Since 1988, the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society has gathered to study, discuss, and share Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ renowned scholarly, relatable, lasting, and beloved work. The Society also presents programs about Rawlings’ contemporaries and her influence today.

This year’s conference will take place in St. Augustine on April 28th & 29th at The Waterworks, a brick building constructed in 1898 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Attendees will enjoy a tour of writers' residences led by historian David Nolan, a presentation by Gary Mormino of his latest books and studies of Florida, and a closing discussion by four-time Emmy-winning journalist Bob Kealing who wrote Kerouac In Florida: Where The Road Ends that led to the preservation of the Kerouac House in Orlando.

Register by April 19th.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Friday, April 28

8-9 AM: Registration, Silent Auction, Sales of Rawlings Society Logo Note Cards & Tote Bags

9-9:20 AM: Welcome—Florence Turcotte, MKR Society Executive Director; Darien Andreu, MKR Society President; Christina Parrish Stone, Executive Director St. Johns Cultural Council

9:30-10 AM: Barbara Wingo, “Marjorie and St. Augustine”

10-10:30 AM: Anne Bellissimo, “What Was She Thinking? A Trip Down The Secret River”

10:30–11 AM: Break. Visit the Silent Auction and Sales!

11-11:30 AM: Ann McCutchan, “The Renaissance of the Traphagen Farm in Michigan”

11:30-12:00 PM: Ashley Lear, “The Social Activism of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings & Ellen Glasgow”

12:00-1 PM: Lunch, Visit the Silent Auction!

1:30-3:30 PM: Trolley Tour, David Nolan, “Literary St. Augustine,” (board trolley at The Waterworks)

5:30 PM: Wine and Cheese Reception, The Waterworks Patio

6:30-8:00 PM: Banquet and Plenary Address, Gary Mormino, “Rawlings in War and Peace” Introduction by Florence Turcotte

Saturday, April 29

8:30-9 AM: MKR Society Business Meeting: Election of Trustees, Announcements

9:15-9:35 AM: MKR Student Writing Award, Introduction by Sandi Dunnavant; Nichole Chu, Mountain Valley High School, Westminster, CA, “Ora” (video)

9:35-9:50 AM: Break. Silent Auction and Sales Continue

10-10:50 AM: Kevin McCarthy Interviewed by David Nolan, “A Conversation with Kevin McCarthy: The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Over the Years”

10:50-11 AM: Break. Last Chance for Silent Auction Bids!

11-12:00 PM: Bob Kealing, “Good Day Sunshine State: The Beatles’ Evolution in 1964 Florida”, Introduction by Teri Sopp

12:00-1 PM: Concluding Remarks-Florence Turcotte, Silent Auction Concludes, Payment and Pick-up of Items

Activities you might enjoy in St. Augustine:

2:45-4 PM St. Augustine Scenic Cruise of the Matanzas Bay, St. Augustine

Municipal Marina, 111 Avenida Menendez, (south of the Bridge of Lions) Advance Reservations Recommended, https://scenic-cruise.com/

Friday, April 28, 7:30 PM; Saturday, April 29, 7:30 PM; Sunday, April 30, 2:30 PM

The MKR Society is co-sponsoring the world premiere of Color Struck, a play by Zora Neale Hurston, (partially set in St. Augustine) at the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center.