Call for Papers
“It seemed to open such dizzying possibilities of change.”
— L.M. Montgomery, Emily Climbs
“All she really wanted, or seemed to want, was to…see that as few changes as possible came into existence there.”
— L.M. Montgomery, Mistress Pat
“Is it really the same world I saw then that I see now? It seems so very different.”
— L.M. Montgomery, Selected Journals vol. I
“The only constant in life is change.”
—Heraclitus
The constancy of change pervades Montgomery’s life, work, and legacy. From the social, literary, political, and technological changes that took place throughout her lifetime to the ways in which she wrote about her characters coping with personal change, Montgomery engages change in all aspects of the human experience. Whether considered a positive or negative force, change is vital in both “real” life and in fiction, for without it comes stagnation, boredom, or worse. Change is not an easy force to be reckoned with, and the challenges of change are a common theme in Montgomery’s world.
The 2026 conference invites proposals for research presentations that consider the theme of change in L.M. Montgomery’s works and world. Submissions should engage some aspect of this force in Montgomery’s life, creative work, life-writing, or legacy. Possible topics include, but are not limited, to:
Proposals should articulate a strong argument and situate that argument in the context of existing Montgomery scholarship. Individual paper and panel proposals are double-blind reviewed. We also welcome proposals for workshops, special exhibits, or other visual displays engaging these ideas. Proposals that view Montgomery’s life and art from different cultural and theoretical perspectives are particularly encouraged. For more information, please contact Caroline Jones (caroline.jones@upei.ca) or Allison Hudson (allison.hudson@dcu.ie), co-chairs of the 2026 conference. “L.M. Montgomery and Change” is to be a hybrid conference. It will be held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on 24-28 June 2026; all sessions will be livestreamed, allowing for virtual presentation, attendance, and participation.
Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.
Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.
Purchase and read Anne's House of Dreams:
The Diary of Gilbert Blythe imagines what the childhood and adolescence of the male protagonist from Anne of Green Gables could have been like. Closely following L.M. Montgomery's original plot, the Diary is a faithful retelling of the famous story — but now through Gilbert's point of view, delving into his family, friends, inspirations, dreams, and insecurities, and, of course, the development and growth of Gilbert's feelings for the lovable little redhead, Anne.
For over a century, Anne Shirley has captivated readers with her fiery red hair, boundless imagination, and plucky spirit.
First introduced as the protagonist of Anne of Green Gables in 1908, she quickly became one of fiction’s most iconic characters, with the novel selling over 50 million copies and translated into more than forty languages. Yet little is known about Anne’s origins. Her creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery, a farm girl from Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, was an intensely private person.
In Looking for Anne of Green Gables, Irene Gammel draws on her archival discoveries, and on the author’s private journals to reveal an emotional landscape of longing, loss, and a deep yearning for connection—themes that found their way into her famous novel. Blending biography and cultural history, Gammel traces the parallel journeys of Montgomery and her beloved heroine, showing how the author’s personal grief was transformed into the triumphs and joys of Anne Shirley. This dual biography of Montgomery and her timeless character explains how a literary classic was conceived and why it continues to enchant readers today.
This storybook is a celebration of friendship and imagination. Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Well, I have, and so did Lucy Maud Montgomery (Maud), author of the world famous Anne of Green Gables. As a child, Maud actually had two imaginary friends, but one was her "kindred spirit." Maud's imaginary friend (as well as Anne's) was Katie Maurice.
This is the story of L.M. Montgomery's Life of Imagination, told from the perspective of its personification, Katie Maurice-Maud's imaginary friend. I wrote it as a poem, in verse. It is illustrated with my selection of 45 of approximately 2000 photos L.M. Montgomery personally took, as well as 22 professional and candid portraits of her, supplemented with field photos and event "snaps" which I've arranged to visually tell her story, and to recall over a dozen of the colourful scrapbooks Maud also created. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of her passing, I am so proud to share this example of my women's history work with you. I invite you to read her story out loud while you look through the camera lens with her. You'll see the people, places and magic Maud saw and loved throughout her lifetime of creativity. And maybe you'll step through Katie's glass door into her fairy room, too.
May your own creative imagination be inspired by this magical, historically accurate storybook-it has so much "scope for imagination!" I hope you'll share it with kindred spirits of all ages. Please let me know; I'd love to hear from you.
-Rosalee Peppard Lockyer
A funny and heartfelt collection of rare short stories about unlikely pairings by the famed Anne of Green Gables author.
L. M. Montgomery, best known for creating the beloved Anne of Green Gables series, had a thriving writing career that included several novels and more than five hundred poems and stories.
This collection features rare short stories originally published between 1901 and 1932 that haven’t been in print since their initial periodicals. Montgomery scholar Carolyn Strom Collins has curated a selection of funny and heartfelt stories to provide unique insight into how this famed author’s writing developed over her career. With stories like "A Case of Mistaken Identity," "A Platonic Experiment," and "Frank’s Revenge," each tale features an unusual, accidental, or unlikely pair. Montgomery’s brilliantly written characters and strong sense of place paired with Collins’s scholarly context make this collection a must for every Montgomery fan.
