The autumn issue of The Shavian this year includes a review of Stanley Weintraub's new book Bernard Shaw Before His First Play: The Embryo Playwright. This is quite fortuitous, as Dr. Weintraub will be a featured speaker at the "Shaw in New York" conference at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts this upcoming month.
I myself will be giving a paper at the conference, and on a topic somewhat related to Dr. Weintraub's book. During a breakout session, I'll be speaking about how the infamous debut of The Cenci by Percy Bysshe Shelley helped to make Shaw into a playwright. I'll be sharing the session with Howard Einsohn from Middlesex Community College, Virginia Costello from the University of Illinois Chicago, and Charles Del Dotto from Duke University.
In addition, there will be talks on Shaw and Edith Wharton, Shaw and W.B. Yeats, and Shaw and the Federal Theatre Project, among other topics. The conference will be held October 16-19 at Lincoln Center. You can find out more here:
SHAW SOCIETY