Thursday, 9 January 8:30 a.m.
1. Research for the Future of Nineteenth-Century Latin American Studies
8:30–11:30 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century Latin American. Presiding: Maria Alejandra Aguilar, Florida Atlantic U; Vanesa Miseres, U of Notre Dame
Speakers: Sandra Araya, King’s C London; Alejandra Decker, U of California, Berkeley; Yamile Ferreira, Washington U in St. Louis; Wyatt Leaf, Princeton U; Laura Liendo, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Blanca Azalia Rosas Barrera, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología; Hugo Salas, U of Pennsylvania; Valeria Seminario, U of Pennsylvania
This session brings together graduate students and postdoctoral fellows whose work explores long-nineteenth-century Latin American literary, critical, and cultural studies in novel and exciting ways, making visible the next generation of scholars and offering a snapshot of the field’s future.
2. Preconvention Workshop: Become a Certified External Reviewer for the ADE
8:30–11:30 a.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Gaurav G. Desai, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Gayle Rogers, U of Pittsburgh
This workshop trains faculty members to become expert external reviewers of departments and programs of English. Faculty members who wish to acquire experience in reviewing or to learn more about the process are strongly encouraged to attend; those with experience will also benefit from the full review of current best practices. Preregistration is required.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tx8vUnTMxFXlQbnFB4Fv_nH8uOOk7vWs?usp=drive_link after 20 Dec.
3. Actionable AI in the Humanities Classroom: A Workshop with the MLA-CCCC Task Force on AI
8:30–11:30 a.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA-CCCC Ad Hoc Committee on AI. Presiding: Leonardo Flores, Appalachian State U
Speakers: David Green, Jr., Howard U; Sarah Z. Johnson, Madison C, WI
Participants work with facilitators in language, literature, and writing programs—using the task force’s resources on AI’s risks and benefits, policy development, and AI literacy and any materials participants want to workshop—to map out actionable, equitable guidelines and curricular interventions that they can adopt locally and to collaborate on foundational priorities for educators’ use of AI. Preregistration is required.
For related material, visit aiandwriting.hcommons.org/working-paper-1/.
3A. Transformative Writing Partnerships: Prioritizing Community-Led Visions
8:30–11:30 a.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Aimée Knight, Saint Joseph’s U
Speaker: Aimée Knight
Addressing the urgent need for a shift in community-university collaborations within writing studies and offering actionable steps to move beyond surface-level approaches, participants engage with a transformative community-led design framework that prioritizes the visions, strengths, and assets of community partners. Preregistration is required.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:64209/.
4. Preconvention Workshop: Become a Certified External Reviewer for the ALD
8:30–11:30 a.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the Association of Language Departments. Presiding: Maggie Broner, Saint Olaf C; Jennifer M. William, Purdue U, West Lafayette
This workshop trains faculty members to become expert external reviewers of departments and programs of world languages, literatures, and cultures and related disciplines. Faculty members who wish to acquire experience in reviewing are strongly encouraged to attend; those with experience will also benefit from the full review of current best practices. Preregistration is required.
5. Leading Curricular Change
8:30–11:30 a.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Christine A. Wooley, Eckerd C
In this workshop, participants learn strategies for successful curricular revision and reform. Working with an experienced administrator using methods including design thinking and case studies, each attendee develops a plan for leading change with department colleagues, collaborating with administrators on curriculum and assessment, and advocating for resources. Preregistration is required.
Thursday, 9 January 11:45 a.m.
5A. Beyond the Professoriat: Career Pathways for Job Seekers in English
11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m., Churchill B1
Program arranged by the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Ayanni Cooper, MLA
Speakers: Jahidul Alam, U of Louisiana, Lafayette; Carrie Johnston, Southern Methodist U; Aundeah Kearney, J. P. Morgan Chase and Co.Representatives from across the humanities ecosystem at different types of institutions and organizations discuss career paths for PhDs and mentoring strategies for today’s complex job search. Topics include search mechanics (CVs, letters, interviews), identifying passions and opportunities, developing multiyear job-search and career strategies, negotiating offers, and the roles doctoral preparation and research play in one’s day-to-day work life.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/1oCDEg8xBcyxcEPfbNx6C_93lCELYWAIk61rmpreG4U/edit?usp=sharing after 8 Jan.
6. Beyond the Professoriat: Diverse Career Pathways in World Languages
11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Mai Hunt, MLA
Speakers: Yuzhou Bai, Williams C; Sam Caldis, Brown U; Kelsey Seymour, Pluto TV; EJ Thomas, ITHAKASpeakers discuss career opportunities in fields outside the academy—in museums and libraries; government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations; industry and financial services; K–12 teaching; and the language industry—addressing transferable skills from graduate training and offering guidance on navigating the complex job market. Explore where a humanities PhD can take you beyond the professoriat!
Thursday, 9 January 12:00 noon
7. Virginia Woolf and Utopian Skepticism
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the International Virginia Woolf Society. Presiding: Shilo McGiff, independent scholar; Amy Smith, Lamar U
1. “Elizabeth Dalloway’s Chinese Eyes: Envisaging an Alternative Future,” Jingjing Cao, U of Exeter
2. “For the ‘Love of Beautiful Things or of Good Persons’: Queer Utopias in Jacob’s Room and The Waves,” J. Ashley Foster, California State U, Fresno
3. “‘Odious Rice Pudding of a Book’: Woolf’s Failed Novel, Failing Bodies, and Failing Body Politics,” Benjamin Bengtson, U of British Columbia
8. Rage: Early Modern Women, Gender, and Anger
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender. Presiding: Shannon Kelley, Fairfield U
Speakers: Cora Fox, Arizona State U, Tempe; Joanna Huh, U of Cincinnati; Preea Leelah, Williams C; Patti Wareh, Union C; Haihong Yang, U of Delaware, Newark
Panelists take a global perspective on early modern women, gender, and anger, focusing on work that centers English, French, Chinese, and Portuguese scholarship.
9. Modernism, Social Action, and the Legacy of Samuel Beckett
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the Samuel Beckett Society. Presiding: Patrick W. Bixby, Arizona State U, Phoenix
Speakers: Daniel Hengel, Hofstra U; Vincent Hiscock, U of California, Irvine; Ryan Kerr, U of Florida; Roya Liu, Stony Brook U, State U of New York; Muhammad Saeed Nasir, Emerson U, Multan; Katherine Weiss, California State U, Los Angeles
Welcoming the voices of both emerging and established scholars, this session aims to assess the enduring significance of modernist literary experimentation for social action and political engagement, with a particular emphasis on the artistic legacy of Samuel Beckett.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/samuel-beckett-society/ after 1 Dec.
10. Wallace Stevens and Classicism
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the Wallace Stevens Society. Presiding: Andrew Osborn, U of Dallas
1. “‘A Part of Labor and a Part of Pain’: Stevens, Eudaimonia, Disability,” Andrew David King, U of California, Berkeley
2. “‘Wrenched out of Chaos’: Wallace Stevens and the Sublime,” Kelly C. MacPhail, U of Minnesota, Duluth
3. “The Birth of Tragedy in Stevens and Nietzsche: Poetry and Ethics between Hellenism and Hebraism,” Ian Tan, Nanyang Technological U
4. “The Motive for Metamorphosis: Ovidian Strategies in the Poetry of Wallace Stevens,” Peter Tardiff, U of Dallas
11. (In)Visibility in the Marginalized Field of Italian American Studies
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the Italian American Studies Association. Presiding: Alan J. Gravano, Rocky Mountain U
1. “What You Don’t See Is What We Don’t Get: Invisibility and Italian Diaspora Studies,” Fred L. Gardaphe, Queens C, City U of New York
2. “Illness, AIDS, and Affect in Robert Ferro’s Novels,” Ryan Calabretta-Sajder, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
3. “Italian American Ghost Gardens in the Gulf South,” Rosetta Giuliani-Caponetto, Auburn U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/italian-american/documents/.
12. Teaching Phillis Wheatley Peters
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forum TC Race and Ethnicity Studies. Presiding: Sam Plasencia, Colby C
Speakers: Drea Brown, Texas State U; Tara Bynum, U of Iowa; Brigitte Fielder, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Donald Holmes II, U of Pittsburgh; Sarah Ruffing Robbins, Texas Christian U; Xine Yao, University C London
Panelists discuss pedagogical methods for teaching Phillis Wheatley (Peters) to students and teachers in London and the US North, South, and Midwest. Scholars draw on their experience to describe how they make her life, poems, and letters visible and legible to a variety of audiences and to reflect on the institutional and educational structures that delimit teaching her.
