‘Out of Print’ aims to bring together academics, postgraduates, publishers and the public to examine the variety of ways that writing comes to be out of print. It will explore all aspects of the theme, such as why some writers are neglected, what is at stake during the movement from the printed page to other mediums, the implications of print on demand, and, with the dawn of the Kindle, the position of books, journals and newspapers.

The one-day event on September 16 has been organised by four PhD students in School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at UEA. It came about after Nonia Williams, Diane Freeborn, Kate Jones and Lydia Fellgett formed a reading group last autumn focusing on neglected 20th century writers.

During the conference, the careers and work of figures such as American poet EE Cummings, writers William Faulkner, Elizabeth Taylor and John Wain, ‘avant-garde’ British author Ann Quin and modernist writers Hope Mirrlees and May Sinclair will be among those discussed.

Literary value and criticism and ongoing developments in publishing, such as literary magazines moving from print to online, the uptake of ebooks and the devices used to read them, and the growth of internet poetry, will also be explored.

Co-organiser Lydia Fellgett said: “Rediscovery of neglected writing, the re-branding of second-hand books as desirable retro objects and an ever increasing number of film and television adaptations bring questions of the legacy and future of 20th century writing into ever-sharper focus.

“We’re questioning why some writers are less well known than others, why some big names have become neglected, and looking to the future, for example if people can publish on the internet, does that mean there will be a more democratic reading and publishing process?”

Prof Jan Montefiore from the University of Kent and Dr Nick Turner at Manchester Metropolitan University are the keynote speakers, while a publishers’ panel features Nicola Beauman from Persephone Books and Alexis Kirschbaum from Penguin Modern Classics.

The conference is being funded by UEA’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities Graduate School Knowledge Exchange Grant and supported by CUE East, the university’s community engagement project.

Following on from the conference, the students also plan to start a public reading group at the Forum in Norwich in January.

For more information about ‘Out of Print’ and to register visit http://outofprintconference.co.uk/. The deadline for registrations is Monday September 5.