Literature, lectures, art, discussions, food, and fellowship
Each year, the Ernest Hemingway Seminar focuses on a particular text or theme and its literary and historical context.
September 10-12, 2026
The Garden of Eden
Our 2026 seminar invites you into the lush, provocative world of The Garden of Eden—a posthumously published and deeply intriguing work by Ernest Hemingway.
Over the course of two and a half days, we’ll journey to the sunlit French Riviera of the 1920s, where a young writer and his wife find themselves drawn into a daring and complicated relationship with another woman. What begins as a romantic escape unfolds into a bold exploration of identity, desire, and artistic creation.
Together, we’ll examine the novel’s rich and often controversial themes—creativity, gender fluidity, sexuality, and race—while considering its unique place within Hemingway’s body of work. Written over a span of 15 years, from 1946 until Hemingway’s death in 1961, and ultimately published in 1986, The Garden of Eden offers a rare and revealing glimpse into the evolution of one of the 20th century’s most iconic literary voices.
Join us for thoughtful discussion, fresh perspectives, and a deeper appreciation of this daring and unconventional novel.
Speakers will include Dr. Carl Eby, author of Reading Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden; Dr. Marc K. Dudley, author of Hemingway, Race, and Art: Bloodlines and the Color Line; and Timothy Christian, author of Hemingway’s Widow, a biography of Mary Welsh Hemingway. This year’s Boise State University panel features Dr. Mac Test, who will present “Hemingway and the Literary Tradition of Gender Bending,” and Dr. Stacey Guill on “White Elephants, Sea Changes, and Secret Gardens: Hemingway’s Gendered Worlds.” The full seminar program will be published this summer.
Registration for in-person and virtual attendance opens on June 1.
To receive updates, join our seminar email list:
Past Seminars
2025: Never Any Ending to Paris
Journeying through “A Moveable Feast” with Dr. Seán Hemingway, Dr. Hilary Justice, Francesca Wade, and more.
2024: To Have and Have Not
Delving into Hemingway’s 1937 novel with guests Dr. Kirk Curnutt and Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli.
2023: Fathers and Sons
Examining Hemingway the father, son, and writer, and six short stories with guest speakers Sherman Alexie, Dr. Marc Seals, and Dr. Verna Kale.
2022: Islands in the Stream
Exploring Hemingway’s time on the Gulf Stream and featuring presentations by Dr. Mark P. Ott, Dr. Karen Osborn of the Smithsonian STREAMCODE Project, and Paul Hendrickson.
2021: Hemingway in Africa
Examining “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” and featuring presentations by Dr. Suzanne del Gizzo, Gabriela Curtiz, Judith Freeman, and Dr. Andrew Farah.
2020: Out of the Box
A fully-virtual seminar celebrating Hemingway’s life in Idaho. From reading Ray Bradbury’s “The Kilimanjaro Machine,” to a unique insider’s look at Hemingway’s final home, and some off-the-wall stories about the literary giant’s legacy in Idaho.
2019: “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
Featuring presentations by Dr. Hilary Justice, Pilar Pobil, and Dr. Alex Vernon, as well as a Basque paella dinner with Boise’s Txikiteo.
2018: “A Farewell to Arms”
Focusing on Hemingway and World War I, with presentations by Dr. Suzanne del Gizzo, Dr. Alex Vernon, and Dr. David Wyatt.
2017: Isn’t It Pretty to Think So?
Taking the last line of “The Sun Also Rises” as a focal point, and featuring a keynote by Paula McClain and presentations by Arlo Haskell, Emma Sarconi, and Phil Huss.
2016: Hemingway and Nature
Featuring discussions on “Big Two-Hearted River,” presentations by Rick Bass and Dr. Scott Knickerbocker, and a walking tour of The Nature Conservancy’s Silver Creek Preserve.
2015: Hemingway at the Edges
Exploring the many ways in which Hemingway pushed boundaries – in the wild places he visited, in the writing style he crafted, and in the political realms and conflict zones he investigated. With speakers Amanda Vaill and Nancy Sindelar.
2014: Hemingway’s Cuba
With presentations by Ada Rosa Rosales, curator of the Finca Vigia; Sean Poole, author and nephew of artist Antonio Gottorno; BSU’s Dr. Mac Test on The Old Man and the Sea; Martin Peterson, Hemingway scholar; and Nancy Sindelar.
2013: Hemingway and the Modern
With presentations by David Earle, University of West Florida; Heather Parkinson Dermott; Clay Morgan; Clyde Moneyhun; Jacky O’Connor; Mitch Wieland; and Ben Fischer, Northwest Nazarene University.
2012: Hemingway’s Politics
With presentations by Clyde Moneyhun, Clay Morgan, Jacky O’Connor, and Mitch Wieland. Keynote by Peter Moreira, author of Hemingway on the China Front.
2011: Hemingway and Women
Focusing on how Hemingway’s life and writing were influenced by the women in his life and how his depictions of women continues to influence writers and readers. Keynote talk by Frederic Hunter, author of The Hemingway Play.
2010: The Hemingway Influence
How the Pulitzer/Nobel prize winner continues to affect authors, journalists, and readers fifty years after his death. Featuring Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air; BSU faculty Clyde Moneyhun, Mitch Wieland, Clay Morgan, and Edward Test; and librarian Sandra Hofferber.
2009: Inaugural Ernest Hemingway Symposium
Featuring Scott Donaldson, author of Fitzgerald & Hemingway: Works and Days; Susan Beegel discussing A Farewell to Arms; David Earle, author of All Man!: Hemingway, 1950s Men’s Magazines, and the Masculine Persona; and librarian Sandra Hofferber.