13. Arthuriana Lost and Found
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Arthurian. Presiding: Laurie Anne Finke, Kenyon C
1. “Not Just Parroting: Originality, Motifs, Minor Arthuriana, and the Ethics of Canonization,” Melissa Ridley Elmes, Lindenwood U
2. “Frankincense, Myrrh, and Laurel: Notes on Some Forgotten Smells and Their Symbolic Role in Chrétien,” Lea Fougerolle, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
3. “Lydgate’s Arthurs,” Clint Morrison, U of Texas, Austin
4. “Whose Grail? Lost Tales and Fake News in Naomi Mitchison’s To the Chapel Perilous,” Susan Aronstein, U of Wyoming
14. Aesthetics and Politics
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the Marxist Literary Group. Presiding: Davis Smith-Brecheisen, U of Texas, Dallas
1. “What Neoconcretism Knew,” Nicholas Mainey Brown, U of Illinois, Chicago
2. “On the Rightness of Photography,” Emilio Sauri, U of Massachusetts, Boston
3. “Chartism’s Last Gasp,” Marie Sanazaro, American U of Beirut
4. “Baldwin’s Protest Novel,” Davis Smith-Brecheisen
15. Genres of Criticism, Genres in Criticism
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum TM Literary Criticism. Presiding: Stephen Best, U of California, Berkeley
Speakers: Emma Davenport, Emory U; Jane Hu, U of Southern California; Lauren Jackson, Northwestern U; Jeremy Rosen, U of Utah; Caleb Smith, Yale U; Ross Wilson, U of Cambridge
Panelists discuss the genres that shape criticism today and the aesthetic and intellectual forms of criticism in the tension between the academic and the public.
16. Hope and Despair in Nineteenth-Century America
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century American. Presiding: Julia Lee, U of California, Irvine
1. “Speculative Dre(a)d: Enclaves of Subjunctive Subjectivity in Dred (1856) and Blake (1859–62),” Justin Chandler, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
2. “Interrupted Visionary Fictions: The Speculative Hope and Despair of Martin Delany’s Blake,” Seth Cosimini, Vassar C
3. “Negotiating Gender and Racial Notions of Despair with Intimate Partner Violence and Suicide in the Long Latinx Nineteenth Century,” Nicole M. Guidotti-Hernández, Northeastern U
4. “Hope and Despair in the State Void of Israel Potter,” Michelle Sizemore, U of Kentucky
17. Verse versus Prose
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum GS Poetry and Poetics. Presiding: Jahan Ramazani, U of Virginia
1. “Prosaic Verse Meets Poetry: Italian Troubadours and Dante,” Marisa Galvez, Stanford U
2. “Cervantes’s Prosimetric Eclogue,” Gabrielle Ponce, Wesleyan U
3. “Versaic versus Prosaic,” Jonathan Atkins, Stanford U
4. “From Footnotes to Fibonacci Sonnets: The Numerology of Prose Poetry,” Sylvia Onorato, Princeton U
18. Palestine and the Health Humanities
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum TC Medical Humanities and Health Studies. Presiding: Nishant Shahani, Washington State U, Vancouver
1. “Debility and Disability in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece,” Janene G. Lewis, U of Mary Hardin-Baylor
2. “Population Culling and the Colonial Logics of Aid,” Chelsea Kopp, Washington State U, Vancouver
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Dec.
19. Health and Medicine in Colonial Latin America: Power, Race, and Gender through Texts and Contexts, Politics, and Practices
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum LLC Colonial Latin American. Presiding: Karen A. Stolley, Emory U
1. “The Gaze of the Administrator: Medical Care and Hospital Reports in Colonial Lima,” Jose Cardenas Bunsen, Vanderbilt U
2. “Indigenous Knowledges and the Imperial Archive: Nahua Health and Healing in the Relaciones geograficas,” Kelly McDonough, U of Texas, Austin
3. “Power, Silence, and Pharmaka in the Oldest Herbolario: The Politics of Indigenous and Spanish Medicines,” Giovanni Salazar Calvo, Oklahoma State U, Stillwater
4. “Midwifery, Pregnancy, and Childcare in Bartolomé de Las Casas’s Biopolitical Medicine,” Paola Uparela, U of Florida
20. Visible Archives
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Parish
Program arranged by the forum GS Nonfiction Prose. Presiding: Jenny Cookson, U of Colorado, Boulder
1. “Fragmented Recollections: Y-Dang Troeung’s Refugee Memoir,” Eleanor R. Ty, Wilfrid Laurier U
2. “Reframing Silenced Narratives about Violence in Mexican-American and Bosnian-German Memoir,” Arne Romanowski, U of Dayton
3. “Examining the Indigenous Ideological Investments of the Massachusetts State Seal in Mid-Evolution,” Lydia Burleson, Stanford U
4. “Positional Pandemonium at the Royal Society of London; or, Where Did the ‘New Science’ Know From?,” Alexander Sherman, Stanford U
21. (In)Visible Pains: Medicine and Disease in Galdós’s Works
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the International Association of Galdós Scholars. Presiding: Sara Munoz-Muriana, Dartmouth C
1. “An Affliction That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Postpartum Psychosis in the Later Novelas contemporánea,” Gareth Wood, University C London
2. “Molding the Medical Professional: Student Practitioners and Galdós,” Erika Maurine Sutherland, Muhlenberg C
3. “Degenerative Illnesses and Bourgeois Critique in Galdós’s Lo prohibido,” Stacy Davis, Truman State U
4. “Industrial (Dis)Orders: The Sublime Mechanized Body in Galdós and Pardo Bazán,” Sarah Sierra, Virginia Tech
22. Environmental Racism and Justice in Literature and Culture
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 19
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on the Literatures of People of Color in the United States and Canada. Presiding: Regina Mills, Texas A&M U, College Station
1. “Olfactory Ecologies: Investigating Oil’s Smelly Residues in Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep,” Anthony Gomez, U of Oklahoma
2. “Environmental Justice in N. K. Jemisin’s ‘Emergency Skin,’” Sage Gerson, Rhode Island School of Design
3. “Jean Toomer as Ecological Thinker: Environmental and Cultural Conservation in Cane,” Anthony Shoplik, Loyola U, Chicago
4. “Coding Oil among the Plantations: Energy Injustice in Digital Game Worlds,” Jason de Lara Molesky, Saint Louis U
25. The Hope of Hybridity
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Cambridge
A special session. Presiding: Claire Sommers, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “Garments, Greene, and Gillyvors: Costume, Theater, and Tragicomedy in The Winter’s Tale,” Claire Sommers
2. “Why Children? Collins’s Reply, Enough of Science and of Heart,” Aileen Farrar, Nova Southeastern U
3. “The Subaltern Library: Hybrid Scholarship as Anticolonial Resistance in R. F. Kuang’s Babel,” Kyle Garton-Gundling, Christopher Newport U
4. “Decolonizing Black African Beauty? The Ambivalences of Hybridity in Afropolitan Fashion in Paris,” Suzie Telep, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
26. Samuel R. Delany and the Pornographic
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 6
A special session. Presiding: David S. Kurnick, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Speakers: Ethan Fukuto, Northwestern U; Gabriel Ojeda-Sague, U of Chicago; Steven Ruszczycky, California State Polytechnic U, San Luis Obispo; Connor Spencer, Columbia U; Rebecca Teich, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Omari Weekes, Queens C, City U of New York
Focusing on the pornographic fiction of Samuel R. Delany, with attention to its conditions of production, subversive imagery, affective intensities, and sociopolitical critique, participants reflect on Delany’s pornography not as a simple addendum to his more recognized works of science fiction but as a key component to his oeuvre.
27. Collective Self-Fashioning in South American Colonial Festivals
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Miguel Valerio, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “Evangelizing Settlers in Jose de Anchieta’s Auto of St. Maurice,” Nicole T. Hughes, Stanford U
2. “Festivals, Race, and Print Culture in Colonial Brazil,” Miguel Valerio
29. Comparative Global Nineteenth-Century Studies: Questions, Theories, Methodologies
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 16
A special session. Presiding: Jessica Valdez, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
Speakers: Zarena Aslami, Michigan State U; Sukanya Banerjee, U of California, Berkeley; Amy E. Martin, Mount Holyoke C; Jessie Reeder, Binghamton U, State U of New York; Rachel Teukolsky, Vanderbilt U; Alisha Walters, Penn State U, Abington; Olivia Lingyi Xu, Northwestern U
Panelists engage in a metaconversation about the conundrums posed by the global turn in nineteenth-century research. How do we think across regions that are usually studied separately? How is global studies different from empire studies or the transimperial? How do the elements of otherness cemented in the nineteenth century—race, class, gender, nation, and religion, among others—enter into our understanding of the global and its comparatisms?
