We are pleased to share the program information for upcoming panels and events sponsored by the RWES at the American Literature Association (ALA) and Thoreau Annual Gathering (TAG).
American Literature Association (ALA)
Chicago, IL, May 20–23, 2026
Thursday, May 21, 10:00–11:20am
Session 2-E: Ralph Waldo Emerson Engaging the Transcendental
Chair: Nicholas Guardiano, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
- “The ‘Transparent Eyeball’ as a Democratic Instantiation of Platonic Illumination,” Gary Ricketts, Independent Scholar
- “Emerson, Buddhism, and Daisaku Ikeda: Dialogues of the Heart,” Anita Patterson, Boston University
- “The Rev. J. W. Loguen as a Transcendentalist Slave Narrative,” Aïcha Bouchelaghem, University of Geneva (Switzerland)
Thoreau Annual Gathering (TAG)
Concord, MA, July 8–12, 2026
Friday, July 10, 9:30–10:30am (at Emerson House)
Tour of Emerson House with Kate Culkin
$10 per person; limited to 15 people. Pre-registration required.
Join Kate Culkin, author of Emerson’s Daughters, for this special tour that celebrates sisterhood and highlights Ellen and Edith’s private lives and their behind-the-scenes role in their father’s career. This tour will appeal to visitors interested in women’s history and may be a perfect weekend outing to share with your sister or best friend.
Sunday, July 12, 10:00–11:00am (at Thoreau Farm)
Panel: “Give me Health and a Day”: Emerson and Health, Illness, and Unity
Moderator: Austin Bailey, Hunter College, CUNY
- “A Disease of Thought in Thoreau and Emerson,” Dominic Mastroianni, Clemson University
- “‘Grows by decays’: Physiology, Counter- Philosophy, and the Laws of Disease in Emerson,” Ross Martin, Harvard University
- “The Unclouded Eye/I: Vision as Vital Sympathy in Emerson,” Austin Bailey, Hunter College, CUNY