This is the latest in a series of listserv digests for Madness, Citizenship and Social Justice: A Human Rights Conference, an event hosted by the Simon Fraser University Institute for the Humanities and scheduled for the SFU downtown Harbour Centre campus on June 12th-15th, 2008.

With just ten weeks remaining, the conference preparations continue to accelerate. Here are a few brief news items and reminders:

Conference Website Updates:
Thanks to the virtuoso work of Kathy McKay and webmaster Josh Laidlaw, we have updated the conference website http://www.sfu.ca/madcitizenship-conference/. The home page now includes information on the Thursday afternoon keynote address by plenary speaker David Oaks; the Thursday evening Night of Mad Culture; and the Saturday Evening With Frederick Wiseman. Further, you may access the comprehensive list of Speakers and Abstracts (available in both MS Word and PDF formats) by clicking the link (3rd down) in the upper-right home page menu. The final conference program, including room assignments and updated schedules, will go live on-line toward the end of May (with hard copies to be included in your conference delegate kits).

Titicut Follies and Juvenile Justice at Pacific Cinémathèque:
As a companion to Titicut Follies http://www.zipporah.com/films/22, Pacific Cinémathèque will also be screening a second Frederick Wiseman document ary, Juvenile Court http://www.zipporah.com/films/25, on the evening of Friday, June 13th. With our distinguished guest Frederick Wiseman in attendance, Friday is shaping up to be a very special evening. Executive Director Jim Sinclair and his colleagues at Pacific Cinémathèque are currently working out the arrangements, and we will post information on screening times, ticket availability and pricing as soon as it becomes available.

Chairs Still Needed:
Thanks so much to all those who have volunteered to chair a panel, in response to our earlier entreaties. At this juncture, we have just four unassigned panels (12, 15, 29, and 32) remaining. Please do consider signing on to chair one of these sessions. All assistance on this score will be most gratefully received.

Tied Together Performers:
RuthRuth and the Friendly Spike Theatre Band report that there is still room for student cast members in the Thursday evening (June 12th) production of Tied Together: A Mad People’s History Play http://www.sfu.ca/madcitizenship-conference/tiedtogether.html. If you would like to participate in this fun and liberating experience (stage experience is not necessary), please contact RuthRuth at fr***********@gl*********.net. The rehearsal is scheduled for the same day as the performance, between 10 am and 1 pm (at the Harbour Centre conference site).

Registration, Accommodation and Travel Reminders:
Please recall that all delegates must register for the conference by completing the on-line registration form http://www.sfu.ca/madcitizenship-conference/register.htm. Fees are payable by either credit card or cheque. The early registration rates apply through to May 2nd, after which on-line registration at the full rates will continue to June 4th. On-site registration will be available during the conference. Any questions regarding the registration page and procedures can be directed to Co*****************@sf*.ca . Further, as announced last month, information on the four conference-sponsored accommodation options can be found at http://www.sfu.ca/madcitizenship-conference/hotel.htm. We advise that you book early, to guarantee conference rates (our block bookings are limited in number, and in the case of the Ramada, the listed rates apply to May 2nd). Refer to the Institute for the Humanities Conference when booking. Please note, too, that the conference will close at 1:00 pm on Sunday the 15th, in order to afford visitors the option of travelling home (or elsewhere) on that same day, if preferred.

Please Publicize:
I will close by echoing the customary appeal to post, forward, circulate, and otherwise spread news about the event to all interested colleagues and comrades.

More anon.

Best wishes,
Bob

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Robert Menzies
Professor of Sociology
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6
Canada
Tel: +1 778 782 4552 Fax: +1 604 299 4396
Email: me*****@sf*.ca or rj*******@sh**.ca
Madness, Citizenship and Social Justice Conference: http://www.sfu.ca/madcitizenship-conference/