30. New Voices in Chinese Science Fiction
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Chart A
A special session. Presiding: Hua Li, Montana State U, Bozeman
1. “Native Soil on Another Planet? Pema Tseden’s Tibetan Calendar as Minority Polemic,” Michael O’Krent, Harvard U
2. “Rediscovering Chinese Science Fiction,” Yijun Liu, Binghamton U, State U of New York
3. “Technologized Domestic Labor in Postsocialist China,” Yihan Wang, Washington U in St. Louis
4. “Coevolution and Species Diversity in Shuang Chi Mu’s ‘My Family and Other Evolving Animals,’” Hua Li
31. Editing for Social Change: Pasts, Plights, and Paths
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Compass
A special session. Presiding: Benjamin Lee, Library of Congress
Speakers: Jim Casey, Penn State U, University Park; Kelley Kreitz, Pace U, New York; Joshua Ortiz Baco, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Nathan Robinson, Current Affairs
Scholars and journalists discuss the invisible craft, politics, and histories of editorship, aiming to bridge current debates in the media and in print culture studies, and explore editing’s roles within movements for social change in the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries.
32. Indigenous Literatures Now! Collective Pasts and Presents
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 7
A special session. Presiding: Cristina Stanciu, Virginia Commonwealth U
1. “Wayreading as Transmotion: Craig Santos Perez’s Aesthetic Communities,” Geronimo Sarmiento Cruz, U of Kentucky
2. “Black-Native Desire(s): Notes on Grief, Care, and the Work of Memory,” Morgan Ridgway, Harvard U
3. “How to Be Good Ancestors? Examining Native Ancestors in Miko Kings and Man Made Monsters,” Abhijit Sarmah, U of Georgia
4. “Studying and Teaching Indigenous Literatures in Translation: Practices and Pedagogies,” Sarah Henzi, Simon Fraser U
33. Uncanny Spaces in Domestic Places: Haunted Houses in Women’s Detective Fiction
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Leonard Cassuto, Fordham U
1. “‘Death Had Often Occurred There’: Inherited Transgression in Anna Katharine Green,” Keli Masten, Ferris State U
2. “The English Country House in Interwar Crime Fiction: Where Gothic and Golden Age Overlap,” Kerstin-Anja Münderlein, U of Bamberg
3. “‘A Mass of Contradictions’: Agatha Christie’s Gothic Modernity,” Gill Plain, U of St Andrews
34. The Event of Psychoanalysis Now: Psychic Life under Polycrisis
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Magazine
A special session
1. “Jameson and Psychoanalysis: Dialectical Criticism in Omnicrisis,” Anna Kornbluh, U of Illinois, Chicago
2. “Virginia Woolf, Ling Ma, and Pandemic Melancholia,” Jennifer Spitzer, Ithaca C
3. “AI Companions: Therapeutic Promise and Peril,” Anna Mukamal, Coastal Carolina U
For related material, write to [email protected].
35. Autotheory as Learning Theory: Social Selves at the Threshold of Meaning
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 15
A special session. Presiding: Lizzie Hutton, Miami U, Oxford
1. “Autotheory and Literacy Learning: Autotheory for Beginners,” Lizzie Hutton
2. “Sarah Winnemucca: Word Warrior,” Anne Ruggles Gere, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “Critics in Community: Autotheory’s Lessons for the Literature Classroom,” Kyle Frisina, C of the Holy Cross
36. Bad Novels
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill B2
A special session
Speakers: Farah Bakaari, Cornell U; Gloria L. Fisk, Queens C, City U of New York; Yogita Goyal, U of California, Los Angeles; Rebecca Johnson, Northwestern U; Sangeeta Ray, U of Maryland, College Park; Dan Sinykin, Emory U
The contemporary literary scene is suffused with sleek, topical, marketable, and critically favorable novels that promise a blazing reflection on the world but at best deliver only a partial feeling. Panelists reflect on how we ought to encounter, theorize, and historicize the omnipresence of bad novels in our literary present. What if the bad novel were an event for theory? What does its dominance mean for the future of the novel form and the state of novel theory?
37. Social Media and the Discourse of Racism
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Camp
A special session. Presiding: Jeffrey Clapp, Education U of Hong Kong
1. “The Changing Dynamics of the Public Sphere: George Floyd and the Discourse of Race in Social Media,” David Tse-chien Pan, U of California, Irvine
2. “Art-Race Swarms,” Jeffrey Clapp
3. “Beyond Filters: Unmasking Racism in Social Media Beauty Standards,” Sadiya Jannath, U of South Alabama
For related material, write to [email protected].
38. Scripting Invisibility in Japanophone Literature: Queering Norms of Coloniality, Language, and Whiteness
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Starboard
A special session. Presiding: Andre Haag, U of Hawai‘i, Mānoa
1. “Penetrating the Passing Colonial Subject as Text: Race and Sexual Surveillance in Japan-Korea Unions,” Andre Haag
2. “Queer Orthographies; or, How to Visualize Resistance in Japanophonic Literature,” Christopher Lowy, Carnegie Mellon U
3. “Levy Hideo’s (In)Visible Knapsack: Reading Whiteness in Japan,” Cindi Textor, U of Utah
39. Rendering Public Needs Visible: New Directions for Scholarship and Pedagogy at Access Universities
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Quarterdeck A
A special session. Presiding: Shelly Jarenski, U of Michigan, Dearborn
1. “Fusing Creative and Scholarly Genres of Writing: A Response to Wisconsin’s Abortion Ban,” Ann Mattis, U of Wisconsin, Green Bay
2. “Applied Rhetoric, Accessible Scholarship, and Beating Tinder: Social Media Spaces as OER Classrooms,” Jennifer Young, U of Wisconsin, Green Bay
3. “Will We Continue to Answer the Challenges That COVID-19 Teaching Laid Bare?,” Shelly Jarenski
40. Representations of (In)Visibility: Human Rights across Genres
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Iqra Raza, U of Houston
1. “Recuperating Hauntology for the Human Rights Novel,” Iqra Raza
2. “Narrating the Invisible Economic Refugee,” Arielle Stambler, U of California, Los Angeles
3. “Unsilencing with Silence: Deafening Invisibility in El Filibusterismo and The Zone of Interest,” Ryan Rodriguez, Johns Hopkins U, MD
4. “Caves, Ghosts, and Mirrors: Atmospheric History in South Korean Memorial Museums,” Melissa Karp, Duke U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/representations-of-in-visibility-human-rights-across-genres/.
41. Gullah Narratives in American Literature and Music
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Royal
A special session. Presiding: Feroza Jussawalla, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Speakers: Kyle Fox, C of Coastal Georgia; Sharon Fuller, Sonoma State U; Vladimir Lucien, New York U; Xavier Luffin, U Libre de Bruxelles; Lynne Morrow, Sonoma State U; Isaac Robertson, New York U; Joyce White, Georgia Southern U
Panelists bring to visibility the often overlooked influence of Gullah Geechee narratives in African American and American literature and music, particularly that of Toni Morrison and Zora Neal Hurston, addressing an important decolonial approach to African American literary analysis and practice.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Nov.
Thursday, 9 January 1:45 p.m.
42. Quelle autorité pour quelle auctorialité? Mise en fiction de l’écrivain(e) dans les romans francophones
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the Conseil International d’Études Francophones. Presiding: Marie Bulte, U de Lille
1. “Les failles de l’auctorialité francophone, ou le droit à la légèreté,” Yolaine Parisot, U Paris-Est Créteil
2. “De l’autorité visible à la visibilité auctoriale dans les littératures en français,” Oana Panaïté, Indiana U, Bloomington
3. “Vacillements de l’ethos auctorial dans l’œuvre d’Assia Djebar: Entre pratique et théorie,” Chloe Chaudet, U Clermont Auvergne
4. “‘[T]our à tour déchaîné et ligoté’: L’écrivain dans tous ses états dans l’œuvre de Williams Sassine,” Marie Bulte
43. New Cyborg Manifestos and Natureculture Stories: The Next Forty Years
1:45–3:00 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. Presiding: Everett Hamner, Western Illinois U
Speakers: Iván-Daniel Espinosa, U of Colorado, Boulder; Benjamin Mangrum, Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.; Anne McConnell, West Virginia State U; Caitlin McIntyre, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
Respondent: Donna Haraway, U of California, Santa Cruz
In 2025, Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” turns forty. Many find “Situated Knowledges” and other interventions equally crucial; finding muses among dogs, Haraway has inspired queer theory, disability studies, and hybridity in many forms. Applying her work to pressing near-term problems, panelists address such provocations as naturalization, fake news, asking the wrong question, and a Mycelium manifesto for kin-making choreographies.
