Digital Mark Twain Day by Day Scholars Workshop

Schedule

Elmira, NY
July 28–29, 2026

Day One — Tuesday, July 28

Locations:

  • Elmira College Gannett-Tripp Library, Room 114. Maps.  Google.
  • Elmira College Campus Center, Simeon Benjamin Room. Maps.  Google.
  • Quarry Farm, 131 Crane Road, Elmira. Maps.  Google.

Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Followed by a cocktail hour at Quarry Farm from 6:00–7:00 PM.

Coffee, water, and snacks will be provided throughout the workshop.

Schedule

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Arrival, Check-In, and Breakfast

Arrival and check-in will take place at the EC Gannett-Tripp Library Main Desk.

Breakfast buffet will be provided in the EC Campus Center, Simeon Benjamin Room.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Welcome and Project Introduction

Stephen Rachman, Joseph Lemak, Gillian MacDonald, Alicia Sheill, and Dean Rehberger open the workshop with an overview of the Digital Mark Twain Day by Day project; its history, current state, visualizations, and scholarly vision. 

Slides are here

Participants introduce themselves and share their areas of Twain expertise.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch — Informal Networking

Lunch buffet will be provided in the EC Campus Center, Simeon Benjamin Room.

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Orientation to the Digital Day by Day Platform Vision

A hands-on walkthrough of current project content, the proposed new website, and visualizations; Time for Q&A and exploration. This will be an informal version of Conference presentation, but the key is scholarly interaction and feedback.

  • Content 
    • Review the project scope 
    • Review life stages issues and needs
    • Review competency questions
    • Review entity models and lists 
      • People
      • Places
      • Corporate Bodies
      • Publications (Twain, Primary, Secondary)
  • Website (Alicia – the site, the comps, and feedback; here’s the proposal what do you think)
  • Visualizations (Gillian + Stephen; back and forth between technical and scholarly)

2:30 PM – 2:45 PM: Break

Coffee provided.

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM: Identifying Issues and Opportunities

Facilitated small-group discussions focused on identifying gaps, errors, underdeveloped entries, and areas of opportunity (for teaching?) within the Day by Day. Groups report back to the full workshop.

  • Group A: Project Content
  • Group B: New Website and User Experience
  • Group C: Proposed Visualizations 

3:15 PM – 3:45 PM: Developing a Plan of Action

Full group session to discuss and prioritize the issues identified and begin sketching a roadmap for what the scholar community can accomplish. What does success look like in the short term? In the long term?

3:45 PM – 4:00 PM: Day One Wrap-Up

Rachman and Rehberger summarize the day’s key takeaways and preview Day Two.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Happy Hour

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres on the Quarry Farm Porch, 131 Crane Road, Elmira.

Day Two — Wednesday, July 29

Locations:

  • Elmira College Gannett-Tripp Library, Room 114
  • Elmira College Campus Center, Simeon Benjamin Room

Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Coffee, water, and snacks will be provided throughout the workshop.

Schedule

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM: Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast buffet will be provided in the EC Campus Center, Simeon Benjamin Room.

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM: Morning Recap and Day Two Overview

Brief review of Day One outcomes and goals for the day. Discussion of ideas and brainstorming from Day One, including issues related to content, the website, and visualizations.

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM: Working Group Formation and Task Assignment

Participants self-select (or are guided) into three working tracks. Decisions about scholarly directions of the project (the following are suggested, but groups may work out their own plans for moving forward):

  • Track A: Publications: Review publication abbreviation and identify an authoritative list of names for Twain’s works. Identify possible missing works. 
  • Track B: Periodization: Review the life periods set by the project. Identify those that are deemed most worthwhile for browsing and searching on the website. Recommend categories to be discarded. Draft synopsis for overviews of each life period. 
  • Track C: People: Review the list of names and corporate bodies found within the data. Identify additional important names that need to be included. Using the inner circle list and then outlier names, scholars offer information on candidates that need to be imported into the inner circle list. 
  • Track D: Familiarizing scholars with networking and network analysis and their relationship to the editorial process.

Each group establishes its focus areas and assigns specific entries or tasks. Tasks to be divided between now and later. 

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM: Break

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Working Session One

Groups begin work on their track. Workshop facilitators to circulate to assist and advise. 

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch

Lunch provided.

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Working Session Two

Continued group work, with opportunity for cross-group collaboration or consultation. Participants begin to document their planned contributions to the project beyond the workshop.

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Break

Coffee provided.

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM: Group Reports and Future Planning

Each working group briefly presents what they worked on and what they plan to contribute going forward. Discussion of timelines, editorial process, and how the scholarly community will remain engaged after Elmira 2026.

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM: Closing Session

Rachman and Rehberger offer closing remarks. Participants make concrete commitments for future contributions. Final thank-yous and transition to the Elmira 2026 conference.