September 21, 2010

The Oxford American Presents Future of the South Symposium

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will deliver the keynote address at a symposium about the Future of the South presented by The Oxford American at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, October 5, 2010.

This all-day event is based on The Oxford American's new Future issue, which was released nationwide on September 1, 2010.  The issue includes articles and essays from a diverse array of authors who approach the subject in unique and unpredictable ways, and it provides a lively and creative discussion of the trends, forces, personalities, and issues that will impact and define the direction of the South during the next 40 years.  That discussion will be brought to life at the symposium, which will be comprised of lectures and panels featuring writers from The Oxford American and other experts, and moderated by prominent thought leaders.  The event will be free and open to the public.

The symposium will begin at 9 a.m. with opening remarks by David Ferriero, the Archivist of the United States.  Gov. McDonnell will speak at 9:45 a.m.

There will be three panel discussions:

10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Land and Environment

This panel, moderated by NPR’s National Environment Correspondent Elizabeth Shogren, includes: Bill Belleville, a writer who contributed an article about suburban sprawl in rural Florida; Andrew Furman, a professor at Florida Atlantic University who explores the future of the live oak across the South; and Philip Sasser, a North Carolina lawyer who offers a philosophical meditation on land surveying.

2-2:15 p.m.: Photographer and videographer Dave Anderson will present a new episode of SoLost (The Oxford American's original video series) dedicated to an exploration of the current state of the Gulf Coast.

2:15-3:45 p.m.: The Future of the Gulf Coast

This panel, moderated by Andy Brack, who is the President of the Center for a Better South, includes: Casi Callaway, the executive director of Mobile Baykeeper; Amy Liu, a leading expert on the recovery of New Orleans through her work as senior fellow and deputy director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution; and Matthew Pitt, a writer who questions the success of a coastal art museum in post-Katrina Mississippi.

4:00-5:30 p.m.: The Future of Southern Culture and Identity

This panel, moderated by Dr. Jay Barth, who is the Chair of Politics & International Relations at Hendrix College, includes: Wendy Brenner, associate professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington; Connie May Fowler, an award-winning novelist, memoirist, and screenwriter who lives in Florida; and Diane Roberts, a professor of English at Florida State University, author, and NPR commentator.

The Future of the South Symposium is presented by The Oxford American and The National Archives Experience, and is made possible with support from Hendrix College, inVeritas, Mississippi Division of Tourism, Rogers Photo Archive, and Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

That evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m., The Oxford American will host a public reception at Johnny's Half Shell, which is owned by Mississippi native Ann Cashion.

The Oxford American is available at bookstores and newsstands nationwide.  Select articles from the Future issue are available free in their entirety at oxfordamerican.org, along with exclusive online content, including interviews with Southern governors who make predictions about the futures of their respective states.