44. Lectura Boccaccii, Day Two
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the American Boccaccio Association. Presiding: Elsa Filosa, Vanderbilt U
1. “Decameron II.4: A Maritime Morality Tale,” Simone Marchesi, Princeton U
2. “Decameron II.2,” Anna Wainwright, U of New Hampshire, Durham
Respondent: Elsa Filosa
45. Foundwork, Plagiarism, and Creative Use
1:45–3:00 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the Society for Textual Scholarship. Presiding: Gabrielle Dean, Johns Hopkins U, MD
1. “Walt Whitman’s Scissors,” Stefan Schöberlein, Texas A&M U, Central Texas
2. “Plagiarism, Creative Reuse, and the Color Line: Charles Chesnutt and Harry Stillwell Edwards,” Kenneth M. Price, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
3. “Conglomerates of Voices: Rethinking D’Annunzio’s Practices of Creative Reuse and Plagiarism,” Caterina Bernardini, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
46. Targeting Student Success: Success Initiatives in English for Black Students at the Community College of Baltimore County
1:45–3:00 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the Community College Humanities Association. Presiding: Gregory Campbell, Community C of Baltimore County, MD
1. “The Female Student Success Initiative at CCBC,” Jewel Kerr Jackson, Community C of Baltimore County, MD; Denise Parker, Community C of Baltimore County, MD
47. Mountaintops and Marshlands: Making Southern Ecolenses Visible
1:45–3:00 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the Society for the Study of Southern Literature. Presiding: Allison Harris, U of North Carolina, Wilmington
1. “Appalachia in the Anthropocene,” Rachel Bates, independent scholar
2. “Necropower, Dispossession, and the Tennessee Valley Authority,” Allison Harris
3. “Consider the Crayfish: Indigenous Earth-Building Narratives against Erosion,” Gina Caison, Georgia State U
4. “Archiving a Disappearing Landscape: Exploring South Louisiana through Countermaps,” Stacey Balkun, U of New Orleans
48. Sounding Melville
1:45–3:00 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the Melville Society. Presiding: Pilar Martinez Benedi, U of L’Aquila
Speakers: Michael Jonik, U of Sussex; Edouard Marsoin, U Paris Cité; Tony Papanikolas, San José State U; Christopher Rice, McGill U; Russell Sbriglia, Seton Hall U; Justina Torrance, Santa Clara U; Brian Yothers, Saint Louis U
Panelists seek to fathom the aesthetic and interpretive potential of sound and to foster a conversation about the aural dimension of Melville’s works. How does Melville reconceptualize difference in auditory terms? How do his works negotiate the relation of musicality, sound, and noise? Do they perpetuate or challenge “colonial listening” practices? Is unparsed noise a site of resistance, of social and racial contestation?
For related material, visit www.melvillesociety.org/ after 20 Dec.
49. Solidarity
1:45–3:00 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global Anglophone. Presiding: Brenna M. Munro, U of Miami
Speakers: Eylaf Bader Eddin, Forum Transregionale Studien; Anna Bernard, King’s C London; Paul Nadal, Princeton U; Tiana Reid, York U
Solidarity: political fellowship, structure of feeling, form of relation, or particular aesthetic? How have solidarities been written historically? What solidarities are being written, or practiced, by communities of writers now? What connections have been forged, and what calls for solidarity have failed to register?
50. Bodies in Motion
1:45–3:00 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum MS Screen Arts and Culture. Presiding: Katherine Fusco, U of Nevada, Reno
1. “Bad Bodies: Kinetic Ornaments in Leni Riefenstahl,” John Hoffmann, Chapman U
2. “Ambulatory Gothic: House Tours in the Horror Film,” Aviva Briefel, Bowdoin C
3. “Collaborative, Intermedial Journeying in Diana Markosian’s Santa Barbara,” Beth Pyner, Cardiff U
4. “Bodies in Transit: Black Ghosts in Taiwan’s Video Art,” Junting Huang, Harvard U
51. Sites under Siege: Querying and Queering the Terms of Resistance and Refusal
1:45–3:00 p.m., Quarterdeck B
Program arranged by the forum LLC Puerto Rican. Presiding: Sandra Ruiz, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
1. “Reverberations of Defiance: Activating Lolita Lebrón’s Memory in Anticolonial Activism,” Karrieann Soto Vega, U of Kentucky
2. “The Queer Transfiguration of Reggaeton in Bad Bunny and Beyond,” Carlos Rivera-Santana, William and Mary
3. “Against Resilience: Laziness as Refusal,” Zorimar Rivera Montes, Tulane U
4. “Sequestered Islands? Imperfect Language of Resistance across Territories,” Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, American U
Respondent: Karen Jaime, Cornell U
52. Mediation and Aesthetics of Violence in Korean Visual Media
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LLC Korean. Presiding: Jooyeon Rhee, Penn State U, University Park
1. “Tortures, Images, and Places: The National Museum of Democracy and Human Rights,” Hong Kal, York U
2. “Laughing Matter: The Affirmation of Violence in Twenty-First-Century South Korean Cinema,” Adam DeCaulp, Penn State U, University Park
3. “Bodies and (PC) Bangs: The Physical and the Material in Korean Gaming Culture,” Keung Yoon Bae, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
4. “Memories of (In)Visible Violence: Exploring Social Justice in South Korean Cinema,” Hyun Seon Park, George Mason U
53. Interepistemic Translation: How We Make Sense of the World
1:45–3:00 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum TM Language Theory. Presiding: Douglas Robinson, Chinese U of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
1. “Popular Science as Interepistemic Translation: A Case Study,” Karen Bennett, U Nova de Lisboa
2. “On Discovering Aristotle Was Not an Idiot,” Douglas Robinson
3. “Metaphysical Conceits and the Double Empathy Gap,” Bridget Bartlett, U of Mississippi, Oxford
4. “The Interepistemic Translating of the Jesuits in China, with Matteo Ricci as the Example,” Xiaorui Sun, Chinese U of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
54. Ugly Chaucer
1:45–3:00 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum LLC Chaucer. Presiding: Adin E. Lears, Virginia Commonwealth U
1. “Chaucer’s ‘Ugly,’” Candace Barrington, Central Connecticut State U
2. “Rough and Smooth in Chaucer’s Verse: The Curious Case of BL, Harley 7334,” Christopher Cannon, Johns Hopkins U, MD
3. “The Summoner’s Apotheosis of Repulsion,” Paul Megna, State U of New York, Purchase
4. “The Manciple’s Tale’s Mocking Echoes and the Noisiness of Language,” Nathan Phelps, U of Notre Dame
55. Easts in the German Imagination: Figurations of the Orient
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 18th- and Early-19th-Century German. Presiding: Julie Koser, U of Maryland, College Park
1. “Orientations in the German Enlightenment: Moses Mendelssohn’s Jerusalem,” Dafna Shetreet, New York U
2. “Reason and Revelation in East and West: Mendelssohn’s Reception of Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān,” Emir Faruk Kayahan, U of Chicago
3. “Wilhelm Hauff’s Fairytale Almanacs (Märchen-Almanache): Escapism or Ironic Criticism?,” Stefania Acciaioli, U Bonn
56. Jewish Literature and Its Transnational Tensions
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global Jewish. Presiding: L. Scott Lerner, Franklin and Marshall C
1. “Jewish Literature as World Literature: Why, Where, and How Does It Matter?,” Naomi Taub, U of California, Los Angeles
2. “Transnational Gertrude Stein: Portraying the Americans from France,” Alice Balestrino, U of Roma Tre
3. “Jewish Italian Characters on the World Stage,” Saskia Ziolkowski, Duke U
57. New Work in Sixteenth-Century French Literary and Cultural Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th-Century French. Presiding: Charles-Louis Morand-Métivier, U of Vermont
1. “Enseigner le théâtre français de la Renaissance aujourd’hui: Réflexions sur les outils numériques,” Nina Hugot, U de Lorraine
2. “Paper Pacifism: Humanist Self-Promotion in Rabelais’s Guerre Picrocholine,” Hannah Katznelson, U of California, Berkeley
3. “The Encounter with the Female Other in the ‘Débat des lavendières de Paris,’” Kathleen A. Loysen, Montclair State U
4. “Composing Poetry, Navigating Oceans: Jean Parmentier’s Blue Poetics,” Jack Nunn, U of Oxford, Exeter C
58. Temporalities of the Cuban Revolution
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 19
Program arranged by the forum LLC Cuban and Cuban Diasporic. Presiding: Maybel Mesa Morales, Lycoming C
1. “‘Todos han muerto’: El fantasma de la historia en la pentagonía de Reinaldo Arenas,” Ingrid Robyn, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
2. “El diario en tiempo revolucionario: Rostros del reverso, de Lorenzo García Vega,” Rodney Lebrón-Rivera, Princeton U
3. “Temporalidades del archivo: Generación y Tundra,” Walfrido Dorta, Susquehanna U
4. “Exploring New Cuban Cinema in a Postsocialist Context,” Reynaldo Lastre, U of Connecticut, Storrs
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/cuban-and-cuban-diasporic/ after 1 Dec.
