Celebrating University Presses at MLA 2018

Posted 10 November 2017 by Stacey Courtney

In the exhibit hall at the MLA convention, attendees have access to a wide range of publishers, from small independent journals to large international booksellers. In honor of University Press Week (6–11 November 2017), we’d like to shine a light on those university presses that will be exhibiting at the 2018 MLA convention in New York City.

More than thirty university presses will exhibit at the 2018 convention. Some, like NYU Press and Columbia University Press, are a quick subway ride away. Others, like Stanford University Press and University of Nebraska Press, will be traveling from across the country, and some, like Edinburgh University Press and University of Toronto Press, will be traveling from outside the United States. Some seem to have been around forever, like Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Johns Hopkins University Press, while others, like University Press of Mississippi and SUNY Press, are relative newcomers.

All these presses exhibit at the MLA convention to provide attendees with access to the most recent publications, often at a great discount. Be sure to visit the exhibit hall and browse among the wide variety of exhibitors. You may find your next favorite book to read or teach, or your next favorite subject to explore, while also catching up with friends and meeting editors.

Located in two halls in the New York Hilton Midtown (Rhinelander Hall, second floor, and Americas I, third floor), the exhibit hall opens on the second day of the convention. The hours are 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. on 5 and 6 January and 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. on 7 January.

All photos by Edward Savaria, Jr. at the 2017 MLA convention in Philadelphia

Explore NYC! Join a Cultural Excursion

Posted 30 October 2017 by Stacey Courtney

New York City is home to a wide range of world-renowned libraries, museums, and cultural institutions, reflective of this city’s rich history and diverse population. The seven excursions created for the 2018 MLA convention take place in six different Manhattan neighborhoods. Join an excursion to experience New York City’s incredible history and culture, from the city’s sidewalks to the inner sanctums of libraries and museums, and return to the convention reinvigorated. Sign up when you register for the convention, or you can write to Michael Reilly if you have already registered.

UPPER EAST SIDE

Steps away from Central Park and a few blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art stands the New York Society Library, home to New York City’s first library. Originally located on Wall Street, the library opened in 1754 and was used by George Washington and John Jay while it served as the nation’s Library of Congress. Join library staff members for an intimate view of the collection’s treasures and conservation room. Learn about the library’s history during a tour of the 1917 town house.

UPPER WEST SIDE

The New-York Historical Society is the oldest museum in New York City. The 1804 landmarked building faces Central Park, next to the American Museum of Natural History. The guided tour highlights artworks and artifacts from the 1700s to present day, reflecting the broad range of New York City’s history. Following the tour, join the head librarian for a visit to the museum’s celebrated library.

MIDTOWN

Bordered by Central Park to the north and the Empire State Building to the south and home to many of Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers, Midtown Manhattan is the city’s business and tourist center. Stroll north to 60th Street and visit the Grolier Club in its 1917 neo-Georgian town house for a curator-led tour of an exhibit on the McLoughlin Brothers’ picture books from 1858 to 1920. Or head south to 42nd Street for an excursion to the New York Public Library’s flagship building, which opened in 1911. Join library staff members for a tour of the landmarked Beaux Arts building along with up-close access to highlights from the library’s collections.

MURRAY HILL

The Morgan Library and Museum, once the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan, sits on Madison Avenue, near the New York Public Library and the Empire State Building. Join museum staff members for a tour of the museum, which includes the original 1906 library, and enjoy special access to the Morgan’s treasured rare book and manuscript collection. Be sure to check out session 329, “Pre-Raphaelites and the Pierpont Morgan Library.”

LOWER EAST SIDE

The Lower East Side is a true melting pot of New York City, where tenement buildings from the 1800s and brand new luxury buildings sit side by side. This area that once housed the newest waves of immigrants and many of the city’s sweatshop workers now boasts some of the hottest restaurants, art galleries, and nightlife in Manhattan. Join the Tenement Museum excursion for a visit to see where and how immigrant families lived, followed by a reception featuring food from the neighborhood and stories of American immigration and migration from Your Story, Our Story.

