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Wordsworth Summer Conference 2024
5th-15th August

Call for Papers

Proposal Deadline: Monday 29 April 2024

To be sent to: proposal.wsc@gmail.com

We invite proposals for twenty-minute papers on all aspects of William Wordsworth, his contemporaries and the Romantic period. Papers should not be longer than 2750 words.

Format: 

200-word proposals for papers of no more than 2750 words, together with a brief autobiographical

paragraph, unformatted, should occupy no more than 1 side of A4 in MS Word format. Please remember to include your name, institution and e-mail address on the abstract. Please do not send proposals as a PDF  file as they will be copied into a composite MS Word document.

Bursaries
 

This year, 12 bursaries of £450 are available.

Bursary applicants:

Your application should be in the form of a Word attachment (not PDF) containing a paper proposal of 200 words, together with a short unformatted cv in the same file, the entire application being not more than two sides of A4 (the file will be copied and pasted into a composite file, so please avoid elaborate formatting). Applicants should also arrange for a short message of academic recommendation to be sent  independently to the same email address (see above) verifying the applicant’s academic status and country of residence. Candidates need not specify which bursary they are applying for. They will automatically be considered for any bursary for which they are eligible. Please be sure to identify your application as a ‘Bursary Application’ in the subject of the email.
 

Please note that we may award a bursary without having space to include the proposed paper on the

conference programme: such papers may, however, be ‘taken as read’, that is, made available in print form at the conference, if the proposer so chooses.

   Key Features

- The conference is in two parts, of five nights each

- Either 4 or 9 full days in Rydal 

- Fell-walks,  Excursions, Local Walks

- Keynote Lectures and Conference Papers

Registration: Opening in April
Proposal Deadline: Monday 29th April, noon (UK time)
 

The 2024 Wordsworth Summer Conference at the elegant Rydal Hall will  continue in the format pioneered by Richard, mingling lectures, papers and lively academic debate with energetic fell walking, picturesque rambles, and excursions to places of Wordsworthian and Romantic interest. There will be an opportunity to explore the treasures of the Wordsworth Trust’s collections with the curator Jeff Cowton, and an evening visit to Wordsworth's Rydal Mount and garden with a glass of wine. In 2024 our excursions are likely to include an all-day visit to Malham Cove and Gordale Scar - two sublime landscapes repeatedly visited by William and Dorothy Wordsworth.  High points for energetic fell walkers will include ascents of celebrated peaks in the Lake District, such as Helvellyn and Fairfield.

Format and Costs

The conference is in two parts of 4 full days each, with a changeover day on Saturday 10th August. Because the conference has a unique culture of conversation and participation, those wishing to present a paper must register for at least one full part, and many register for the whole event. Charges will be finalised in Spring.

Proposals
 

We will invite proposals for twenty-minute papers on all aspects of William Wordsworth, his contemporaries and the Romantic period. Proposals should be no more than 200-words for papers of no more than 2750 words. Please include a brief autobiographical paragraph. Proposals should be unformatted and should occupy no more than 1 side of A4.  Please do include your name, institution and e-mail address on the abstract. Please do not send it as a PDF, as proposals will be copied into a composite file. 

The deadline will be in Spring, the exact date of which will be announced soon.
Proposals will be emailed to: proposal.wsc@gmail.com 

All proposals will be considered for acceptance as soon as received. Please tell us if you have a deadline for funding.

Accommodation:

Full Board is available at Rydal Hall Diocesan Conference Centre at prices from £1220 for ten nights and from £540 for five nights. At the adjacent Rydal Hall Youth Centre we have accommodation from £615 for ten nights and £320 for five nights. These figures replace any previously issued.

Youth Centre Bursars are expected to be resident during the conference in the Rydal Hall Youth Centre and to attend all lectures, papers, and conference events: acceptance of a Bursary implies your undertaking to do so. Please note that by applying for a Youth Centre Bursary, you have indicated your agreement to be accommodated in the Youth Centre for the full period of the Summer Conference. It is not possible for Bursars to be accommodated in Rydal Hall.

Enquiries are to be emailed to: wordsworthsummerconference@gmail.com

Last Year’s Programme

The full programme from last year can be viewed below.