2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

"Talking About William Kennedy"
Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes
Peter Quinn, author of Banished Children of Eve
Dennis Smith, author of A Song for Mary.
Three good literary friends reflect on William Kennedy's life and work, sing his praises, and tell tales on Kennedy and themselves.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16

10:30 – 12:00 noon

"Edward & Katrina Daugherty: A Match Made in Albany, Not in Heaven"
Dr. Vivian Valvano Lynch, St. Vincent's College of St. John's University, author of Portraits of Artists: Warriors in the Novels of William Kennedy (forthcoming in 1999)

2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

"Deepening Mystery: The Representation of Homelessness in Ironweed"
Dr. Benedict F. Giamo, University of Notre Dame, author of The Homeless of Ironweed: Blossoms on the Crag (1997)

SATURDAY, APRIL 17

10:30 – 12:00 noon

"The Use of Time in Kennedy's Albany Novels"
Dr. Christian Michener, St Mary's University of Minnesota, author of From Then Into Now: William Kennedy's Albany Novels(1998).
For Michener, that magic time is "fluid and reversible and offers—though it cannot promise—the opportunity for the redemption and forgiveness of its characters." The presentation will be followed with discussion by respondents and audience members.

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

"The Cyclical Impulse of The Flaming Corsage"
Dr. Michael Patrick Gillespie, Marquette University, author of Reading William Kennedy (forthcoming in 2000). Gillespie's work focuses on Kennedy's The Flaming Corsage, its role within The Albany Cycle, and Kennedy's explorations of genre within the larger frame of the problems of narrative. The presentation will be followed with discussion by respondents and audience members.

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

"Courtesans, Stars, Wives, & Vixens: The Many Faces of Female Power in William Kennedy's Novels."
Dr. Neila C. Seshachari, Weber State University, editor of Conversations with William Kennedy (1997).
Seshachari explores the unique power and individual voices of Kennedy's female characters, "their unspoken convictions, their actions that subvert accepted values, and the hidden meanings that emerge from their day-to-day living strategies." The presentations will be followed by a discussion with William Kennedy and a book signing until 5:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m. Omni Albany Hotel Ballroom

Reading and Tribute
William Kennedy will read from his work followed by a special tribute to him offered by colleagues, friends, and special guests (which will include NY State Authors: James Salter, Peter Matthiessen, E. L. Doctorow and Grace Paley)