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

The Financial District is the oldest section of Manhattan, with iconic landmarks such as Bowling Green Park, site of the sale of the Island of Manhattan in 1626; Federal Hall, site of the first capitol of the United States; Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington gave his famous farewell speech; and the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, also the home of the National Museum of the American Indian. Join the excursion to the American Indian museum for a curator-led tour of the exhibit Transformer: Native Art in Light and Sound as well as a private tour of the landmarked building and its history.

Each excursion registration comes with a round-trip MetroCard to facilitate your exploration.

Photo credits: Top photo, Central Park, by Matthew Knott via Flickr. Central photo, NYC View Looking South, and bottom photo, Wall Street, by Anastasia Courtney

Don’t Miss These Preconvention Workshops!

Posted 17 October 2017 by Anna Chang

There’s time still to register for preconvention workshops at this year’s MLA convention in New York City! Many of these workshops focus on career development for members at all stages of their careers and provide opportunities for collaboration and hands-on learning.

Advocating for Your Department
Thursday, 4 January, 8:30–11:30 a.m., Gibson, Hilton
William Nichols, Georgia State U; Emily Todd, Westfield State U

ADE and ADFL presidents will lead a session helping participants become strong, effective advocates for their departments. Together, we will learn how to develop advocacy plans and develop strategies for publicizing department work, recruiting students, and integrating academic departments into campus and community life.

Marketing 101: How to Promote Your Academic Program or Event
Thursday, 4 January, 8:30–11:30 a.m., Gramercy East, Hilton
Siovahn Walker, MLA

The MLA’s director of outreach will lead a practical workshop on marketing academic events, focusing on do-it-yourself tools to promote conferences, public lecture series, and calls for proposals.

Pre-Texts Workshop Series
Thursday, 4 January, 8:30–11:30 a.m.; Friday, 5 January, 8:30–9:45 a.m.; and Saturday, 6 January, 8:30–9:45 a.m. (all three workshops take place in Liberty 3, Sheraton)
Doris Sommer, Harvard U; Jason Charles Courtmanche, U of Connecticut, Storrs

A workshop in collaboration with the Pre-Texts teacher training program will help you find new ways to approach your material by using complex literary texts as the pretext for making art. Our goal will be to use the difficulty of these texts as an opportunity for thought and expansive play, to help us find a motivating energy to carve out new paths in our teaching and research.

Advancing the Field: Connecting Humanities Graduate Education to Community College Teaching
Saturday, 6 January, 8:30–11:30 a.m., Concourse A, Hilton
Elizabeth Alsop, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Rachel Arteaga, U of Washington, Seattle

Increasingly, doctoral programs and community colleges have been working together to integrate their missions and to support equity and diversity in language and literature study. Faculty members, graduate students, and administrators will lead a discussion about the future of this collaboration, as well as a hands-on workshop designed to connect graduate pedagogical training to community college teaching.

Attendance is limited, so sign up when you register for the convention to reserve your spot! If you’ve already registered for the convention, you can e-mail Michael Reilly to sign up for a workshop.

Welcome to the 2018 MLA Annual Convention

Posted 8 September 2017 by Karin Bagnall

Welcome to NYC! The city is home not only to MLA HQ and most of my colleagues but to over a thousand MLA members. Native New Yorkers and new arrivals from every state and most countries in the world can be found here (all 8.5 million of us). As Whitman said, I am large, I contain multitudes.

You want modern languages? Head to Queens where 138 languages are spoken. Or just ride the subway—you’ll hear dozens!

You want the cuisines of all those cultures? From Dominican in Washington Heights to Middle Eastern in Bay Ridge, from Korean in Midtown to Caribbean in Crown Heights, we’ve got you covered (don’t even ask about Flushing—you name it, they’ve got it). We invite all locals to share their favorite restaurants (’cause we’ve all got an opinion!).

