International Hemingway Conference Comes to Wyoming and Montana

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

American novelist and short story writer Ernest Hemingway. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

This quote from Ernest Hemingway, one of the most influential American novelists and short story writers of the 20^th century, is part of the understated wit that made Hemingway famous. Critics, scholars, and enthusiasts from around the world are set to arrive in northern Wyoming and southern Montana for the “XIXth Hemingway Society Conference”, July 17^th – 23^rd, 2022.

The first portion of the conference begins on Sunday, July 17^th, 2022, and will be held in Sheridan, Wyoming. On July 21^st, the conference travels to Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana for the remainder of the conference and will end with a banquet on Saturday night July 23^rd, 2022.

The 2022 International Hemingway Conference is an opportunity to explore new scholarship and experience Hemingway’s Rocky Mountain West. According to the conference website, “Thursday, July 21^st will be a transition/travel day with an opportunity to visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody” before the event heads to Cooke City.

The Hemingway Society states, “Hemingway arrived by Model-T in Sheridan in 1928 shortly after the birth of his son, Patrick. He left wife and child in search of a quiet place to finish writing A Farewell to Arms. His first stop, the Folly Ranch proved too full of distractions. He fared little better on the third floor of the Sheridan Inn. Finally, in a cabin in the Big Horns he found the place he was looking for. Places to visit. Places to explore.

“He went West again in 1930 and travelled across Wyoming to the L-T ranch just outside Cooke City, Montana. It was then, and still is, wild country—spectacularly beautiful, a bit intimidating, and bereft of some 21st Century amenities (don’t expect your cell phone to work!). Buffalo sometimes wander into town from nearby Yellowstone. Inside the Park you will be stopped by buffalo, see grizzlies, elk mountain sheep and, perhaps, a wolf. Plan to enjoy the whole area.

“Hemingway returned to the L-T In 1936, 1938, and 1939. In 1939 he sent Pauline away from Cooke City and then got in his Buick with Martha Gellhorn and drove further west to Sun Valley, Idaho.”

Perhaps best known for novels like The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea as well as short stories like “Hills Like White Elephants” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” Hemingway’s economical and heavily pared-down English sentences had a profound impact on 20th century literature. For the uninitiated, his short story, “Cat in the Rain,” is a great place to start for those looking to understand Hemingway’s work and writing style.

Folks can learn more about conference registration and membership by clicking here.