PIPS E-Newsletter #1, Volume 1 (post 3)

[Eric Alan Weinstein]

Newsletter #1, Vol. 1----last week of July, 1997

(cont.)

*************************
More on SEMINAR SERIES


First a clarification of---
"For oversees visitors, PIPS
 will offer transport to and from Heathrow/Gatwick". 

---This might seem to imply we pay for your airfare,
but sadly, no. It should imply that we can take you from the
airport by car into town, and back again. 
Considering the distance and the price of London
taxis, this could be a £50 value. We may even be 
able to arrange a free tour, if you wish. We hope 
that visiting lecturers will be able to get at least part
of their travel costs paid for by their home 
Universities.

The PIPS seminars are free to participants. 
We do, however, encourage small donations 
(if people feel up to contributing) for the Ample
 Refreshments.

  You see, in the good old days of the Centre For
English Studies, I began to realise that seminars 
with really  good tea and coffee, and good biscuits, 
were much more enjoyable. Those which feature 
good wine and whiskey afterwards were also particularly 
favourable.  Yet, too often, visiting other
Centres for Education in different parts of the
University, I found the quality of provision slip-shod.
So I decided that I would always follow the CES model,
and get good stuff from Fortnum's and M&S and Oddbins.
I also like musical interludes (as does Mr. P), and with
many fine music students across the campus, why not 
invite them to play.... so you see, a few pennies here 
and there to help tip them and the grocers are appreciated. 
However, if anyone who seems short on change 
themselves (!) tries to gives me some cash for my own 
indulgences, I will discretely replace their funds 
into there own pockets before you can say "Hothouse."

CONFERENCES, JOUNALS, STUFF--- PLEASE SEND INFO

1) Roma is a great city---
I take it that this conference will be in Italian and English.
If you, too, speak both Italian and English, and are free to travel
in late January, this may be a great event for you to attend. 
I beleive Roma is often mild in January, I may need a 
long weekend there. 

If anyone has more information about the conference,
or would like to discuss it in relation to IPW or other 
events, please let me and the newsletter know. 

   Pinchin' Thomas Pynchon, or Sulle tracce di Thomas Pynchon
       Rome, January 22-23, 1998


The American Studies Center and the arts and literature journal
Praz! are organising an international conference in Rome,
scheduled for January 22-23, 1998.

The conference will be concerned with Pynchon's broader social
and cultural influence on readers, writers, and the academy, and
with his relation to technological and cyber culture. With these
aims in mind, papers concerning his works and influence, plus
exhibitions, performances and installations deriving from the
cultural and artistic visions surrounding his works are welcome.
Projects on the influence and reception of Pynchon in Italy are
highly welcome.

Please send proposals and a brief curriculum vitae via post,
fax, e-mail or W.A.S.T.E. by 15 September 1997 to:
Daniele Fiorentino, Direttore, Centro di Studi Americani,
Via M. Caetani 32, 00186 Roma, Italia. Tel.: 68801613.
Fax: 68307256. E-mail:  csa at usis.it or carratel at uniroma3.it 

2) Terry Caesar will be running a "session" (panel discussion? 
or more) on Pynchon at a conference, the  N-EMLA, is that right?
I wish I had kept that post, but I believe he is looking for 
people to give papers. If Terry or anyone else would 
like to repeat that message, or expand on it with some greater
detail, it will be appreciated, and reprinted in Vol. 2 of the
newsletter.

3) I remember a law journal sending an e-mail about doing a 
special issue on Pynchon and the Law. Could prove very 
interesting. It was somewhere Western, perhaps Utah. Could
someone who has saved this message please repost this to me,
and anyone who knows a bit more about it please send me 
some information so I can pass it on in Vol. 2 of this newsletter.

4) New and Improved IPW information will be available 
very shortly. 
Luc and I are re-writing our CFP to reflect the London change of 
address  (CES and IUSS  to Kings Dept of English and OHC) 
as well as the establishment of an independent PIPS office.
If anyone has any questions about IPW, I and Luc
shall try to provide some answers.
*********
HOMEPAGES

My homepage at Kings, the PIPS homepage, and 
the International Pynchon Week Home Page
should all be up and running by the next Newsletter,
which will contain the URL's. 

I believe the Centre for Computing in the Humanities 
would like to set up a web page for scholars specifically
interested in  Pynchon and Hypertext Theory. Quite a bit
of interest was published on this in Pynchon Notes 32-33, and 
the recent-ish and very good Pynchon Notes 34-35.
What has been published in this area outside PN, I wonder?
It seems that a number of  papers from the Italian conference
may also be on this theme. 

Pynchon has also attracted some very interesting
practical web work, not the least of which being the 
concordance by the excellent Tim Ware and the work
of Andrew Dinn in Scotland. (All easy to find from the
S.N.C.C Pynchon homepage, of course). 


5) Are there other events or publications we should know about?
Maybe something indirectly related to Pynchon-folk, or just plain fun?
Please let me know.

To finish off here, two points.

1) The e-mail PIPS at kcl.ac.uk will not be working
until September, so please don't leave messages for me
there just yet.

.2) Vol 2 will contain, along with your comments, hints,
suggestions, facts, replies, ect., something about the 
fund-raising efforts for IPW. No, we won't be asking 
anyone for money---just keeping people informed
with the arrangments that are to be agreed with the 
fund-raising body.

Until next week, thank you.

Yours,



Eric Alan Weinstein
University of London
E.A.Weinstein at qmw.ac.uk