- Coordinator: Daniel Punday
- Major Speakers: John Brenkman, Caitlin Fisher, Thomas Pavel
- Conference Program
Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 27-30, 2014
- Sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Coordinators: Sue J. Kim and James Buzard
- Major Speakers: Leslie Bow, Ruth Perry, Priscilla Wald
- Conference Program
Manchester, United Kingdom, June 27-29, 2013
- Sponsored by Manchester Metropolitan University
- Coordinators: Paul Wake and Ginette Carpenter
- Major Speakers: Catherine Belsey, Diane Negra, Nicholas Royle
- Conference Program
Las Vegas, Nevada, March 15-17, 2012
- Sponsored by the Executive Board of the ISSN
- Coordinators: Edward Maloney, Alan Nadel, James Phelan, and Robyn Warhol
- Major Speakers: Vanessa Schwartz, Steven Mailloux, and Ramon Saldivar
- Conference Program
St. Louis, MO, April 7-10, 2011
- Sponsored by Washington University, St. Louis
- Coordinators: Emma Kafalenos and Erin McGlothlin
- Major Speakers: Patrick Colm Hogan, Janet H. Murray, Michael Rothberg
- Conference Program
Cleveland, OH, April 8-11, 2010
- Sponsored by Case Western Reserve University
- Coordinator: Kurt Koenigsberger
- Major Speakers: Susan Stanford Friedman, Rita Charon, Greil Marcus
- Conference Program
Birmingham, UK, June 4-6, 2009
- Sponsored by The University of Birmingham
- Coordinator: Anna Burrells
- Major Speakers: David Lodge, Franklin Rudolf Ankersmit, Frances Smith Foster
- Sponsored by University of Texas at Austin
- Coordinator: Adam Zachary Newton and Coleman Hutchison
- Major Speakers: Scott McCloud, Marianne Hirsch, Frederick Luis Aldama
- Conference Program
Washington, DC, March 15-18, 2007
- Sponsored by Georgetown University
- Coordinator: Edward Maloney
- Major Speakers: Robert Thompson, Michael Toolan, Johanna Drucker
- Attendance: 425
- Conference Program
Ottawa, Canada, April 6-9, 2006
- Sponsored by Carleton University
- Coordinator: Priscilla L. Walton
- Major Speakers: Janice Radway, Rinaldo Walcott, Antoine Grumbach
Louisville, Kentucky, April 7-10, 2005
- Sponsored by the University of Louisville
- Directors: Beth A. Boehm and Debra Journet
- Assistant Directors: Sonya Borton and Stephanie K. Fleischer
- Major Speakers: Terry Castle, Wai Chee Dimock, Kathryn Montgomery, Barbara Stafford
Burlington, Vermont, April 22-25, 2004
- Sponsored by the University of Vermont and Middlebury College
- Coordinator: Robyn R. Warhol
- Major Speakers: Jane Gallop and Peggy Phelan
- Conference Program
Berkeley, California, March 27-29, 2003
- Sponsored by University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Davis
- Coordinators: Dorothy J. Hale, Catherine Robson, and Seymour Chatman
- Major Speakers: Jonathan Culler, Mary Poovey, and Elaine Scarry
East Lansing, Michigan, April 11-14, 2002
- Sponsored by Michigan State University
- Coordinator: Judith Stoddart and Sheila Tehan
- Major Speakers: Joan Copjec, William H. Gass, Rosalind Krauss, and Garrett Stewart
Houston, Texas, March 8-10, 2001
- Sponsored by Rice University
- Coordinator: Helena Michie
- Major Speakers: Barbara Johnson, Franco Moretti, Jose David Saldivar, and Richard Shusterman
Atlanta, Georgia, April 6-9, 2000
- Sponsored by Emory University and The Georgia Institute of Technology
- Coordinators: Deepika Bahri and Carol Colatrella
- Major Speakers: Johannes Fabian, Sander Gilman, Katherine Hayles, Deborah McDowell, and David Morris
Hanover, New Hampshire, April 29 - May 2, 1999
- Sponsored by Dartmouth College. Co-sponsored by the University of Vermont
- Coordinator: Donald Pease
- Major Speakers: Elizabeth Bronfen, Cathy Caruth, David Roediger, Antonio Benitez-Rojo, and Robyn Wiegman
Evanston, Illinois, April 2-5, 1998
- Sponsored by Northwestern University
- Coordinators: Michal Ginsburg and Jules Law
- Major Speakers: Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen, Carol Clover, Assia Djebar, Michael Rogin, and Valerie Smith
- Attendance: 400
Gainesville, Florida, April 3-6, 1997
- Sponsored by the University of Florida Department of English
- Coordinators: Elizabeth Langland and Phillip E. Wegner
- Major Speakers: Nancy Armstrong, Rey Chow, and Lee Edelman
