Missouri holds a special claim to the internationally loved author Mark Twain, and MU is in the middle of a weeklong event, “Marking Twain: A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910,” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death. The event will feature Twain scholars from around the country and MU alum and Twain biographer Ron Powers.
Twain’s long-lasting cultural influence and why people still care about him is the subject of the celebration’s first roundtable on March 20. Other lectures will discuss the American musical landscape during the time of Twain, Twain’s birthplace and his literary influence. There also will be a Twain art exhibition at the State Historical Society of Missouri and several events at the Daniel Boone Regional Library, including a reading discussion, a presentation by a Mark Twain impersonator and a Twain documentary film showing.
Powers also will present three lectures on Mark Twain during the event. For a full schedule and more information about the events, visit coas.missouri.edu/events/markingtwain10.html.