Renowned Activist Will Campbell to Speak at Pruit Symposium

WACO, Texas -- Renowned Baptist civil rights activist and author the Rev. Will Campbell will read from some of his works during the fourth annual Pruit Symposium at Baylor University, scheduled for Oct. 22-24. "The Christ-Haunted South," which is the symposium's theme, will examine the interaction between religion and Southern culture and will feature presentations of more than 50 academic papers on the works of 20th-century Southern writers -- from William Faulkner to John Grisham -- as well as topics on race and history, feminism, theater and Southern movies.
Campbell has gained much notoriety for his civil rights activism and for his books. He is the author of Brother to a Dragonfly, which chronicles his life during the civil rights era and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Campbell will deliver his author reading at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in room 510 of the Cashion Building.
In addition to Campbell, other primary conference participants include best-selling author Dennis Covington, William Faulkner scholar Dr. Noel Polk, Flannery O'Connor expert Dr. Ralph Wood, Walker Percy scholar Jay Tolson and Dr. Greg Garrett, winner of the 1993 Pirate's Alley William Faulkner Prize for Fiction. Dr. Wayne Flynt, distinguished university professor at Auburn University, will deliver the symposium's keynote address, "Will There Always Be a South? Tradition, Modernity and Memory," at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 in room 510 in the Cashion Building.
"The Pruit Symposium will attempt to discover how it is that Southern religion has shaped our past and present," said Garrett, associate professor of English and co-coordinator of the symposium.
The symposium, which is sponsored by Baylor's English department, the Institute for Faith and Learning and the Institute for Oral History, was created by Lev. H. and Ella Wall Prichard in memory of Helen Pruit Matthews and her brothers, Dr. Lee Tinkle Pruit and William Wall Pruit. For reservation information, call the Institute of Faith and Learning at (254) 710-4805. A complete schedule of symposium presentations can be found at https://www.baylor.edu/~IFL/Call.html .