Although cultures around the world vary widely in how they express themselves, they all have traditional stories to tell. Tales of migration are a popular kind of story—whether that migration means traversing regions within the same country or even continents. These sorts of stories will be the focus of a public conference to be held Nov. 11-13, 2004, at the Pyle Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"Tales of Contact and Change: Traditional Stories of Immigration" is presented by the Max Kade Institute and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures. It brings together scholars, storytellers and the public for three days of lively events. There is no cost to attend.

Stories will draw from a wide range of ethnic communities in the Upper Midwest and reflect immigrant experiences from the nineteenth century to the present. Jack Zipes, a professor of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday evening, Nov. 11. His talk will be "To Be or Not To Be Eaten: The Survival of Traditional Storytelling." In Minneapolis, Zipes is the founder of a storytelling project for elementary schools in the city, which he developed in concert with Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis.

Other conference speakers and storytellers include experts in Hmong, African-American, Ojibwe, Swedish-American, German and Ozark stories, among other traditions. Friday and Saturday nights, there will be two-hour "story concerts" beginning at 7 p.m. and centering around specific themes. Friday's night's theme is "Stories of Cultural Contact"; Saturday's is "Community and Humor in Stories."

For more detailed information on the "Tales of Contact and Change" conference, including a complete schedule of events and background information on all of the presenters and their specialties, visit the conference Web site. The public is encouraged to attend this free event.