Conventions

Providence, Rhode Island: Divine Providence: October 11–14, 2007 Speakers: Daniel Cohen, Anne Cotton, Charles Gould, David Jasen, Norman Murphy, Sophie Ratcliffe, Margaret Slythe, Brian Taves, David Trumble, Wendell Verrill The NEWTS returned as convention hosts and...

Los Angeles, California: Hooray for Hollywood: August 11–14, 2005 Speakers: Melissa Aaron, Curtis Armstrong, Hilary & Robert Bruce (for Murray Hedgcock), Dennis Chitty, Chris Dueker, John Hayward, Kris Fowler (for Tony Ring), Brian Taves, Elin Woodger Once...

Toronto, Ontario: Right Ho, Toronto!: August 8–10, 2003 Speakers: Curtis Armstrong, Hilary Bruce, Anne Cotton, Dennis Chitty, Jan Kaufman, Elliott Milstein, Tony Ring, Richard Scrimger, Thomas L. R. Smith, Elin Woodger (for Helen Murphy) Our first—and so far...

Nashville, Tennessee: Plum Crazy in Nashville: September 26–29, 2024 Speakers: Robert Bruce, Paul Kent, Tamaki Morimura, James Muller, Douglas Murray, Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Mark Reber, Arthur Robinson, Major Thomas L. R. Smith, Steve Wieland Hurricanes down south...

San Diego, California: Where in the World Is Pelham? San Diego: October 20–23, 2022 Speakers: Tim Andrew, Deborah Bellew, Daniel Lowenstein, Elliott Milstein, Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Bob Rains, Alison Strickland, Ninad Wagle, David Warren, Elin Woodger A funny thing...

Cincinnati, Ohio: Pigs Have Wings: October 17–20, 2019 Speakers: Tim Andrew, Anita Avery, Thomas (Tad) Boehmer, Hilary Bruce, Mike Eckman, Paul Kent, Neil Midkiff, Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Madelyn Shaw, Karen Shotting, Thomas L. R. Smith Our 20th convention proved to be...

Washington, D.C.: Mr. Wodehouse Goes to Washington: October 19–22, 2017 Speakers: Michael Dirda, Chris Dueker, Elliott Milstein, Bruce Montgomery, Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Madelyn Shaw, Karen Shotting, Thomas L. R. Smith, Constance Walker Our 19th convention, held in the...

Seattle Washington: Psmith in Pseattle: October 29–November 1, 2015 Speakers: Thomas (Tad) Boehmer, Ken Clevenger, John Dawson, Robert McCrum, Elliott Milstein, Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Jen Scheppers, William Scrivener, Tony Ring, Elin Woodger Not only Psmith but close to...

Chicago, Illinois: The Empress Strikes Back: October 18–20, 2013 Speakers: Chris Dueker, Daniel Garrison, Nina Botting Herbst, Ian Michaud (for Anita Avery), Norman Murphy, Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Michael Pointon, Tony Ring Once again the Chicago Accident Syndicate,...

Dearborn, Michigan: Happy 130th Birthday, Plum: October 13–16, 2011 Speakers: Paul Abrinko, Curtis Armstrong, John Graham, Maria Jette, Elliott Milstein, Norman Murphy, Tony Ring, Thomas L. R. Smith, Elin Woodger October 15, 2011, would have been Plum’s 130th...

St. Paul, Minnesota: A Little Wodehouse on the Prairie: June 12–14, 2009 Speakers: Mike Eckman, Dick Heymann, Len Lawson, Elliott Milstein, Thomas Molitor, Norman Murphy, Faith Sullivan, Brian Taves Our first, and so far only, June convention proved to be another...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: A Wodehouse Odyssey: October 12–14, 2001 Speakers: John Fletcher, John Graham, Gary Hall & Linda Adam-Hall, Elliott Milstein, Norman Murphy, Erik Quick, Brian Taves, Gretchen Worden We returned to our Pennsylvania roots for 2001’s...

Houston, Texas: Gone to Texas: October 22–24, 1999 Speakers: Daniel Cohen, John Fletcher, Norman Murphy, Tony Ring, Mike Skupin, Wendy Westfaul, Elin Woodger The South rose again when the Drone Rangers hosted our 10th International Convention. This gathering was rich...

Chicago, Illinois: What Ho, Chicago: October 2–5, 1997 Speakers: Michael Dirda, Jon Lellenberg, Marilyn MacGregor, Helen Murphy, Will Richardson, Peter Schwed, Peter Sinclair The joy continued in Chicago, and again a precedent was set as the Chicago Accident Syndicate...

Boston, Massachusetts: October 20–22, 1995 Speakers: Hal Cazalet, Daniel Cohen, Anne Cotton, Daniel Garrison, Charles Gould, Jan Kaufman, David Landman, Norman Murphy, Tony Ring, Peter Schwed For many, the 1995 convention set a gold standard for subsequent conventions...

 San Francisco, California: July 30–August 1, 1993 Speakers: James Chatwin, Helen Murphy, Barry Phelps, Tony Ring, Jeremy Thompson, Kristin Thompson By 1993 convention attendance was topping 100; it has stayed solidly between 100 and 200 ever since, perhaps due to the...

New York, New York: October 11–13, 1991 Speakers: Lee Davis, Charles Gould, David Jasen, Jan Kaufman, Elliott Milstein, Toni Rudersdorf, Peter Schwed, Margaret Slythe The death of TWS’s founder, Bill Blood, on October 7, 1991, cast a shadow over our sixth convention, ...

Kalamazoo, Michigan: October 6–8, 1989 Speakers: Phil Ayers, Ed Galligan, Jan Kaufman, Victoria McClure, Elliott Milstein, Richard Scrimger For 1989 the question was: where to hold the fifth convention? The story goes that Bill Blood scoured the membership list, saw a...

Ithaca, New York: October 19, 1985 Speakers: Father James Carruth, Walter S. White Our third convention was held at Cornell University, where then-president Bob Hall was a professor. This gathering introduced more structure to the proceedings, as well as a larger...

San Francisco, California: August 14–16, 1987 Speakers: Phil Ayers, Daniel Garrison, Alex Hemming, Jan Kaufman, Len Lawson, Doug Stow (for Robert A. Hall) Our fourth convention set the most precedents for TWS binges. It was the first to be spread out over an entire...

Doylestown, Pennsylvania: October 15, 1983 Speakers: Florence Cunningham, Robert A. Hall Only nine Plummies attended the society’s second gathering; nevertheless, it was grandiosely labeled “The Second International Convention of The Wodehouse Society,” and it has...

Delaware Valley College, Pennsylvania: July 16, 1982 Speaker: David Jasen Two years after The Wodehouse Society was founded, 13 members and three guests gathered together in founder Bill Blood’s home territory to celebrate P. G. Wodehouse. Led by Bill, eight of them...