JONESBORO – This year’s Delta Symposium at Arkansas State University is set for April 8-11. Coordinated by A-State’s Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages, it will feature the theme “Monsters, Cryptids, and the Monstrous.”
In its 31st year, the annual symposium will begin at 3 p.m. Wednesday with events in the Carl R. Reng Student Union, including a forum discussion of monsters and cryptids across various disciplines. Events will include a variety of presentations on the history and culture of the Delta.
Thursday’s activities begin in the same location but will culminate with an evening reading by Christopher Teuton starting at 7:30 in the Bradbury Art Museum. Teuton is a highly acclaimed researcher and writer, and his work includes the award-winning book “Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars’ Club.”
On Friday, activities begin at 8:30 and continue into the afternoon with Teuton’s keynote address, titled “Naming the Impossible: The Wondrous and the Monstrous in Cherokee Storytelling,” scheduled for 1 p.m. in the union’s Mockingbird Room. All events that are hosted on campus are free and open to the public.
Participants will present research on a range of topics. The schedule includes presentations by researchers, writers, poets, photographers and a wide range of scholars who focus on the regional history and culture.
This year’s theme allows presentations on a wide range of subjects. A special component of the symposium is a workshop titled “Oral History, Folklife and Heritage Sites” that will be offered at 1 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday. These sessions feature consultant Ian Hallagan and are designed to provide resources for those engaged in cultural programs in museums, libraries, historical societies and other organizations.
“This year’s event stemmed from a wide interest in monsters and cryptids,” Dr. Gregory Hansen, Delta Symposium co-coordinator, explained. He noted that the topic has wide appeal and is evident in the popularity of movies such as “Sinners” as well as a range of media.
Leslie Reed, who also coordinates the symposium, added, “Monsters have always been part of our history and culture — appearing in many forms, from those who search the woods for Bigfoot to the more metaphorical monsters we face in our everyday lives. By examining them, we gain a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be human.”
The full schedule is available at the symposium website, AState.edu/delta-symposium. The three days of the full event runs from Wednesday to Friday, and presenters will explore a wide range of topics through, research presentations, multimedia sessions and documentary film.
For further details, one may contact the Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages at (870) 972-3043 or visit the symposium website, AState.edu/delta-symposium.
The 11th Arkansas Roots Music Festival, for which the Delta Symposium is a sponsor, will follow at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home: Historic Dyess Colony, located at 110 Center Dr. in Dyess.
Hosted by singer/songwriter Erin Enderlin, the festival will honor the musical roots of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Joining Enderlin are Mae Estes, Reverend Greg Spradlin and Delta Soul Singers. In addition to the music, other activities are planned at the boyhood home.
Tickets to the music festival are $35 for those 18 and up, $10 for those 13-17 years old; those 12 and under get in free. Tickets may be purchased online at AState.edu/ARMF26.
Other festival sponsors are the Judd Hill Foundation, KASU, and A-State Heritage Sites. Lost Forty Brewing has donated beverages for those 21 and older.
More details about the Arkansas Root Music Festival are online.
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