59. The Radical Queer South
1:45–3:00 p.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the forum LLC Southern United States. Presiding: Jaime Harker, U of Mississippi, Oxford
1. “Reclaiming a Radical RuPaul? Subversive Drag and Queer Atlanta between SNCC and Supermodel,” Michael Paul Bibler, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Healing the Mind-Body Split: Lillian Smith as Cultural Worker,” Amanda Mixon, U of Texas, Austin
3. “The Southern Queer Kids Are Alright: LGBTQ+ YA in the South,” Phillip Gordon, U of Mississippi, Oxford
4. “Multispecies Attachment as ‘Wild Possibility’ in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy,” Kacee McKinney, Oklahoma City Community C
For related material, write to [email protected].
60. More New Methods in Eighteenth-Century Comparative and Cross-Cultural Reading
1:45–3:00 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forum CLCS 18th-Century. Presiding: David Alff, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
1. “Between Enlightenment: Arabic Travel Writing in the Global Eighteenth Century,” Allison Gibeily, Northwestern U
2. “On (and against) Arithmetic Style,” Ryan Sheldon, Middlebury C
3. “Obscure Affinities: Beholding and Taste in Sa‘di and Addison,” Taymaz Pour Mohammad, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
61. Crip Genealogies in Conversation
1:45–3:00 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum TC Disability Studies. Presiding: Sony Coráñez Bolton, Amherst C
Speakers: Mel Chen, U of California, Berkeley; Anna Hinton, U of North Texas; Julie Minich, U of Texas, Austin
Contributors to Disability Studies Quarterly’s special issue Origins, Objects, Orientations: New Histories and Theories of Race and Disability and the anthology Crip Genealogies (Duke UP) discuss the status of the integration of critical ethnic and race studies and disability and crip studies as signposted by the publication of these works.
62. Advocating for World Languages: A Cheat Sheet for Difficult Conversations with Administrators
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the ALD Executive Committee. Presiding: Martha Daas, Old Dominion U
Speakers: John Baskerville, Jr., United States Military Acad.; Maggie Broner, Saint Olaf C; Karen de Bruin, U of Rhode Island; John B. Lyon, Georgia Inst. of Tech.; Alwiya Omar, Indiana U, Bloomington; Jennifer M. William, Purdue U, West Lafayette
Panelists focus on methods of advocating for world languages with administrators. Topics include illustrating the relevance and importance of language learning in a STEM-focused world, the benefits of both basic language learning and striving toward proficiency, the necessity of language diversity, and the challenges and opportunities of AI.
63. The Harlem Renaissance: A Centennial Celebration
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Yolanda Mackey-Barkers, Penn State U, University Park
Speakers: Eve Dunbar, Rice U; Carla Kaplan, Northeastern U; William J. Maxwell, Washington U in St. Louis; Ernest Mitchell, Yale U; Miriam Thaggert, U at Buffalo, State U of New York; Richard Yarborough, U of California, Los Angeles
Celebrating the Harlem Renaissance centennial and the fall 2025 special issue of American Literary History, panelists revisit the central themes of the cultural movement and speak to its continued significance for understanding Black life and culture.
65. Hypergraphia and Hypographia: Literary Maximalism and the Literature of Writer’s Block
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A2
A special session. Presiding: Benjamin Bergholtz, Louisiana Tech U; Aaron Colton, Emory U
1. “‘No!—But I Must’: The Blocked Writer in Maximalist Fiction,” Benjamin Bergholtz
2. “The Craft of Writer’s Block: Autofiction, Process, and Pedagogy,” Aaron Colton
3. “Megatextual Kinaesthetics: The Wanderer above the Sea of Elden Ring,” Bradley Fest, Hartwick C
4. “Wallace’s Maximalism: Other-Flood and Self-Blockage,” Yonina Hoffman, United States Merchant Marine Acad.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 6 Jan.
66. (In)Visibilities during Francoism
1:45–3:00 p.m., Canal
A special session. Presiding: Enrique Muñoz-Mantas, U of North Dakota
1. “El proyecto colonial español en África: Laboratorio de experimentación franquista,” Benita Sampedro Vizcaya, Hofstra U
2. “Peripheral Visions: Cine Quinqui and Franco’s ‘Economic Miracle,’” Jacqueline Sheean, U of Utah
3. “Palpable (In)Visibilities: Addressing Cernuda’s Time and Poetics in Exile,” Francisco Cantero Soriano, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
4. “‘Ni vagos ni maleantes’: Memories and Aftereffects from Tefía,” Enrique Muñoz-Mantas
67. The Violence of Genre
1:45–3:00 p.m., Parish
A special session. Presiding: Melissa Parrish, Smith C
Speakers: Rebecca Ballard, Florida State U; Isaac Cowell, American U of Iraq, Sulaimani; Michael Dango, Beloit C; Tess Grogan, Yale U; Jennifer Park, U of Glasgow; Jeremy Rosen, U of Utah; Lindsay Thomas, Cornell U
What kinds of violent tensions arise when genres enforce normative positions, destabilize or erase voices and histories, or heighten existing inequities? Panelists from early modern studies to contemporary literature discuss thematic, formal, cultural, and institutional relationships between literary genres and violence.
68. The Book Club as Pedagogy and Practice
1:45–3:00 p.m., Starboard
A special session. Presiding: Carolyn Fornoff, Cornell U
Speakers: Carolyn Fornoff; Ilana Luna, Arizona State U, West; Amanda Petersen, U of San Diego; Ignacio Sánchez Prado, Washington U in St. Louis
Exploring the book club as a pedagogical practice in higher education and as a joyful practice of community building among academics, panelists discuss how they have incorporated the book club as an activity in undergraduate courses to enhance student engagement, as well as their experiences with book clubs in and out of academia, as a means of centering pleasure, prioritizing informal discussion, and building community.
69. Defoe and Narrative Form
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Leah Orr, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
Speakers: Ikram Arfi, U Paris-Sorbonne; Paula R. Backscheider, Auburn U; Aparna Gollapudi, Colorado State U; Stephanie Hershinow, Baruch C, City U of New York; Maximillian E. Novak, U of California, Los Angeles; Michael B. Prince, Boston U; Rivka Swenson, Virginia Commonwealth U
Panelists examine Daniel Defoe’s contributions and experiments in narrative form. Topics include narrative form in non-novel works, comparisons with contemporary writers, Defoe’s creation of character, the interplay between plot and story, and the influences of Defoe’s writing on narrative form.
70. The Art of the Book Review
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 16
A special session. Presiding: Diana Filar, United States Merchant Marine Acad.
1. “Merve Emre and the Form of Contemporary Criticism,” Robert Metaxatos, Indiana U, Bloomington
2. “Goodreads and the Evolution of Reader Reviews,” Diana Filar
3. “Apotheoses of the Book Review: Walter Benjamin on Karl Gröber, Ralph Ellison on LeRoi Jones,” Paul Devlin, United States Merchant Marine Acad.
Respondent: Douglas G. Dowland, Ohio Northern U
71. The Internet of Everything: Africa and Digital Visibility
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A1
A special session. Presiding: Olorunshola Adenekan, Ghent U
1. “Digital Orality,” Rhonda Cobham-Sander, Amherst C
2. “Pidgin and Digital Angst in Ghanaian Social Media Narratives,” Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang, U of Ghana
3. “Authorial Self-Fashioning and Emotional Labor in the Digital Age: The Case of Contemporary Nigerian Literature,” Hannah Pardey, Heinrich-Heine-U Düsseldorf
72. Reenvisioning Adaptation Studies: Recent Trends
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Katherine Gillen, Texas A&M U, San Antonio
Speakers: Colin Bishoff, U of Georgia; Yvette Chairez, Texas A&M U, San Antonio; Meg Dobbins, Eastern Michigan U; Lisa Jennings, U of Houston, Downtown Campus; Kathryn Vomero Santos, Trinity U; Nayoung Seo, George Washington U
Panelists explore recent trends in adaptation studies, addressing young adult adaptations; language, tradaptation, performance, and media; and the value of engaging with Black, Chicanx, feminist, and trans studies. Discussion focuses on the growing presence of adaptation in conversations about language, literature, and pedagogy and on the future of adaptation studies both as a discrete field and in its many interdisciplinary permutations.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/adaptation-studies-1124901332/ after 1 Dec.