National monuments? From the African Burial Grounds in Lower Manhattan to Hamilton Grange in Harlem, from Stonewall in Greenwich Village to the Statue of Liberty, we’ve got history too.

Which brings me to this year’s convention logo—it’s no accident that the Statue of Liberty is featured. Like Lady Liberty, we welcome you!

The convention contains multitudes as well: over 800 sessions with more than 3,000 participants representing hundreds of institutions. You’ll find sessions in your field as well as many outside your usual area of expertise. We’re expanding our professional development offerings so that we can better support you in our ever changing world. Explore new ideas at the convention, spend time with old friends, and meet new colleagues. Be part of the MLA community and start the conversation here!

Top image © NYC & Company/Christopher Postlewaite. www.nycgo.com
Image collage, clockwise from top left: Thomas Hawk, Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin, Michael Muraz, Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

New Session Formats in 2018

Posted 27 January 2017 by Karin Bagnall

The Executive Council, acting on the advice of the Program Committee, has approved several new formats for sessions at the convention as well as some changes to existing formats. We’re excited to launch these new ways for MLA members to discuss their work with one another at the 2018 convention in New York City. In this post, we’ll briefly introduce the new formats and the changes to existing formats; we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have in the comments section below.

What’s New?

In addition to our existing session formats—including formal panels, roundtables, workshops, and special events—we will in 2018 offer working groups and poster sessions.

Working Groups

Like the seminars offered at some other conferences, working groups will provide a means for a group of members to meet together to discuss their work in multiple sessions during the convention. Working groups can be proposed by any MLA member. Organizers must submit a call for participation by 28 February, which will be publicized to the membership on MLA Commons. The organizers will then identify a group of eight to twelve participants, who commit to meet on two or three mornings during the convention, and submit a proposal that will be evaluated by the Program Committee. Forums and other MLA entities may not submit a working group as one of their guaranteed sessions.

All approved working groups will be required to establish groups on MLA Commons, through which papers and other materials must be circulated to participants and auditors before the convention. Session time will then be used for very brief presentations and extended discussion rather than for the reading of papers. Working groups will be strongly encouraged to develop a collective project or outcome from their session.

Note that, because a working group extends over multiple sessions during the convention, participation will constitute multiple appearances in the program and will thus be subject to the limitations on convention participation. (Participants are limited to two appearances in the convention program.)

Poster Sessions

The existing electronic-roundtable session format has for several years functioned very successfully as a small-scale poster session, but in 2018 we are creating larger-scale poster sessions for presenters who are working on projects that may or may not be digital. Poster sessions such as these form important parts of many large conferences, bringing attendees together for lively one-on-one discussions.

Individual members may propose posters or project demonstrations highlighting work that may be pedagogical, institutional, or research-oriented. Proposals will be evaluated by the Program Committee. Presenters will be available during the poster session to discuss the projects with attendees. Presenters may bring their laptops to display their projects, if electronic, or bring posters for display.

What’s Changing?

In addition to the new session formats above, we are making a few changes to existing formats.

Roundtables

Roundtables are intended to focus on open discussion of broad scholarly or professional questions. As a result, we are strongly discouraging formal presentations during these sessions. Proposals must demonstrate an emphasis on engagement between panelists and attendees.

Workshops

This year in Philadelphia, we were pleased to offer a rich slate of workshops, many of which focused on career development for participants with a wide range of interests and at various stages of their careers. We are encouraging the expansion of these offerings in 2018, and we are giving proposers an opportunity to present their workshops twice, if desired. Such workshops will likely be offered in two streams, on Thursday/Saturday and on Friday/Sunday, making it possible for more attendees to take advantage of these offerings.

Workshops should focus on hands-on learning and career development with clear takeaways for participants. We encourage advance registration, but walk-in attendance may be allowed, space permitting.

Philadelphia and Beyond

Posted 27 January 2017 by Karin Bagnall

Thank you!

