Center for Faulkner Studies

05/12/2026

Extended CFP deadline: June 8.

It is a busy time of year at the end of the spring semester, and to give a little extra time for proposals, we are extending the submission deadline for our William Faulkner and Louise Erdrich Conference.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

04/17/2026

An online conference celebrating 90 years of Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!, organised by the Faulkner Studies in the UK Research Network.

03/27/2026

The William Faulkner and Louise Erdrich Conference, sponsored by the Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University, will be held October 22-24, 2026, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Submit your proposal by May 15, 2026 — we welcome individual papers and organized panels.

Please see the attached flyer and/or visit our conference website for more information.

03/16/2026

Louise Erdrich, our choice of paired author with William Faulkner for this fall’s conference, appeared recently on “The Book Review Podcast” of The New York Times ahead of publication of her new short story collection _Python’s Kiss_, due out March 24. Listen here for an interview with the author, where she discusses her writing process and many other interesting topics!

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/podcasts/louise-erdrich-on-her-new-story-collection-and-the-mystery-of-writing.html?

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author talks process and “Planet of the Apes.”

03/09/2026

We take one last look at book covers of _Soldiers’ Pay_, William Faulkner’s debut novel, first published in 1926. The Brodsky Collection holds the 1957 Japanese edition published by Kadokawa Shoten in Tokyo. One copy includes a note, written in an unidentified hand, to Faulkner with the translator’s name, Saburo Yamaya.

03/05/2026

The Brodsky Collection also holds several international editions of _Soldiers’ Pay_, Faulkner's debut novel published in 1926. Shown here (clockwise from top left) are German (1958), French (1948), Italian (1965), and Danish (1970) editions, each with a distinct design and pictorial stylization.

03/02/2026

Continuing our centennial celebration of _Soldiers’ Pay_, here is the first British edition, first printing with dust jacket, which is on the shelves of the L.D. Brodsky Collection here at Southeast Missouri State University. The novel was published in London by Chatto and Windus in 1930, four years after its American debut.

02/26/2026

In later paperback editions of _Soldiers’ Pay_, cover artwork ranges from the pulpy to the eerie. Here are a few select examples from The Brodsky Collection.

02/25/2026

We are celebrating the centennial anniversary of _Soldiers' Pay_, William Faulkner’s first published novel, which appeared on this day, February 25, 1926. Faulkner’s working title was Mayday before the novel was published by Boni & Liveright. Here at the Center, we’ll be sharing jacket covers from various editions that are part of The Brodsky Collection, starting with this first edition, first printing with dust jacket.

02/23/2026

We are pleased to announce our upcoming conference on William Faulkner & Louise Erdrich, taking place in October here in Cape Girardeau.

We invite you to review and share our call for papers. See link in the comments.

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