73. Not about Them without Them: Including the Public in the Process of Cultural Heritage Descriptions
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Jessica BrodeFrank, U of Illinois, Chicago
1. “Collective Intelligence: Cultural Heritage Description in an AI World,” Jessica BrodeFrank
2. “Expanding Voices, Expanding Access: Social- and Community-Centered Metadata,” Isabel Brador, Library of Congress
3. “Metadata Best Practices for Trans- and Gender-Diverse Resources,” Bri Watson, U of British Columbia
74. (Re)Thinking Academic Forms: A Conversation
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill B2
A special session. Presiding: Florian Zappe, Ludwig-Maximilians-U Munchen
Speakers: James Dowthwaite, Friedrich-Schiller-U Jena; Daniel Fried, U of Alberta; Tim Lanzendörfer, Goethe U, Frankfurt am Main; Skye Shannon Savage, Columbia U; Alice Tsay, The Huntington
Panelists, building on the efforts of the Working Group on Academic Forms, aim for a critical and constructive (re)negotiation of the role of conventionalized and institutionalized academic form(at)s. Discussion focuses on how academic forms define, shape, foster, or, perhaps, stifle the intellectual work we do as scholars in the humanities.
75. Black Maternal Labor
1:45–3:00 p.m., Eglinton Winton
A special session. Presiding: Raquel Kennon, U of Wisconsin, Madison
1. “Nella Larsen’s Maternal Instincts,” Amadi Ozier, U of Wisconsin, Madison
2. “Form and Transform: Writing the Body in Claudia Rankine’s Plot,” Kathy Lou Schultz, U of Memphis
3. “‘What Else Would Peoples Use Like They Used Us?’: Exhaustion and Black Feminist Sustainability in Sherley Anne Williams’s Dessa Rose,” Bria Paige, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
76. Commerce, Control, and Lyrical Tradition: Exploring Cultural Dynamics in the Late Ming Novel Jin Ping Mei
1:45–3:00 p.m., Quarterdeck A
A special session. Presiding: Tina Lu, Yale U
1. “Playing with Losing Control: The Game of Pitch Pot and Confucian Cybernetics in Jin Ping Mei,” Paize Keulemans, Princeton U
2. “From the ‘Man of Forest’ to the ‘Man of Market’: Marriage, Commerce, and Confucianism in Jin Ping Mei,” Leihua Weng, Kalamazoo C
3. “Harmonies Unraveled: The Grotesque Metamorphosis of Chinese Lyrical Tradition in Jin Ping Mei,” Zhenxing Zhao, Singapore U of Tech. and Design
For related material, write to [email protected].
77. Poetry’s Genres and Publics: Making and Contesting the Contemporary
1:45–3:00 p.m., Commerce
A special session
1. “Creolizing Elegy,” Jahan Ramazani, U of Virginia
2. “Witnessing Violence: Linton Kwesi Johnson’s Insurrectionary Dub,” Anthony Reed, Vanderbilt U
3. “History and Contemporary Poetics,” Evie Shockley, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
78. Prompt Engineering as Rhetoric, Literary Criticism, and Creative Writing
1:45–3:00 p.m., Camp
A special session. Presiding: Jong-Keyong Kim, Texas Christian U
1. “Reinterpreting Intertextuality through Prompt Engineering,” Celia Xu, U of Chicago
2. “Persuading AI to Persuade You—of Anything: Theorizing Prompt Engineering as Rhetorical Persuasion,” Fatima Zohra, U of Waterloo
3. “Babylon Redux: The Oulipo Group and Prompt Engineering for Uncreative Writing,” Zach Muhlbauer, Graduate Center, City U of New York
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/10tbfXxhV-8bL5NiiyDkL2nCr2HYPZEW2jfCGxsnLHaM/edit?usp=sharing after 26 Dec.
Thursday, 9 January 3:30 p.m.
79. Invisible Mark Twain: Meanings between the Lines
3:30–4:45 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the Mark Twain Circle of America. Presiding: Judith Yaross Lee, Ohio U, Athens
1. “‘Wholly in the Jingle’: Mark Twain’s Humorous Translations,” Brian Shields, Temple U, Philadelphia
2. “Invisible Workers and the ‘Commerce of Disease’ in Twain’s ‘Three Thousand Years among the Microbes,’” Jess Libow, Haverford C
3. “James and Jim: Percival Everett on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Darryl Dickson-Carr, Southern Methodist U
Respondent: Matt Seybold, Elmira C
80. Victorian Invisibilities
3:30–4:45 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Dickens Society. Presiding: Renee Fox, U of California, Santa Cruz
1. “Black Playwrights on the Victorian Stage,” Sharon Weltman, Texas Christian U
2. “Victoria’s Invisible Race: The Cagots, Whiteness, and Racialization,” Daniel Akiva Novak, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
3. “Invisible Hand, Invisible Threat: Marx’s Critique of Capital and Victorian Irish Radicalism,” Amy E. Martin, Mount Holyoke C
81. African American Literary Study in the 2020s
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum TC Race and Ethnicity Studies
Speakers: Margo Natalie Crawford, U of Pennsylvania; Julius Fleming, Jr., U of Maryland, College Park; Rolland Murray, Brown U; Hayley O’Malley, U of Iowa; Sonya Posmentier, New York U; Cherene Monique Sherrard-Johnson, Pomona C
Respondent: Herman Beavers, U of Pennsylvania
Accomplished scholars address the state of African American literary study, inviting deep reflection on where we find ourselves now and to approach this reflection and conversation with a great sense of purpose and urgency. Panelists reflect on critical methods and approaches, graduate student training, pedagogy, and the development of programs and departments.
82. Tourism and Travel Narratives in Latin America
3:30–4:45 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum TC Popular Culture
1. “Planning a Mexican Road Trip in Mexico: The Land of Charm,” Julia Brown, Florida Atlantic U
2. “Colonial Desire and Women’s Tourism: A Reading of Lucia Berlin’s Short Stories about Mexico,” Leila G. Gomez, U of Colorado, Boulder
3. “Travels in Tulum/Zamá: In Search of María Uicab,” Maria Ines Canto Carrillo, Colorado State U
Respondent: Amanda Petersen, U of San Diego
For related material, write to [email protected].
83. Beyond Ourselves: Contemporary Poets on Muriel Rukeyser
3:30–4:45 p.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the forum RCWS Creative Writing. Presiding: Catherine Gander, Maynooth U; Stefania Heim, Western Washington U
Speakers: Daniel Borzutzky, U of Illinois, Chicago; Jena Osman, Temple U, Philadelphia; Khadijah Queen, Virginia Tech
Harnessing the cross-disciplinary energy that characterized Muriel Rukeyser’s work and career, this session gathers distinguished poet-scholars contributing to a hybrid anthology on her legacies. In explorations at the intersection of the creative and critical, panelists offer radical new perspectives on Rukeyser’s work, testing her models for our own politically and poetically entangled lives.
84. The Sinthome Today: In Commemoration of the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Lacan’s Sinthome Seminar
3:30–4:45 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the forum TC Psychology, Psychoanalysis, and Literature. Presiding: Sheldon George, Simmons U
1. “The Sinthome after Mari Ruti,” Clint Burnham, Simon Fraser U
2. “The Colonizer’s Nightmare: Lacan’s Sinthome,” Sinan Richards, U of Oxford
3. “Voice as Sinthome in Fanon’s A Dying Colonialism,” Derek Hook, Duquesne U
4. “Rhythm, Pulsation, and the Drive: The Sinthome in African American Music,” Sheldon George
85. The African Historical Novel
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum TC History and Literature. Presiding: Lily Saint, Wesleyan U
Speakers: Ashwin Bajaj, U of California, Irvine; Eleni Eva Coundouriotis, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Anne W. Gulick, U of South Carolina, Columbia; Bafana Radebe, U of Johannesburg; Nicole Rizzuto, Georgetown U; Brady Ryan, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Aditi Shenoy, Cornell U
In the light of the resurgence of interest in the historical novel, panelists reflect on, periodize, or contextualize the genre’s dominance in African literary production, past and present.
86. Unaccountably Queer: Giving an Account of Oneself Now
3:30–4:45 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum TC Sexuality Studies. Presiding: Teagan Bradway, State U of New York, Cortland
Speakers: Cassius Adair, New School; Judith Butler, U of California, Berkeley; Jules Gill-Peterson, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Leigh Gilmore, Ohio State U, Columbus; Lynne Huffer, Emory U; Amber Musser, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Megan Cole Paustian, North Central C
This session brings together the editor of and contributors to Unaccountably Queer, a special issue of differences that commemorates the twentieth anniversary of Judith Butler’s Giving an Account of Oneself.