Tyler Sprague via Flickr

It’s been a little over two weeks now since the 2017 MLA Annual Convention ended in Philadelphia. I’d like to thank you all—attendees, presenters, facilitators, session organizers—for creating a wonderful meeting. Hundreds of sessions addressed the presidential theme, Boundary Conditions. We had a number of new initiatives, from K–16 partnerships to more workshops on professional issues. We expanded offerings from the Connected Academics project. And, of course, we had sessions on everything from Austen to zombies, thanks to the allied organizations, forums, MLA committees, and individual members who proposed and organized sessions.

If you haven’t done so already, please post your presentation to CORE and continue the conversations you started in Philadelphia on MLA Commons. And if you missed Kwame Anthony Appiah’s presidential address, we hope you’ll take the opportunity to listen to or read it online.

Many thanks to our exhibitors. They bring the latest publications, software, and services to attendees at great discounts, and I hope you were able to stop by one of their many receptions and book signings. Our exhibitors support authors and the convention by taking part—please continue to support them!

Thank you to the volunteers who helped greet and direct attendees. I hope you all had a chance to interact with them. We’ll be continuing this program next year.

There are many people behind the scenes at the convention: hotel workers, convention center staff members, audiovisual technicians, to name just a few. Every year they tell me how happy they are to have the MLA in town and how much they enjoy hosting you. Thank you for starting off their year on a great note!

So, now that you’ve all had a chance to catch your breath, what about next year? No, it’s not too early to start thinking about 2018 in New York City! The presidential theme for 2018 is #States of Insecurity. Calls for papers can be posted and browsed now—the deadline for posting is 28 February. We’re especially looking for session proposals that fit into the new categories brought before the Delegate Assembly—check out the descriptions here and please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or ideas.

Surviving and Thriving at the MLA Convention

Posted 27 December 2016 by Natalie M. Houston

If you’ve never attended the MLA convention before, or if you haven’t been to it for a few years, you might be wondering what to expect. Because of its size and the range of professional activities that occur there, the MLA convention is very different from most other academic conferences. Here are a few suggestions drawn from my experience and that of my fellow contributors at ProfHacker that can help you make the most of your time at the convention.

What to Bring

Your convention badge, which you should receive via postal mail a couple of weeks before the convention. If you forget or lose your badge, you will need to pay a $15.00 fee for a replacement. Once you arrive at the convention, there will be badge holders available at the registration tables and welcome centers. You need to wear your badge in order to attend most sessions and the book exhibit.
Shoes/boots/hat/umbrella, etc., for bad weather. Some hotels will have a check room if you want to check your coat or a bag with muddy shoes, etc. The Convention Daily list of updates (available at the welcome center in the Pennsylvania Convention Center) will provide information about coat check locations and fees.
Portable snacks. The convention schedule is really full and sometimes so are the cafés and restaurants near the main hotels. Having an energy bar, nuts, or dried fruit in your bag can be a useful resource, especially if you’re nervous or hurried.
In Getting Ready for Conferences, Mark Sample reminds us to consider various aspects of what we need to pack and bring for a conference.

Navigating the Convention

There are eighteen MLA hotels, often at some distance from each other. Wear comfortable walking shoes. The Convention Guide (available as PDF or print brochure) includes a map with all of the conference hotels.
The elevators, particularly in the main venues where sessions are held, are often slow due to the large numbers of attendees. Plan extra time to get to an interview or session.
If you will be interviewing while at the convention, you will probably be told you will either “look us up at the Job Information Center” or “we are in Dr. John Doe’s room at the Hotel X.” Since room numbers are not assigned until a person checks in, you will need to obtain room numbers on site. Keep in mind that hotel operators cannot give out room numbers. One way to find the room number is to visit the Job Information Center at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (204, level 2). Here, MLA staff members will have room numbers for many departments that are conducting interviews in a hotel room and table numbers for all departments that are conducting interviews in the Job Center’s interview area.
Not all schools use the Job Information Center, so don’t rely on it if you haven’t been told to check there. In such a case, before your interview, you need to call the front desk of that hotel to be connected to the room of your contact person. When s/he answers, identify yourself and ask for the room number. (Most hotels have house phones available in the lobby that you can use for this purpose.) A flyer with additional information, including telephone numbers for all convention hotels, will be available at MLA convention registration desks and in the Job Center.

