Welcome to

The Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature

SSML encourages the study of Midwestern literature and culture in whatever directions the insight, imagination and curiosity of its members may lead.

2024 SSML Symposium

We look forward to the 2024 SSML Symposium, which will take place May 28-30, 2024, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing, Michigan. A call for papers and a registration form are available on the symposium page.

On Equity & Justice

Please read our commitment to racial equity and justice within SSML here.

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If you want to be on the SSML mailing list, go here. You’ll receive calls for papers, news of relevant publications, and conference information.

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2024 Mark Twain Award

Haki R. Madhubuti Is SSML’s 2024 Mark Twain Award Winner

Haki R. Madhubuti will be the recipient of the 2024 Mark Twain Award. Dr. Madhubuti is a poet, educator, and publisher who founded Chicago’s Third World Press in 1967; as Distinguished University Professor at Chicago State University, he co-founded and served as director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing. He is the author of twenty-eight books; one of his recent books, Taught by Women: Poems as Resistance Language, New and Selected (2020), pays homage to Gwendolyn Brooks, Rosa Parks, Angela Y. Davis, and many other women who have influenced him.

Since 1980, The Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature has given the Mark Twain Award annually for distinguished contributions to Midwestern literature. Past recipients include Gwendolyn Brooks, Ted Kooser, Tim O’Brien, Bonnie Jo Campbell, and Sandra Cisneros, this year’s recipient. 

2024 MidAmerica Award

Anne Ransford Wins the 2024 MidAmerica Award

Anne Ransford will be the recipient of the 2024 MidAmerica Award. Ms. Ransford served as president of the Friends of Theodore Roethke Foundation for twenty-five years and led the successful effort to save the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet’s childhood home in Saginaw, Michigan, as well as that of the poet’s uncle, Carl Roethke, next door. This foundation not only maintains those homes but also promotes Theodore Roethke’s legacy in his hometown and internationally, while providing both virtual and on-site literary, cultural and educational events. Since 1977, The Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature has given the MidAmerica Award for distinguished contributions to the study of Midwestern Literature. Past recipients include John T. Flanagan, Donald Pizer, James R. Shortridge, Arnold Rampersad, and Jon K. Lauck.

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The Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature exists to support the study and dissemination of work in Midwestern literature, art, film, and scholarly study.

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