- Attendance: 400
Columbus, Ohio, April 25-28, 1996
- Sponsored by the Ohio State University Department of English
- Coordinators: Rick Livingston and James Phelan
- Associate Coordinator: Elizabeth Preston
- Major Speakers: Wayne Booth, Ross Chambers, Barbara Christian, Susan McClary, Nancy K. Miller, Brook Thomas
- Attendance: 400
Park City, Utah, April 20-23, 1995
- Sponsored by the University of Utah Department of English, Department of Languages, Humanities Center, and College of Law
- Coordinators: Karen Lawrence, Barry Weller, Robert Caserio
- Major Speakers: Christine Brooke-Rose, Catherine Gallagher, Walter Benn Michaels, Kendall Thomas
- Attendance: 400
Vancouver, British Columbia, April, 1994
- Sponsored by the Department of English, Simon Fraser University
- Coordinator: Paul Matthew St. Pierre
- Major Speakers: Linda Hutcheon, Basil S. Johnston, Gerald Prince, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Susan Rubin Suleiman, Miriam Tlali
- Attendance: 400-420
Albany, New York, April 1-4, 1993
- Sponsored by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Co-sponsors: Siena College and Russell Sage College
- Affiliates: Skidmore College, Union College, The College of St. Rose, The State University of New York-Albany
- Coordinator: Alan Nadel
- Major speakers: Houston Baker, Jr., Don Bialostosky, Thomas LaQueur, Carolyn Merchant, Tania Modleski
- Attendance: 350-375
Nashville, Tennessee, April 10-12, 1992
- Sponsored by the Department of English and the Women's Studies Program, Vanderbilt University
- Coordinator: Jay Clayton
- Program Committee: Vereen Bell, Mark Schoenfield, Valerie Traub, Nancy Walker
- Major Speakers: Mieke Bal, Norman Bryson, Dominick LaCapra, Renato Rosaldo, Hortense Spillers
- Attendance: 300-325
Nice, France, June 12-14, 1991
- Sponsored by the Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis
- Coordinator: Jacqueline Berben-Masi
- Program Committee: Daniel Bilous, Nicole Bilous, Sarah Flanagan Gordon, Armand Hage
- Major speakers: Ann Banfield, Daniel Bilous, Nikolai N. Bolkhovitinov, J. M. Coetzee, Jeanne Colleran, Maurice Couturier, Anne Fuchs, Philippe Hamon, Abiola Irele, Brian Macaskill, Jean Ricardou, David Suchoff
- Attendance: 250-275
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 5-7, 1990
- Sponsored by the English Department, Tulane University
- Coordinator: Michael Boardman
- ProgramChair: Janice Carlisle
- Program Committee: Christine Froula, Molly Rothenberg, Daniel R. Schwarz, Teresa Toulouse
- Major speakers: Jonathan Arac, Nina Auerbach, Susan Jeffords, John Carlos Rowe (and a paper by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who was unable to attend)
- Attendance: 275-300
Madison, Wisconsin, April 6-8, 1989
- Sponsored by the English Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Coordinator: Susan Stanford Friedman
- Program Committee: Jay Clayton, A. N. Doane, Nellie McKay, Eric Rothstein
- Major speakers: Arthur Danto, D. A. Miller, Nancy K. Miller, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Cornel West
- Attendance: 275-300
Columbus, Ohio, April 8-10, 1988
- Sponsored by Ohio State University, with support from Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan
- Coordinator: James Phelan
- Associate Coordinators: Barbara Perkins, George Perkins, Jamie Barlowe Kayes
- Major speakers: Peter Brooks, Ross Chambers, Dorrit Cohn, Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan
- Attendance: 275-300
Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan, April 2-4, 1987
- Sponsored by Eastern Michigan University, The University of Michigan, and The Ohio State University
- Coordinator: Barbara Perkins. Associate Coordinators: Sheridan Baker, Ira Konigsberg, George Perkins, James Phelan
- Major speakers: John F. Burrows, Stanley Fish, Sandra Gilbert, Susan Gubar, A. J. Hassall, Ralph W. Rader, Daniel R. Schwarz
- Attendance: approximately 275
Columbus, Ohio, April 10-12, 1986
- Sponsored by The Ohio State University
- Coordinator: James Phelan
- Major speakers: Wayne Booth, Seymour Chatman, Teresa de Lauretis, Terry Eagleton, Shoshana Felman, J. Hillis Miller
- Attendance: approximately 225