Mark Twain and Buffalo’s Clergy

Dr. Tom Reigstad
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This presentation will describe how Mark Twain used his own Presbyterianism and connections to well-known Presbyterian clergymen to advance his writing career and his social status while living in Buffalo. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89952284851?pwd=dXJRUTFQU2FqVXllQVkyTmJQK1lpdz09

Tom Reigstad is a fourth generation Buffalonian and earned a B.A. in English and a Ph.D. in Composition & Rhetoric from the University of Buffalo. He also holds master’s degrees in literature and English education respectively from the University of Missouri and Canisius College. He is an Emeritus Professor of English at Buffalo State College where he taught writing and American Literature for 26 years and where he continues to teach part-time.

A new, expanded edition of his book, Scribblin’ for a Livin’: Mark Twain’s Pivotal Period in Buffalo, has just been released. He was awarded a researcher-in-residence position at the Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies. His articles on Mark Twain have appeared in The Mark Twain Journal, The Mark Twain Encyclopedia, The Mark Twain Society Bulletin, Western New York Heritage, and other publications.

He also was recently re-elected to a second term as a trustee on the Kenmore-Tonawanda Schools board of education and has served on numerous State Education Department committees.