Please Note: the Early Arrival Track Sessions begin on Friday morning, June 21, and take place before the main conference begins that evening. There is a separate registration cost for attending the Early Arrival Track Sessions that includes tuition and meals. For more details, see our Registration page.

C.S. Lewis 101 Track

Interested in knowing more about C. S. Lewis?  Like what you’ve read of Lewis and want to know more?  Perhaps you feel a little intimidated surrounded by scholars, yet Lewis has made a profound difference in your life?

Then come to sessions with you in mind: C. S. Lewis 101 Track: Life, Work, and Themes.

It is perfect for those beginning to explore Lewis’ books and thought as well as those looking to refresh their interest in this most compelling Christian author.  Part biography, part booklist, part thematic exploration, our speakers will guide you through the essentials of Lewis’ life and writing, touching on major biographical events and books as well as they key themes such as joy, reason, imagination, faith, and story that guided Lewis’ life.

These three track sessions will also include time for Q&A and promise to inform and delight folks with any level of interest in Lewis.

For more information on the C.S. Lewis 101 Track please click here.

Writers Workshop Track

Centered on you — the writer — the Writers Workshop Track will build your relationships with other writers and professionals in the writing community while you learn practical tips and techniques to improve your writing and its reception. This will be an experience to stimulate your intellect, enlighten your spirit, and delight and refresh your imagination.

Our vision is to bring together and disciple a community of writers in the spirit of C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, whose works continue to inspire and influence thousands. Our mission is to actively recapture the essence of community Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and their fellow writers enjoyed and create it afresh in our current culture.

Come join us for our workshops, lectures, and interactive group sessions for the jump-start, dusting off, or home-stretch encouragement you’ve needed to move forward with your writing. We all know that writing well is, in part, a talent. But moving from God-given gift to a finished — and perhaps published — product requires self-discipline and dogged perseverance, as well the encouragement and feedback of others.

We offer an affirming atmosphere for learning from respected authors, reading and commenting on one another’s work, and discussing specifics for creating a writing life that is more than a rainy-day hobby. Writers of all expertise levels are welcome to come celebrate the creative life — and the privilege of working in community.

For more information on The Writers Track please click here.

Academic Roundtable

The Academic Roundtable at the 2013 C.S. Lewis Summer Conference, June 21-23, 2013, will be a community of interdisciplinary scholarly engagement and discussion within the broader context of the event. Each Roundtable will consist of scholars from various fields who will meet in breakout sessions during the Conference. Each particular Roundtable group will be limited to twelve scholars. Depending upon the number of participants in the Academic Roundtable, more than one group will be formed to meet during the breakout session times.

Each participant will read his or her paper to the Roundtable for discussion and feedback during the sessions. All papers, limited to a 20-minute presentation time, shall be scholarly in nature, with the author’s unique thesis clearly set within the context of existing scholarship on the subject matter. After each presentation there will be a brief time of discussion prompted by the other members of the Roundtable. Each member is expected to participate in each session of the Roundtable group and to fully engage the discussion.

The theme of the Conference points to the enduring legacy of C. S. Lewis and his impact upon issues and questions currently debated in many fields of thought. Papers written for presentation during the Academic Roundtable will explore a wide-ranging set of issues, of influences, and of insights generated by his sweeping vision, his literary and academic voice, and his life as a Christian academic. Academics from every discipline are invited to participate.

For more information on the Academic Roundtable please click here.

Thank you to our sponsors!