For related material, write to [email protected].
87. From Hip-Hop to Slam Poetry, Hoje and Beyond
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum LLC Luso-Brazilian. Presiding: Paulo Dutra, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
1. “Imaginative Visions of Tomorrow in Rap: Kendrick Lamar and Djonga,” Thayza Matos, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2. “Performing Literature: From Slam to the Page,” Pedro Meira Monteiro, Princeton U
3. “Slam Poetry: Race, Gender, and Class Translated into Speech and Performance,” Ma A Salgueiro, U do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
4. “Racionais MC’s and the Poetics of Spatiality,” Paulo Dutra
88. Mentoring Practices in Precarious Times
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Profession. Presiding: Regis Fox, Florida Atlantic U
Speakers: Mary McAleer Balkun, Seton Hall U; Toby Beauchamp, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Joshua Bernstein, U of Southern Mississippi; Carla Albert Calarge, Florida Atlantic U; Keenan Norris, San José State U; Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, LaGuardia Community C, City U of New York; Talia Schaffer, Graduate Center, City U of New York
Participants consider constraints and horizons of possibility for mentoring in precarious times. What models of mentorship have we inherited? Do normative mentorship practices perpetuate gatekeeping or leave certain populations unmentored? Can one mentor and enact (self-)care? What strategies disrupt uneven labor associated with mentorship?
89. Slavery and the Visibility of Race in Seventeenth-, Eighteenth-, and Nineteenth-Century Italy
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-Century Italian. Presiding: Rachel A. Walsh, U of Denver
1. “‘Deformed, Beastly, Ugly’: Visualizing the African Body in Italian Missionary Narratives,” Myriam Carmen Iuorio, U of Toronto
2. “Slavery, Disability, and Human Difference in Early Modern Italy,” Lucia Dacome, U of Toronto
3. “Translating Slavery and Racial Concepts in Fairy Tales from the 1700s,” Viola Ardeni, California State U, Sacramento
4. “Antislavery Movements and Early Italian Colonialism in the Horn of Africa,” Emma Bond, U of Oxford
90. Labor Conditions in Caribbean Studies
3:30–4:45 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Caribbean. Presiding: Katerina Gonzalez Seligmann, U of Connecticut, Storrs
Speakers: Natalie Belisle, U of Southern California; Natalie Léger, Temple U, Philadelphia; John Ribó, Florida State U; Faith L. Smith, Brandeis U; Diego Ubiera, Fitchburg State U; Ramon Victoriano, U of British Columbia
Panelists continue a conversation begun at the 2023 MLA convention about Caribbeanist scholars’ labor and job market conditions, exploring the expectations and vulnerabilities Caribbeanists face when working across borders of nation, language, and discipline.
91. Underworlds and Undergrounds: Poetic Extractions
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th- and Early-20th-Century German. Presiding: Matthew Birkhold, Ohio State U, Columbus
1. “Subterranean Entanglements and the Anthropocene in Hölderlin’s The Death of Empedocles,” Meryem Deniz, Dartmouth C
2. “Emmy Hennings’s Underground Utopias,” Shoshana Schwebel, U of British Columbia
3. “Subtraction and Extraction: Bernhard Kellermann’s Der Tunnel as Mine and Tunnel,” Ross Etherton, Denison U
92. Spooky Spain: Haunting in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Iberian Literature and Art
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the forum LLC 18th- and 19th-Century Spanish and Iberian. Presiding: Sara Munoz-Muriana, Dartmouth C
Speakers: Elena Deanda, Washington C; Leigh Mercer, U of Washington, Seattle; Gabrielle Miller, Baylor U; Victor Sierra Matute, Baruch C, City U of New York; Wan Sonya Tang, Boston C
Panelists explore forms of haunting in Iberian artistic representations, including haunted spaces, death, the sacred and profane, ghosts and monsters, traditional and scientific modes of thinking, and social and political anxieties.
93. On the Stakes of Yiddish Translation
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LLC Yiddish. Presiding: Matthew Johnson, Lund U
Speakers: Madeleine Cohen, Yiddish Book Center; Jacqueline Krass, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Anita Norich, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Saul Noam Zaritt, Harvard U
Established and emerging scholars and translators think anew about how translation has mattered (and continues to matter) in particular ways in the history of Yiddish culture, as well as how Yiddish translation might inform larger debates in the theory and practice of translation. Particular attention will be devoted to (in)visibility, translingualism, and the relationship between theory and practice, among other issues.
94. (In)Visible Rules for Teaching Literature
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck B
Program arranged by the forum TM The Teaching of Literature. Presiding: Brandi Locke, U of Delaware, Newark
Speakers: KM Clemens, Lees-McRae C; Caroline Gelmi, U of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; Lizzy LeRud, Minot State U; Astrid Lorena Ochoa Campo, U of Wisconsin, La Crosse; Danica Savonick, State U of New York, Cortland
Panelists present a range of approaches and case studies of how we can break and bend the many (in)visible rules of teaching literature to prioritize student engagement, learning, and community. Topics include syllabi, departments, curricula, and pedagogy.
95. Geographies of the Precarious In-Between: Navigating Spaces of Young Adulthood and the Gothic
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum GS Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Presiding: Paige Gray, Savannah C of Art and Design; Kiedra B. Taylor, U of Connecticut, Storrs
1. “Spirits and the Mind: Liminality as Subversive Discourse in The Icarus Girl and Freshwater,” Casandra Aigbogun, U of Georgia
2. “Dark Academia: Radical Potential or Empty Aesthetic?,” Mckenzie Bergan, U of Connecticut, Storrs
3. “Catherine at the Window: Nature Driving the Coming-of-Age Narrative in Wuthering Heights,” Sydney Lauer, Central Connecticut State U
96. Locating Palestine in Medieval Studies
3:30–4:45 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Medieval. Presiding: Adam E. Miyashiro, Stockton U
Speakers: Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Inst. for Advanced Study; Shamma Boyarin, U of Victoria; Seeta Chaganti, U of California, Davis; Robert Clines, Western Carolina U; Misho Ishikawa, New York U
How does the question of Palestine intersect with medieval studies? In lightning or “ignite” presentations, panelists ask how Palestine figures into our field, professions, teaching, and research.
97. Digital Labor and Cultural Production in East Asia
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LLC East Asian. Presiding: Carlos Rojas, Duke U
1. “Digital Labor, Technology, and Visions of Postcapitalist Society in Japan?,” Viren Murthy, U of Wisconsin, Madison
2. “Avatar: The Last Airbender: An ‘Asian’ Animation?,” Zachary Gottesman, U of California, Irvine
3. “Resisting the Rush? Notes on the Labor of Slowness in Creating Chinese Web Novels,” Renren Yang, U of British Columbia
4. “The Funeral of Big Data: Labor and Amnesia,” Zina Wang, U of California, Berkeley
Respondent: Carlos Rojas
98. Collaboration as Method
3:30–4:45 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum MS Visual Culture. Presiding: Marci Kwon, Stanford U
Speakers: Sasha-Mae Eccleston, Brown U; Yomaira Figueroa, Hunter C, City U of New York; Beatrice Glow, New York Historical Soc.; Chris Lopez, artist
Folks involved in inventive collaborations across fields discuss what it means to create and think together. How does collaboration allow our praxes to morph with others to produce more sustainable, responsible, attuned modes of work? What are the productive frictions and inevitable power imbalances and instructive challenges that arise from collaboration?
99. Generative AI: Creativity and Harm
3:30–4:45 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the forum TC Digital Humanities
1. “Queerness, Creativity, and Failure: Against an AI Ethos of Invincibility,” Daniella Gáti, U of Salford
2. “Algorithm and Archival Absence: Critical Fabulation and Generative AI,” Nia Judelson, Emory U
3. “Reading, Data Science, and AI,” Junjie Luo, Gettysburg C
4. “Prompting the Image: The Ethics of Multimodality,” Avery Slater, U of Toronto
100. Ursula K. Le Guin: A Conversation with Charlie Jane Anders and Arwen Curry
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum TC Science and Literature
Speakers: Charlie Jane Anders, author; Arwen Curry, filmmaker; Everett Hamner, Western Illinois U
The author Charlie Jane Anders and the filmmaker Arwen Curry join the critic Everett Hamner for a discussion about science fiction, science fictionality today, and the unruly legacies of Ursula K. Le Guin.
