Western Literature Association


The Western Literature Association is a non-profit, scholarly association that promotes the study of the diverse literature and cultures of the North American West, past and present. Since its founding, the WLA has served to publish scholarship and promote work in the field; it has gathered together scholars, artists, environmentalists, and community leaders who value the West’s literary and cultural contributions to American and world cultures; it has recognized those who have made a major contribution to western literature and western studies; and it has fostered student learning and career advancement in education.
The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment was founded in 1992 at a special session of the Western Literature Association conference in Reno, Nevada, for the purpose of "sharing of facts, ideas, and texts concerning the study of literature and the environment."
The Association publishes Western American Literature: A Journal of Literary, Cultural, and Place Studies in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press. It considers itself "the leading peer-reviewed journal in the literary and cultural study of the North American West, defined broadly to include western Canada and northern Mexico".

List of WLA Presidents and Annual Conferences

This is a list of people who have served as presidents of the organization and have hosted the annual conference.
#PresidentAffiliationDateConference ThemeConference Venue
1C.L. Sonnichsen1966Salt Lake City, Utah
2Delbert Wylder1967Albuquerque, New Mexico
3Jim L. Fife1968Colorado Springs, Colorado
4Morton L. Ross1969Provo, Utah
5Don D. Walker1970Sun Valley, Idaho
6John R. Milton1971Red Cloud, Nebraska
7Thomas J. Lyon1972Jackson Hole, Wyoming
8Max Westbrook1973Austin, Texas
9John S. Bullen1974Sonoma, California
10Maynard Fox1975Durango, Colorado
11Lawrence L. Lee1976Bellingham, Washington
12Arthur Huseboe1977Sioux Falls, South Dakota
13Mary Washington1978Park City, Utah
14Richard Etulain1979Albuquerque, New Mexico
15Bernice Slote1980University of Nebraska–Lincoln
15Helen Stauffer1980St. Louis Missouri
16James Maguire1981Boise, Idaho
17Martin Bucco1982Denver Colorado
18George Day1983Saint Paul, Minnesota
19Ann Ronald1984Reno, Nevada
20Gerald Haslam1985Fort Worth, Texas
21Tom Pilkington1986Durango, Colorado
22Susan J. Rosowski1987Lincoln, Nebraska
23Glen Love1988Eugene, Oregon
24Barbara Meldrum1989Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
25Lawrence Clayton1990Denton, Texas
26James Work1991Estes Park, Colorado
27Joseph Flora1992Reno, Nevada
28Diane Quantic1993Wichita, Kansas
29Stephen Tatum1994Salt Lake City, Utah
30Laurie Ricou1995Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
31Susanne K. George Bloomfield1996Lincoln, Nebraska
32Gary Scharnhorst1997Albuquerque, New Mexico
33Robert ThackerSt. Lawrence University,
New York		1998Banff, Alberta
34Michael KowalewskiCarleton College,
Northfield, Minnesota		13-16 Oct 1999West of the West: California and the American WestRadisson Hotel,
Sacramento, California
35Robert Murray Davis2000Norman, Oklahoma
36Susan Naramore Maher,2001Omaha, Nebraska
37Judy Nolte Temple2002Tucson, Arizona
38Krista Comer2003Houston, Texas
39Susan KollinMontana State University29 Sep- 2 Oct 2004Big Sky Institute,
Big Sky, Montana
40William Handley19- 22 Oct
2005		Omni Hotel, Los Angeles, California
41Tara PenryBoise State University25-28 Oct
2006		Feeling Western
The Grove Hotel, Boise, Idaho
42Ann PutnamUniversity of Puget Sound17-20 Oct
2007		Tacoma, Washington
43Nic WitschiWestern Michigan University1-4 Oct 2008Boulder, Colorado
43Karen RamirezUniversity of Colorado, Boulder1-4 Oct 2008Boulder, Colorado
44David CremeanBlack Hills State University30 Sep- 3 Oct 2009High Plains Drifting: Which Way West?Holiday Inn, Spearfish, South Dakota
45Gioia WoodsNorthern Arizona University20-23 Oct 2010Western PerformancesGazebo, Prescott, Arizona
46Bonney MacDonaldWest Texas A&M University5-8 Oct 2011Holiday Inn, Missoula, Montana
46Nancy CookUniversity of Montana5-8 Oct 2011Holiday Inn, Missoula, Montana
47Sara SpurgeonTexas Tech University7-12 Nov 2012Western Crossroads:
Literature, Social Justice, Environment		Overton Hotel & Conference Centre, Lubbock, Texas
48Richard HutsonUniversity of California, Berkeley9-12 Oct 2013Califia: The West Calling the WorldDoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,
Berkeley, California
49Anne KaufmanMilton Academy5-8 Nov 2014BordersongsFairmont Empress,Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada
49Laurie RicouUniversity of British Columbia5-8 Nov 2014BordersongsFairmont Empress,Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada
50David FenimoreUniversity of Nevada, Reno14-17 Oct 2015Visual Culture in the Urban WestHarrah’s Robert A. Ring Convention Center, Reno, Nevada
50Susan BernardinSUNY Oneonta14-17 Oct 2015Visual Culture in the Urban WestHarrah’s Robert A. Ring Convention Center, Reno, Nevada
51Linda KarellMontana State University21-24 Sep
2016		The Profane WestBig Sky, Montana
52Susan N. MaherUniversity of Minnesota Duluth25-28 Oct
2017		Sweet Land, Mighty Waters: Myth and Storytelling West of the MississippiChase Park Plaza Hotel,Minneapolis, Minnesota
52Florence AmamotoGustavus Adolphus College25-28 Oct
2017		Sweet Land, Mighty Waters: Myth and Storytelling West of the MississippiChase Park Plaza Hotel,Minneapolis, Minnesota
53Michael K. JohnsonUniversity of Maine-Farmington24-27 Oct 2018Indigenous Hubs • Gateway Cities • Border StatesChase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri
53Emily LutenskiSt. Louis University24-27 Oct 2018Indigenous Hubs • Gateway Cities • Border StatesChase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri
54SueEllen CampbelColorado State University18-21 Sep
2019		Not Cloudy All Day: Climates of Change in the American WestLong's Peak Lodge,Estes Park, Colorado
55Kerry FineArizona State University21-24 Oct
2020		Graphic WestsVirtual conference
55Rebecca LushCalifornia State University, San Marcos21-24 Oct
2020		Graphic WestsVirtual conference