About the John Gower Society
The International John Gower Society was founded in 1984, with the purpose of furthering understanding and appreciation of the work of the medieval English poet John Gower (d. 1408). It is active world-wide, drawing members currently from Australia, Japan, China, France, Spain, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States.
The Society publishes the John Gower Newsletter twice a year online, providing Society news, announcements of conferences and events of interest to Gowerians, summary/reviews of published scholarship on Gower (which subsequently are reprinted in the online Gower bibliography maintained at the University of Texas at San Antonio), abstracts of papers presented at conferences, and a “Notes and Queries” section, where scholars can ask questions and receive answers from the Society members at large. In addition, since 1987 the Society has sponsored at least two sessions of papers at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo, where it also conducts its annual business meeting.
In 2008, the Society initiated a triannual Congress with a meeting in London; successive Congresses have been hosted at Valladolid (Spain), Rochester (US), Durham (UK, in conjunction with the Early Book Society). The V International Congress, scheduled for 2020, will take place at the University of Notre Dame (US).
Each year since 1991, the Society has awarded the John Hurt Fisher Prize, named in honor of a foundational scholar, to an individual who, like Fisher, “has made a significant contribution to the field of Gower studies.”
With the publisher Boydell & Brewer, the Society issues the John Gower Series, consisting of monographs, collections of essays, and concordances focused on Gower’s life and writings.
John Gower Newsletter
The society publishes the electronic John Gower Newsletter (eJGN) twice annually, in April and October. JGN includes reviews of books and articles related to Gower studies, announcements about upcoming meetings, conference sessions and papers, and recent publications.
Gower Scholarship
JGS also organizes and supports scholarly activities, including sessions at academic conferences. It provides forums for Gower scholars to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and disseminate their research to other scholars and to the general global community.
Gower Pedagogy
JGS seeks to promote the study of Gower’s works at all educational levels by posting pedagogical resources, materials, and ideas for teachers at all levels.
Fro this day forth I thenke change
And speke of thing is noght so strange,
Which every kinde hath upon honde,
And wherupon the world mot stonde,
And hath don sithen it began,
And schal whil ther is any man;
And that is love, of which I mene.
John Gower
Confessio Amantis 1. 9-15
Publications of the John Gower Society
About the Series This series aims to provide a forum for critical studies of the poetry of John...
Statement of Inclusion
The John Gower Society is an open and inclusive organization that seeks to foster collegial,...
Gower Society Officers
President R. F. Yeager, Univ. of West Florida (emeritus)Dept. of English and Foreign Language11000...
John Hurt Fisher Award
The John Hurt Fisher Prize Now Accepting Nominations The Society's highest honor, the Fisher...
Join JGS
Membership The John Gower Society was founded in 1981 and published the first JGN (The John Gower...