The Institute on Contemporary American Literature provides a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper understanding of contemporary American literature. Its purpose is twofold: 1) to explore contemporary American writers and writing in a variety of genres; and, 2) to suggest how the themes explored in those works reflect larger currents within contemporary American society and culture. The Institute explores the diversity of the American literary landscape, examining how major contemporary writers, schools, and movements reflect the traditions of the American literary canon. At the same time, the Institute exposes participants to writers who represent a departure from that tradition, and who are establishing new directions for American literature.

• The current Institute is hosted by: The University of Louisville