"Hebrew Literature Now" is a 2 '-day International symposium bringing together 14 of the foremost young scholars in Hebrew literature to present and discuss contemporary literature being produced in Israel today. No such scholarly event in the US or Israel has ever taken place. The writers being considered have all been born since 1970, and began publishing during the 21st Century. Though much of this writing has had a huge impact on the Israeli reading public, shaped the translation and production industry in the US, and reflects and entirely new kind of discourse taking place in Israeli culture, this writing has received no scholarly attention to date. This symposium provides a venue for exploring this topic, bringing together not only scholars but also writers, translators and publishers of this material, many of whom also hold academic positions at leading Israeli, American and British institutions. The keynote speaker, Dan Laor, brought in partly through the support of the Israel Project through the Program in Jewish Culture and Society, is a renowned academic of Hebrew literature, served as the Dean of Humanities at Tel Aviv University, and is the editor of a leading literary journal. Through his work in all three of these areas, he has fostered the creative talent of this new generation, shaped their development and provided venues (and other opportunities) for their publishing and success. Not only does this event intend to serve the scholarly community, including graduate and undergraduate students at UIUC. It also offers an opportunity to introduce a sample of this new writing to the public. Preceding the opening reception, there will be a public reading of a sample of works, provided (and translated) by many of the participants. This incredibly exciting opportunity to showcase the writing that has redefined the reading public in Israel, is offered in conjunction with support from Dalkey Archive Press and their new series in Hebrew Literature in Translation, and the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature in Israel with whom they work closely. To view the complete program, visit: http://www.jewishculture.illinois.edu/events/conferences/Hebrew%20Conference.png