The ILtizabeth Madox 'Roberts Society NewsCetter Newsletter No. 10 www.emrsociety.com March 2009 11th Annual PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE EMR members in chairing numerous Roberts Conference Gregg Neikirk sessions and presenting papers at such major national venues as the SAMLA Convention and the ALA Conference. The Elizabeth Madox Roberts Over ten years ago, H. R. and Sparrow Society will hold its XI Annual Stoneback, together with a handful And anyone who attended our Tenth Conference in beautiful of graduate students from SUNY- Anniversary conference last year—with its free distribution of critical volumes, Harrodsburg and Springfield New Paltz, established the Elizabeth posters, and other shared materials—had (Saint Catharine College), Madox Roberts Society to promote the Kentucky author's life and works. just cause to celebrate the success of Kentucky, April 18-20, 2009. The Since that time the society has grown the Roberts Society and to marvel at conference headquarters—site and realized important successes, just the distance we have traveled since our of the opening banquet, keynote as the early founders envisioned. For modest beginning ten years ago, as the session, and annual business example, 2008 was a very good year first group had envisioned. meeting—is the lovely and overall, and for some great reasons that legendary Beaumont Inn in are in addition to the fact that 2008 was The year also closed very well, and in historic Harrodsburg. Academic the 10th anniversary of our society. recent months Roberts was featured in paper sessions will be held at three important keynote addresses by our Saint Catharine College, just In some ways, however, it was a year Honorary President, H. R. Stoneback—at outside of Springfield, Roberts' marked by deep sorrow: we lost two the SAMLA Convention, the John hometown. of our founding members, Sparrow Burroughs Conference at Vassar, and Stoneback and Terry Ward. They were the Hawaii International Conference on more important to our society than I Arts & Humanities. Thus, quite literally, Please direct conference inquiries can even begin to attempt to report thousands of people heard the name (registration, lodging, special here. Sparrow was more than "house Elizabeth Madox Roberts for the first time this year. "The amazing thing," events, etc.) to the Conference mother" to us all, and Terry was our Stoneback reports, "was the remarkable Co-Directors Brad McDuffie, very solid rock of Springfield. We profoundly mourn their passing. reaction to the Roberts passages I read in Dept. of English, 1 South Blvd., these keynotes and how scores of people Nyack, NY 10960 or bigtwohear Yet it is no cliche to point out that both (from many disciplines) said they simply [email protected] and H. R. of these fallen colleagues would tell had to read her work." Stoneback, English Dept. SUNY- us: carry on ... come together as NewPaltz, 12561 or usual and celebrate the successes of Thus, dear beloved Sparrow, good friend [email protected]. our society ... set goals for ourselves Terry, and fellow friends and members, which maintain and ensure the future of on to our goals: it is to be hoped that our mission. I know we all promise to in the coming years we will follow do so. through and build on these achievements, continue to encourage scholarship and Despite the reverberating loss of two publication (especially the important of our best, 2008 was otherwise an EMR correspondence project), and extraordinary year for the Roberts continue our vital participation in Society, with the publication of not one national conferences (and now, but two scholarship-rich collections International conferences, too! See the of critical essays on Roberts and item elsewhere in this newsletter about the impressive list of activities of "Roberts in Italy"). IN MEMORIAM—SPARROW Letters Project William H. Slavick Jane Arden "Sparrow" Stoneback passed away May 25, 2008 at Cumberland County Hospital in Kentucky. Born in Carter William H. Slavick will have at the 2009 Conference County, in the eastern Kentucky hill-country, daughter of a complete list of Roberts letters in hand, with some Alice and Richard Hillman, she made her home in the Hudson content annotation and questions to be answered; Valley for the past four decades, making frequent pilgrimages the list will also be available by e-mail. He expects back to Kentucky with Society members. Sparrow was the to have the letters electronically accessible by then heart and soul of the Roberts Society, a member and Muse as well. It may be that Society members have come since its beginning. She was a scholar and teacher, offering upon letters he does not have. A last appeal for to all students who went to Kentucky a vision of the spirit of letters will go