Introduction: The Power of Stories: Gloucester Tales
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For a second year, scholars made a pilgrimage to Gloucester for a three-day academic conference sponsored by Texas Wesleyan Law School, the University of Gloucestershire, and the Central Gloucester Initiative. This year's conference theme, "The Power of Stories: Intersections of Law, Culture and Literature," was inspired by the medieval folktale about Dick Whittington and his cat. While the City of Gloucester planned various events to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the folktale, such as a re-enactment of Dick Whittington's pilgrimage from Gloucester to London, conference organizers in both the United States and England planned a thought-provoking conference. They did not plan for bombs in London two days before the start of the conference. Nevertheless, scholars remained undeterred in making their pilgrimage from different parts of the European Union, Australia, and the United States. After a visit to Berkeley Castle and a medieval fair complete with jousting, participants gathered at Gloucester Cathedral for choral evensong, a guided tour of the Norman and Gothic styled cathedral (including the tomb of King Edward II-a "hooly blisful martir"), and dinner outside the cloisters where several Harry Potter movies have been filmed. Over the next two days, scholars presented inspiring panels and continued their conversations over a dinner at the Gloucester City Museum and a banquet at the medieval Blackfriars priory hosted by the Texas Wesleyan Law Review.
