The Doris Lessing Society fosters the scholarly study of the work of Doris Lessing, winner of the 2007 Nobel for Literature.

We sponsor stimulating scholarly forums, lively society meetings, and a journal committed to the study of Doris Lessing . In April 2004, the Society sponsored the First International Doris Lessing Conference, and in July 2007 sponsored the Second Doris Lessing Conference. Both brought together scholars from all over the world. The Society is planning to sponsor a Doris Lessing Conference every three years. Its members include scholars, teachers, students and common readers.

As an Allied Organization of MLA, the DLS currently sponsors two sessions an on Doris Lessing annually  at MLA, as well as an annual business meeting/social gathering. It is at these meeting that the decisions for next year's MLA sessions are decided.  All are welcome to attend. Numerous papers presented at Lessing MLA sessions have gone on to appear in print.

History

The organization's formal structure dates from January 1977, when the first issue of the Doris Lessing Newsletter was published. The Newsletter has been published continually since then, with one transitional year in 1989-90. The winter issue of 2001 is the 42nd.  With  the Spring issue of 2002, the Newsletter became Doris Lessing Studies.

The MLA Special Sessions provided the initial audience for Lessing scholarship at MLA.  These sessions, which ran for eight consecutive years (1971-78), led naturally to the idea of a newsletter and a society. Made an Allied Organization of the MLA in 1980, the DLS was born within the MLA and continues to thrive through the presentation of two panels annually at the MLA convention, through its annual business meeting, and through the distribution of its journal. Since 1980 and in accordance with its bylaws, the society has had eight presidents: Claire Sprague (emeriti), Brooklyn College), Ellen Cronan Rose (University of Nevada at Las Vegas), Carey Kaplan (St. Michael's College), Betsy Draine (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Virginia Tiger (Rutgers University, Newark), and Phyllis Perrakis (University of Ottawa), Debrah Raschke (Southeast Missouri State University), and Sharon Wilson--current president (Northern Colorado University). The DLS Society bylaws specify other organizational officers, election procedures, and terms of office.

Current Members of the Executive Committee:

President

Tonya Krouse, krouset@nku.edu

Vice-President

Alice Ridout, A.Ridout@leedsmet.ac.uk

Doris Lessing Studies Co-Editors

Phyllis Perrakis pperrakis@gmail.com

Sandra Singer    ssinger@uoguelph.ca

Jeanne Warnock jwarnock@uottawa.ca                            Nadine Mayhew, Copy Editor and Layout                              nadinem@uottawa.ca.

Secretary                Yuan-Jung Cheng, yjung@mail.nsysu.edu.tw

Treasurer

Marilyn Dallman Seymour marilyn-seymour@hotmail.com

Web Manager                   Debrah Raschke draschke@semo.edu

Members-at-Large

Cynthia Port Melanie Hunter Josna Rege Terry Reilly Anne Serafin Virginia Tiger

Ex-Officio Members Claire Sprague         csprague1@earthlink.net Paul Schlueter         schluetp@fast.net Ruth Saxton            saxton@mills.edu Roberta Rubenstein  rubenst@American.edu Linda Weinhouse     LWeinhouse@ccbcmd.edu Debrah Raschke      deraschke@semo.edu