The conference will feature plenary addresses by Rachel Cowgill (University of Leeds) and David Wootton (Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London). The ASECS/BSECS Annual Seminar will focus on late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century habits of reading; Steven Zwicker (Washington University, St. Louis) will deliver the keynote lecture on 'The Constitution of Opinion and the Pacification of Reading'.

We invite proposals for 25-minute papers on any aspect of literature, history, art, politics and society of the Long Eighteenth Century (1660-1800). We also welcome proposals for panels. Please submit a 200-word abstract or a brief description of the proposed panel, including the names of the speakers and summaries of their papers, via the BSECS website at www.bsecs.org.uk. The deadline for submission of abstracts and panel proposals is 15 September 2001.

All enquiries regarding the academic programme of the conference should be addressed to the Programme Coordinator Paulina Kewes (ppk@aber.ac.uk). You will be notified whether your proposal has been accepted by 30 September. The deadline for registration will be 15 November. To attend the conference without giving a paper, request an application form direct from the Venue Organiser Mary Waldron (mwaldron@btinternet.com; mwaldron@sas.ac.uk). You can also download the registration form and find out more about BSECS from our website. (http://www.bsecs.org.uk)

Five bursaries of £100 each will be available for graduate students whose abstract has been accepted for presentation at the conference and who are registered for a higher degree at a UK institution of higher education. Applications, including a copy of the paper abstract, a CV, and an indication of other likely sources of financial support, should reach Professor Frank Gorman (fog@man.ac.uk) no later than 20 October.

Founded in the fifteenth century by one powerful lady, Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, and later re-endowed by another, Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, Queens' College Cambridge enjoys a picturesque riverside situation. It offers splendid conference facilities and accommodation for delegates, including single and twin en suite rooms. Further information about the venue is available from the Queens' College website at www.quns.cam.ac.uk.

Contact addresses:

Dr Paulina Kewes (ppk@aber.ac.uk)
2002 BSECS Conference Programme Coordinator
Department of English
University of Wales, Aberystwyth Hugh Owen Building,
Penglais Aberystwyth SY23 3DY

Dr Mary Waldron (mwaldron@btinternet.com; mwaldron@sas.ac.uk)
2002 BSECS Conference Venue Organiser
Crowbush Cottage
Chatham Green Little Waltham
Chelmsford Essex CM3 3LF

Professor Frank Gorman (fog@man.ac.uk)
2002 BSECS Conference Graduate Bursaries Coordinator
Department of History
University of Manchester
Manchester M13 9PL