MVC to host medieval literature conference Feb. 23

Missouri Valley College will welcome the Mid-America Medieval Association (MAMA) for its annual conference Saturday, Feb. 23, on the MVC campus.

MAMA is an organization that brings together scholars in many different disciplines teaching at colleges in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska and Iowa.

The plenary speaker for the 32nd annual conference is Daniel C. Scavone, emeritus professor of history at the University of Indiana-Evansville.

Scavone has discovered connections between medieval conceptions of the Holy Grail and religious rituals surrounding the so-called Edessa Icon, a relic housed for several centuries in Constantinople (modern Istanbul). Scavone's ideas have radically revised Arthurian studies in recent years.

Among the attendees will also be literary scholars from the University of Missouri-Columbia including Lois Huneycutt, Tara Foster, Rob Howell, Casey Starnes, Johanna Kramer and Damon Kraft.

Another notable attendee is Tom Shippey, who is known for his analysis of the Lord of the Rings, "J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century."

Shippey will present a paper on film versions of the Old English epic poem, Beowulf.

Mark Adderley, MVC English professor and 32nd annual conference organizer, said other papers will be presented on topics such as Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," medieval monsters and Christian encounters with Muslims in the Middle Ages.

According to the MAMA Web site, 80 to 100 people are expected to attend the 32nd annual conference at MVC.