"I'm sick of Flannery O'Connor." With this opening line, Randy Boyagoda intrigued numerous readers in his response to Paul Elie's 2012 New York Times article entitled, "Has Fiction Lost Its Faith?"

Boyagoda will be the keynote speaker, and this conference aims to continue the discussion which Elie, Boyagoda, Gioia, and Wolfe have perpetuated. Papers will be considered from a variety of disciplines and fields but should pursue questions regarding the intersection of faith and literature.

Of particular interest will be those papers considering contemporary writers and the current state of faith in the arts. Discussions on Christian MFAs, Christian literature journals, religious writing conferences in general as well as presentations of creative work that exemplifies literary excellence and religious issues will also be considered.

Also, we are seeking panelists who would like to discuss Boyagoda's recent novel Beggar's Feast.

Please send CV with a 250 word abstract to jwilson@jbu.edu by MAY 1 for priority consideration. All accepted proposals will be expected to place membership with the Conference on Christianity and Literature.