out in March to Kentucky libraries and place that Roberts' fiction springs from. She also gave her first newspapers, and a final search of letters collections Ellen-singing paper at the second meeting of the Elizabeth will be made. Madox Roberts Society, and Sparrow's singing itself has converted many members to a greater love for the place of THE SPARROW MEMORIAL AWARD AND THE Kentucky. She was a major driving force that created and TERRY WARD MEMORIAL GRANT perpetuated interest in Roberts through her songs and love. H. R. Stoneback The world that she made in her singing was inseparable from her role as gracious host and adoptive mother to the extended In August 2008 the Roberts Society Executive family of generations of SUNY-New Paltz students and Board established two memorial awards in the students beyond in Georgia, Texas, Connecticut. Louisiana. names of two of our most cherished charter Mississippi, Kentucky and France that she welcomed to her members—Sparrow Stoneback and Terry Ware home and that she brought with her to Kentucky every year. These awards, to be presented at our annual April This community, this communion of students and teachers, conference, were designed to encourage participation poets and writers, and the Roberts Society, salutes her as in our conferences by: 1) first-time presenters and muse, inspiration, and a mother to us all: "Her children arise 2) presenters with no institutional funding support. up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her'' A call for donations to the awards fund went out (Proverbs 31:28). She is survived by her husband of forty- in the summer of 2008 and thereafter. The Roberts six years, Founder and Honorary President of the Elizabeth Society expresses its deep gratitude to the following Madox Roberts Society, H. R. Stoneback (Distinguished contributors whose donations (August-December Professor of English at SUNY-New Paltz), her son and 2008) helped to fund these enduring memorials (as President of the Elizabeth Madox Roberts Society, Gregg well as the EMRS one-time donation to St. Catharine Neikirk (Professor of English at Westfield State College in College in the name of Terry Ward): Massachusetts) and his wife Nancy, her son, Rick (CEO of the Cumberland County Hospital in Kentucky) and his wife, Steven Florczyk Robin, and her four grandchildren, Adam and Lee (Westfield, W. L. Godshalk MA) and Rachel and Richard (Marrowbone, KY). Nell Haydon Charlie Hughes (Wind Publications) Tina Iraca Wallace and Martha Murphree Gregg and Nancy Neikirk Matthew Nickel Becki Owens JANE ARDEN Gisele Sigal "SPARROW" STONEBACK William Slavick H. R. Stoneback Beloved friend, mother, and muse Donations to sustain the Memorial Awards program may be made at any time. (Contact Tina Iraca, EMRS Treasurer; or send check made out to Tina Iraca, with notation of amounts to be applied to the Sparrow Memorial Award and the Terry Ward Memorial Grant.) The Poetry Daily "Poet's Pick" (April Father's Story 2008)—Elizabeth Madox Roberts Elizabeth Madox Roberts H. R. Stoneback We put more coal on the big red fire, During National Poetry Month in 2008, Poetry And while we are waiting for dinner to cook, Daily announced: "We are bringing you a Our father comes and tells us about pecial poem each weekday in April," a poem A story that he has read in a book. elected by a well-known poet who also provides And Charles and Will and Dick and I ommentary on the chosen poem. On April 14 the And all of us but Clarence are there. Poet's Pick" was "Father's Story" by Elizabeth And some of us sit on Father's legs, Vladox Roberts, selected by Maurice Manning, a But one has to sit on the little red chair. widely published poet who teaches English and And when we are sitting very still, Creative Writing at Indiana University. He sings us a song or tells a piece; He sings Dan Tucker Went to Town, 'Father's Story," first published in The Atlantic Or he tells about the golden fleece. Monthly (January 1921), was included in Roberts' He tells about the golden wool, 922 volume of poems Under the Tree. Manning And some of it is about a boy >egins his commentary on the poem: "This is a Named Jason, and about a ship, )oem that makes me smile, because beyond its And some is about a town called Troy. sweetness, I think it's also slyly subversive"- And while he is telling or singing it through, >ecause of the way the poem puts a folksong "like I stand by his arm, for that is my place. Old Dan Tucker' and the Greek myth about Jason And I push my fingers into his skin and the Argonauts in the same hopper." Manning To make little dents in his big rough face. continues: "Notably, the poem is in the same meter and stanza as 'Old Dan Tucker,' that is, the "Tell of song in the meadow": Roberts and Folk 3oem is a kind of ballad itself.