Attending and Presenting at Sessions

Before you arrive at the convention, take some time to browse through the convention program, available in a print form (as an issue of PMLA), online, and as a mobile app, and choose a few sessions in advance that you want to attend. Note down the session number, venue, and room number.
Convention sessions are typically held in two main venues. Sessions now include a variety of formats, such as roundtables and poster sessions, as well as conventional three-speaker panels.
Try to arrive a few minutes early, as some sessions fill up quickly.
Brian Croxall’s suggestions on Attending A Conference Productively include advice about preparing your presentation, being a responsible copanelist, and how to introduce yourself to people you meet.
Erin Templeton’s post How to Deliver an Effective Conference Paper offers excellent tips for preparing your reading copy and practicing your delivery.
If you’re presenting or moderating a panel, I suggested some Best Practices for Timekeeping at Conference Panels.

Connecting with People

There are lots of opportunities at the MLA convention to meet people who share your interests. Because there will be thousands of people attending the convention, whatever steps you can take to connect with people before you arrive will make it easier when you’re there. That might mean arranging to meet a friend for lunch or dinner on a certain day; e-mailing someone who’s giving a talk on a topic related to your own work to say you’re looking forward to that session; or joining in the preconference conversation on Twitter (follow hashtag #MLA17).
If you feel a bit nervous or socially awkward, just remember that many of the other people attending MLA feel exactly the same way. Being the first person to say something can be an act of social generosity.
If you’re a graduate student, be sure to check out the list of panels and gatherings of interest to graduate students.
As Brian puts it, “Plan meals or coffee breaks with the interesting people that you know you want to catch up with so you make sure that it will happen” while also leaving space in your schedule for serendipity. You never know who you’ll run into in a crowded hotel lobby.

Self-Care

Pace yourself. Don’t try to attend every panel session in a given day. It’s OK (recommended, even!) to go out for a walk or back to your room for some quiet time.
Take care of your body: fit in some exercise, a bath, or a nap. (Or the self-care trifecta of all three!) Research some dining options online before you arrive so that you’ll know where to go when you walk out of your hotel for dinner. Heather Whitney offers A Few Strategies for Eating Well at Conferences.
Drink more water. Dry winter air and overheated hotel rooms can rapidly dehydrate you, leading to headaches and mental fatigue.
Do whatever will make you feel relaxed: if that’s going out with your grad school pals or sitting in your hotel room watching TV, then do it.

For all kinds of reasons, there’s nothing quite like the MLA convention. Plan a little before you arrive, get involved, and enjoy yourself!

Welcome to the 2017 Convention!

Posted 6 October 2016 by Karin Bagnall

Photo by bklphoto.com for PHLCVB

Welcome! Philadelphia has hosted the MLA convention several times in this millennium and will do so again this January. For those of you who’ve attended those conventions—and certainly for many of us on staff—Philadelphia has become a home away from home. This year all sessions will take place at the Philadelphia Marriott and the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which are connected by an interior skyway.

This year’s Program features 800 sessions and events and nearly 3,500 participants; almost 400 sessions address the presidential theme, Boundary Conditions. Our updated information page includes a new section on professional-development sessions—be sure to make time for those that are of interest.

Photo by PHLCVB

Join the 2017 MLA Convention group and create a group or blog for your session. Deposit your presentation on CORE, add the #mla17 tag, and link to the file from an annotation in the Program. Take advantage of the opportunity to begin a conversation online.

Since the MLA last visited Philadelphia in 2009, the city has many new attractions. Sign up for a cultural excursion and check out the museums, the fabulous restaurants, and more. Philadelphia natives and fans: we’re counting on you to post your favorites, edible or otherwise, on MLA Commons.

