CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS  ~  CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS  ~  CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS 

The great, debonair city was both young and old, and wise and innocent … I came down on the dock with a great feeling of confidence and possessiveness. “New York, you are mine! I love you!” It is the glad embrace she gives her lovers, the big, wild city …        

The Seven Storey Mountain    

Thomas Merton stepped off a ship in New York Harbor in December 1934, entered what he called “the big, wild city,” and transitioned to a new and transformative life.  As America’s powerful artistic magnet, New York has always attracted dreamers -- the “creatives” who are driven by something more than material and monetary success. For Merton as a young man, the city represented freedom, exploration, and racial, ethnic, and spiritual diversity. He listened to its musical beats, felt its intellectual energies, studied, absorbed, and eventually influenced its literary culture. The city developed in him a deep and real awareness of the country’s social inequalities and racial prejudices – issues that would become his life-long concerns.  

For the 2027 General Meeting, we are seeking explorations of such topics as: the influence of New York on Merton's creative output in poetry, essays, cartoons, articles and spiritual writings; the personal connections from his life in New York that shaped him as a monk and writer; how his time there informed his awareness of social issues and shaped his social consciousness; his connections to the Catholic Worker, Commonweal magazine, Columbia University, his New York literary agent and publishers; and other topics related to the theme of “Merton, Creativity, Commitment and Connection.” We are particularly seeking imaginative responses to this theme through music, poetry, dance, photography, visual art, and other creative avenues.        

Session formats include:
1. Scholarly Papers designed for presentation in twenty minutes and to engage with attendees and generate discussion (8-10 double-spaced pages, maximum).
2. Workshops designed to involve interactive participation incorporating adult learning strategies and/or small group discussion.
3. Creative/Dramatic Presentations using music, poetry, dance or other media to provide insight into aspects of Merton’s life or work.
4.Guided Meditation/Prayer Sessions, particularly those using Merton’s own writings as a framework for prayer and meditative reflection.        

Please note: Workshops, Creative/Dramatic Presentations, and Guided Meditation/Prayer Sessions should be designed for a sixty-minute session.  

Proposals of no more than 250 words, and a short biographical statement (1-2 sentences), should be submitted by September 1, 2026 by e-mail attachment to: [email protected]; or by mail to ITMS 2027, Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University, 2001 Newburg Road, Louisville, KY 40205. USA.