CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College will kick off its new Midwest Literary Project on Thursday, June 11, with a community conversation exploring the enduring legacy of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and the role Hannibal, Missouri, has played in shaping America’s understanding of place, identity, and storytelling.
The first event in the project’s year-long series, Tom Sawyer at 150: Hannibal, Twain, and the American Myth of Place, commemorates the 150th anniversary of Twain’s beloved novel and invites participants to examine how literature influences the way communities see themselves and how others perceive them.
The launch coincides with free admission week (June 8 – 12) offered by the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum (Hannibal, Mo.) as part of its Tom Sawyer 150 Celebration. No registration is required to participate in the Midwest Literary Project activities. Visitors may complete a brief project survey at any point during the week by scanning a QR code available at the museum.
On Thursday, June 11, Dr. Alissa Burger, C-SC associate professor of English and Midwest Literary Project lead, will be on site at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum to speak with visitors about the Midwest Literary Project and conduct in-person surveys as part of the initiative’s community engagement efforts. Visitors are encouraged to stop by to learn more about the project and its upcoming events.
“Tom Sawyer remains one of the most recognizable literary figures associated with the American Midwest,” said Burger. “This conversation offers an opportunity to reflect not only on Twain’s work, but also on the ways stories shape our understanding of home, community and regional identity.”
As part of the Midwest Literary Project’s three-stage format, participants in each series installment may attend an in-person community conversation, as well as engage with online resources and continue exploring each topic through a companion podcast available on the project’s website.
The Midwest Literary Project is an initiative of Culver-Stockton College’s newly launched Center for Rural Opportunity and is funded by Missouri Humanities. Designed as a year-long series of six themed conversations rooted in the communities of northeast Missouri, the project uses literature and the humanities to examine how place influences identity, storytelling, and the American experience.
Additional topics in the series include Jane Smiley’s “A Thousand Acres,” Midwestern culinary traditions, Black literature and jazz in the Midwest, regional visual arts and folk traditions, and the enduring cultural significance of “The Wizard of Oz.”
More information about the Midwest Literary Project, including online content and podcast episodes, is available at culver.edu/the-center-for-rural-opportunity/midwest-literary-project/.
Culver-Stockton College is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund. For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call (314) 781-9660 or (800) 357-0909 or email clarice@mohumanities.org.
About the Center for Rural Opportunity at C-SC
Culver-Stockton College’s Center for Rural Opportunity is a recently established initiative designed to expand the College’s reach as a leader in rural-focused scholarship and engagement. The Center brings together academic programs, applied research, and community-facing initiatives to generate insight, inform practice, and create models that extend beyond a single geography.
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