The MLA convention is created by members. Members organize sessions, from those proposed by individuals, to forum and committee sessions, to sessions sponsored by allied organizations. This is your convention—register today and come take part in it!

Cultural Excursions at the 2017 MLA Convention

Posted 5 October 2016 by Stacey Courtney

Join one of the MLA’s cultural excursions and discover some of the many gems of Philadelphian history. You can take a break from the convention’s hectic pace and join a small group of like-minded colleagues to explore aspects of the recent and distant past that have marked this city through the years. Then return to the convention refreshed and renewed for more fascinating sessions and networking opportunities. Sign up when you register for the convention, or you can write to Michael Reilly if you have already registered.

History through Murals

Are you arriving early? Explore the city’s diverse neighborhoods and cultural history from the warmth and comfort of a trolley ride with a tour of masterpieces from the iconic Philadelphia Mural Arts program, the largest public arts program in the United States. Tour director Ellen Soloff will explain the history behind each mural, provide information about the artists, and describe how they relate to their locations. Wrap up the tour at the Mural Arts workshop, talk with one of the muralists, and learn more about the process and program.

Fine Art Firsts

Philadelphia is home to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the first fine-arts school and first art museum in the country. Trace our nation’s history through pieces by Thomas Eakins, Charles Willson Peale, and Benjamin West and explore Philadelphia’s past through works that detail the founding of the first museum, the creation of the first public waterworks and public fountain, the launch of the first steamboat (on the Schuylkill River), and the establishment of the first medical school and university. Monica Zimmerman, Director of Museum Education, will lead a tour through the museum and art school, including private access to the Historic Cast Hall, which is not normally open to the public. Your excursion ticket includes a complimentary return visit over the weekend.

Revolutionary Arts

Explore the art, literature, and other forces that shaped Mexican culture in the first half of the twentieth century. Join curators from the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a special tour through the landmark Mexican modernism exhibition, Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950, the most comprehensive exhibition of Mexican modernism to be shown in the United States in more than seventy years. Following that, enjoy a special visit to the museum’s collection of works by Thomas Eakins, Philadelphia’s own bad boy whose revolutionary approaches to painting and teaching are still evident today.

By Nfutvol, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10381792

Literary History

Located in historic Rittenhouse Square, the Rosenbach Museum and Library houses the personal collection of books and artifacts by renowned book dealer and art collector A. S. W. Rosenbach and his brother and business partner Philip Rosenbach. Enjoy a guided tour of this landmarked townhouse (formerly the brothers’ home) along with a rare and in-depth look at journals, letters, and other writings by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. The second Rosenbach excursion focusing on banned books is already sold out, but there is still space on the wait list.

Lists of Sessions on Various Topics, 2016

Posted 21 December 2015 by Nicky Agate

Lists of recommended sessions and resources relating to particular topics at the 2016 MLA Annual Convention in Austin appear below. They have been provided by MLA members and committees, as well as by MLA staff members. We welcome additional submissions for inclusion. Please note that the MLA is not responsible for content from outside sources. If you have a list of sessions you’d like to submit for consideration, please e-mail the MLA Commons team.

Sessions Relating to the Presidential Theme, Literature and Its Publics

Sessions Sponsored by the Association of Departments of English (ADE)

Sessions Sponsored by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL)

Sessions of Interest to Community College Faculty Members (Committee on Community Colleges)

Events of Interest to Graduate Student Members (Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Profession)

Sessions on Careers (Connected Academics)

Sessions of Potential Interest to Contingent Faculty Members (Committee on Contingent Labor in the Profession)

19th-Century Panels at MLA 16 (The Hoarding)

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2016 (Philip Nel)

Unofficial MLA 2016 List of “Digital Humanities” Sessions (Crowdsourced by Mark Sample)

Book History / Bibliography / Pedagogy / &C Sessions at #MLA16 (Of Pilcrows)

Disability Studies Sessions at #MLA16 (Adam P. Newman)