The Western Literature Association (WLA) is a non-profit, scholarly association that promotes the study of the diverse literature and cultures of the North American West, past and present. Since its founding, the WLA has served to publish scholarship and promote work in the field; it has gathered together scholars, artists, environmentalists, and community leaders who value the West's literary and cultural contributions to American and world cultures; it has recognized those who have made a major contribution to western literature and western studies; and it has fostered student learning and career advancement in education.
The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) was founded in 1992 at a special session of the Western Literature Association conference in Reno, Nevada, for the purpose of "sharing of facts, ideas, and texts concerning the study of literature and the environment."
The Association publishes Western American Literature: A Journal of Literary, Cultural, and Place Studies (since 1965) in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press. It considers itself "the leading peer-reviewed journal in the literary and cultural study of the North American West, defined broadly to include western Canada and northern Mexico".
List of WLA Presidents and Annual Conferences This is a list of people who have served as presidents of the organization and have hosted the annual conference. +#PresidentAffiliationDateConference ThemeConference Venue1C. L. Sonnichsen1966Salt Lake City, Utah2Delbert Wylder1967Albuquerque, New Mexico3Jim L. Fife1968Colorado Springs, Colorado4Morton L. Ross1969Provo, Utah5Don D. Walker1970Sun Valley, Idaho6John R. Milton1971Red Cloud, Nebraska7Thomas J. Lyon1972Jackson Hole, Wyoming8Max Westbrook1973Austin, Texas9John S. Bullen1974Sonoma, California10Maynard Fox1975Durango, Colorado11Lawrence L. Lee1976Bellingham, Washington12Arthur Huseboe1977Sioux Falls, South Dakota13Mary Washington1978Park City, Utah14Richard Etulain1979Albuquerque, New Mexico15Bernice Slote1980University of Nebraska–LincolnHelen StaufferSt. Louis Missouri16James Maguire1981Boise, Idaho17Martin Bucco1982Denver Colorado18George Day1983Saint Paul, Minnesota19Ann Ronald1984Reno, Nevada20Gerald Haslam1985Fort Worth, Texas21Tom Pilkington1986Durango, Colorado22Susan J. Rosowski1987Lincoln, Nebraska23Glen Love1988Eugene, Oregon24Barbara Meldrum1989Coeur d'Alene, Idaho25Lawrence Clayton1990Denton, Texas26James Work1991Estes Park, Colorado27Joseph Flora1992Reno, Nevada28Diane Quantic1993Wichita, Kansas29Stephen Tatum1994Salt Lake City, Utah30Laurie Ricou1995Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada31Susanne K. George Bloomfield1996Lincoln, Nebraska32Gary Scharnhorst1997 Albuquerque, New Mexico33Robert ThackerSt. Lawrence University, New York1998 Banff, Alberta (Canada)34Michael KowalewskiCarleton College, Northfield, Minnesota13-16 Oct 1999 West of the West: California and the American WestRadisson Hotel,
Sacramento, California35Robert Murray Davis2000 Norman, Oklahoma36Susan Naramore Maher,2001 Omaha, Nebraska37Judy Nolte Temple2002 Tucson, Arizona38Krista Comer2003 Houston, Texas39Susan KollinMontana State University29 Sep- 2 Oct 2004 Big Sky Institute,
Big Sky, Montana40William Handley19- 22 Oct
2005 Omni Hotel, Los Angeles, California41Tara PenryBoise State University25-28 Oct
2006 Feeling WesternThe Grove Hotel, Boise, Idaho42Ann PutnamUniversity of Puget Sound17-20 Oct
2007 Tacoma, Washington43Nic WitschiWestern Michigan University1-4 Oct 2008Boulder, ColoradoKaren RamirezUniversity of Colorado, Boulder44David CremeanBlack Hills State University30 Sep- 3 Oct 2009High Plains Drifting: Which Way(s) West?Holiday Inn, Spearfish, South Dakota45Gioia WoodsNorthern Arizona University20-23 Oct 2010Western PerformancesGazebo, Prescott, Arizona46Bonney MacDonaldWest Texas A&M University5-8 Oct 2011Holiday Inn, Missoula, MontanaNancy CookUniversity of Montana47Sara SpurgeonTexas Tech University7-12 Nov 2012Western Crossroads:
Literature, Social Justice, EnvironmentOverton Hotel & Conference Centre, Lubbock, Texas48Richard HutsonUniversity of California, Berkeley9-12 Oct 2013Califia: The West Calling the WorldDoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Berkeley, California49Anne KaufmanMilton Academy5-8 Nov 2014BordersongsFairmont Empress, Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaLaurie RicouUniversity of British Columbia50David FenimoreUniversity of Nevada, Reno14-17 Oct 2015Visual Culture in the Urban WestHarrah's Robert A. Ring Convention Center, Reno, NevadaSusan BernardinSUNY Oneonta51Linda KarellMontana State University21-24 Sep 2016The Profane WestBig Sky, Montana52Susan N. MaherUniversity of Minnesota Duluth25-28 Oct 2017Sweet Land, Mighty Waters: Myth and Storytelling West of the MississippiChase Park Plaza Hotel, Minneapolis, MinnesotaFlorence AmamotoGustavus Adolphus College53Michael K. JohnsonUniversity of Maine-Farmington24-27 Oct 2018Indigenous Hubs • Gateway Cities • Border StatesChase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MissouriEmily LutenskiSt. Louis University54SueEllen CampbellColorado State University18-21 Sep 2019Not Cloudy All Day: Climates of Change in the American WestLong's Peak Lodge, Estes Park, Colorado55Kerry FineArizona State University21-24 Oct 2020Graphic WestsVirtual conference (due to COVID-19 pandemic)Rebecca LushCalifornia State University, San Marcos
References
External links Western Literature Association official website Western American Literature Research, hosting links to the journal Western American Literature