November is, admittedly, some ways away, but no harm in announcing the European Beat Studies Network‘s Third Annual Conference ( this year to be held in Tangier, Morocco, November 17 to 19, at the Hotel Chellah).
“The well-established Beat-Tangier connection makes it a natural home”, the organizers write, “for a EBSN conference – above all, (fittingly) in 2014, the centennial of William Burroughs..”
“Geographically and historically, (it) is an East-West crossroads”, and the conference.. (intends to explore).”cultural hybridity and conflict”, “both before and since the Beat 1950’s and (19)60’s”. “The psychogeography of (Burroughs’) “Interzone”.. is “uncannily prescient”, but, they note, “Tangier has shaped its own future in the last half-century and the conference hopes to examine the Beats from a (local), Tangerine point of view”, “as well as reconsidering Tangier through Beat eyes..”
Leading Beat scholars, among them Oliver Harris and Polina MacKay (of the ESBN),
along with Dr. Khalid Amine, President of the International Center for Performance Studies in Tangier, will be in attendance
In a Ginsberg session on Wednesday November 19 (the last day), Ginsberg biographer, Steve Finbow chairs discussion on “Ginsberg and the Underground” – Erik Mortensen and Cansu Soyupak present a paper on “The Cultural Appropriation of (Allen) Ginsberg’s Work” and Luke Walker speaks on “Ginsberg and Gnosticism”
Among other highlights, Oliver Harris’ opening address, El Habib Louai speaking on
“(Re)presentations of Tangier in Burroughs’, Kerouac‘s and Ginsberg’s Letters and Journals”, Regina Weinreich, on “The Interzone of their Processes – (Jack) Kerouac in Tangiers”, Andy McGuinness, on “Tangier Trance – William S Burroughs and Moroccan Music“, Maarten van Gageldonk, on “Paul Bowles As a Literary Mediator in the 1960’s” There will also be film-shows, performances and exhibitions.