101. Critical Disability in Contemporary Iberian Studies
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Spanish and Iberian. Presiding: Miguel Caballero, Northwestern U
Speakers: Miguel Caballero; Maria Hernandez-Etura, U of Arizona, Tucson; Ana León-Távora, Salem C; Shanna Lino, York U
Speakers offer theoretical contributions to and intersectional analyses of Iberian cultural productions on the relationship between disability and power.
102. MLA Institutes on Reading and Writing Pedagogy at Access-Oriented Institutions: Building Networks for Collaboration
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Academic Program Services. Presiding: Mai Hunt, MLA
1. “The Core Curriculum for the MLA Teaching Institutes: A Published Resource for Program Leaders,” Mai Hunt
2. “From Pedagogy to Inquiry: Fostering Classroom-Based Research in Reading and Writing,” Nicole B. Wallack, Columbia U
3. “On Facilitating Two Models of the MLA Institutes on Reading and Writing Pedagogy,” Jessica Edwards, U of Delaware, Newark
4. “Institute 2.0: Reflections on Two Years of Hosting Teaching Institutes in Salt Lake City,” Christie Toth, U of Utah
For related material, visit pedagogyinstitutes.mla.hcommons.org/.
103. Diversity and Inclusion in Metadata and Citation Creation
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the Advisory Committee on the MLA International Bibliography
1. “Diversifying Access Points in the MLA International Bibliography,” Barbara Alvarez, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Library; Ali Bolcakan, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Christi Merrill, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2. “Citational Justice as Embodied Practice: Piloting Critical Cross-Campus Conversations,” Elaje López, Columbia U; Sydni Meyer, Columbia U
3. “Media Diversity Scores: Challenges and Opportunities in Metadata Tagging,” Abigail De Kosnik, U of California, Berkeley; Matthew Jamison, independent scholar; Jaclyn Zhou, U of California, Berkeley
4. “Visibility and Recognition for the Literature of ‘New’ Nations Subsequent to Division and Partition,” Sayan Bhattacharyya, Yale U
104. Leading in the Humanities in Challenging Times
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the ADE Executive Committee. Presiding: Christine A. Wooley, Eckerd C
Speakers: Lisa Berglund, Buffalo State C, State U of New York; Alanna Frost, U of Alabama, Huntsville; Jené Schoenfeld, Kenyon C; Andrea Kaston Tange, Macalester C
This session is for new, experienced, and prospective leaders in English seeking strategies to navigate the power dynamics that can constrain attempts at vision and leadership. Participants learn from experienced leaders about how to advocate for their programs, respond to restructuring and retrenchment, and use data that matter.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tx8vUnTMxFXlQbnFB4Fv_nH8uOOk7vWs?usp=drive_link after 2 Jan.
105. Health and the Environment in the Nineteenth-Century United States
3:30–4:45 p.m., Steering
A special session. Presiding: Thomas Constantinesco, Sorbonne U
Speakers: Thomas Constantinesco; Jamie Fenton, Sorbonne U; Edouard Marsoin, U Paris Cité; Stephen Rachman, Michigan State U; Cecile Roudeau, U Paris Cité
Respondent: Sari Altschuler, Northeastern U
Members of Project AmHealth (Sorbonne Université and Université Paris Cité) discuss the challenges and opportunities of reading for health and the environment as intertwined pressures in nineteenth-century American literature.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/docs/health-and-the-environment-in-the-nineteenth-century-united-states-mla-2025/ after 6 Jan.
106. Making Public Humanities Visible: A Cross-Institutional Project on Phillis Wheatley Peters
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill B2
A special session. Presiding: Mona Narain, Texas Christian U
1. “Overview of The Genius of Phillis Wheatley Peters Initiative,” Sarah Ruffing Robbins, Texas Christian U
2. “Phillis Wheatley Peters and Material Legacy,” Nan Wolverton, American Antiquarian Soc.
3. “Haunting Legacies of Phillis Wheatley,” Drea Brown, Texas State U
4. “Phillis Wheatley and Children’s Literature,” Brigitte Fielder, U of Wisconsin, Madison
5. “Writing and Publishing about Wheatley Peters Pedagogy,” Mona Narain
6. “Phillis Wheatley Peters and Communities of Care,” Barbara McCaskill, U of Georgia
Presenters describe their engagement with The Genius of Phillis Wheatley Peters and how that collaboration has enhanced the visibility of Wheatley; their own scholarly, creative, and pedagogical work in the profession; and approaches for making public humanities initiatives more visible and participatory.
107. Comparative Aesthetics of Extractivism: A Cross-Language Approach
3:30–4:45 p.m., Canal
A special session. Presiding: Francisco Tijerina, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “The Fruit Company: ‘Shaking Out’ Extractivism in Paul Hlava Ceballos’s Banana [ ],” Olivia Lott, Yale U
2. “Trash Mountain on Garbage Island: The Ragpicker in Postwar Taiwanese Visual Culture,” Yvonne Lin, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Extract Tourism: The Morbid Emissions of the Sacrifice Zones in ‘The White Hell’ of Canari, Corsica,” Rike Bolte, independent scholar
Respondent: Victor Putinier, Washington U in St. Louis
108. Public Women and Female Agency in Premodern China
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck C
A special session. Presiding: Wenbo Chang, U of Georgia
1. “Courtesans, Concubines, and Sisters: Comedies of Female Ambition and Male Desire,” Wenbo Chang
2. “Speaking for Power: Linguistic Strategies for Female Dominance in A Ming Court Play,” Mi Liu, Wofford C
3. “Between Secular and Religious: Jiangnan Buddhist Nuns in Late Qing and Early Republican China,” Jinhui Wu, Rollins C
Respondent: Patricia A. Sieber, Ohio State U, Columbus
109. Gothic Now: Monstrous Souths
3:30–4:45 p.m., Parish
A special session. Presiding: Maisha Wester, British Acad.
Speakers: Jacob DeBrock, U of Mississippi, Oxford; Rebecca Holcomb, U of Louisiana, Lafayette; Sofia Masdeu, Yale U; Ana Maria Tudela Martinez, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
Respondent: Maisha Wester
Panelists engage works of fiction from the Global South and the American South to argue how they revise the Gothic to make visible what has historically been erased or deemed monstrous. While the texts originate from a range of locations, each mobilizes the Gothic as radical resistance to political disenfranchisement on the domestic and the global scale.
110. Back and Forth: Questioning Social Class and Mobility in Contemporary Fiction in French
3:30–4:45 p.m., Fulton
A special session. Presiding: Sonja Stojanovic, Texas Tech U
1. “The Obsolescence of Memory in Pascal Manoukian’s Le paradoxe d’Anderson,” Matthew Trumbo-Tual, Hollins U
2. “Retour à Hallencourt: Sauver la classe populaire de l’oubli dans Qui a tué mon père, d’Édouard Louis,” Martine Wagner, U of South Florida, Tampa
3. “Unveiling Resistance in Kevin Lambert’s Querelle de Roberval and Que notre joie demeure,” John Ashburn, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
111. Contemporary Mā’ohi Literature: Creating Visibility in Pacific Studies and Francophone Studies
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 7
A special session
Speakers: Eric Disbro, Duke U; Julia Frengs, U of Nebraska, Lincoln; Manuia Heinrich, Victoria U of Wellington; Anais Maurer, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Titaua Porcher, U of French Polynesia
Contributors to New Directions in Contemporary Mā’ohi Literature, a special issue of the Australian Journal of French Studies, address the gap between the explosion of Mā’ohi literature in French and Indigenous languages and the relative lack of literary translations and critical scholarship available to academic audiences outside Polynesia.
For related material, write to [email protected].
112. Dragging It Straight: Visibility and Camouflage in Contemporary Mexican Cultural Production
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck A
A special session. Presiding: Alejandra Marquez, Michigan State U
1. “Quebranto: El quiebre de la identidad de género,” Elizabeth Villalobos, U of Nevada, Reno
2. “Performing Angélica María and Gloria Trevi: Queer Mediations of Mexican Stardom,” Olivia Cosentino, U of South Florida
3. “‘Casa, carro y chofer’: Michelle Maciel’s Conservative Camouflage,” Angel Diaz Miranda, Hollins U
4. “Mexican Comedy as Resistance: Ana Julia Yeye and the Visibilization of Lencha Masculinities,” Alejandra Marquez
113. The Poetry Workshop: Alternative Histories, Alternative Futures
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Claire Farley, U of Ottawa
1. “Contemporary Labor's Cultural Front,” Claire Farley
2. “Onward! On Twenty Years of Reading-Centric, Generative, Community-Based Poetry Workshops,” Hoa Nguyen, Toronto Metropolitan U
3. “Harlem's Workshops,” Matthew Kilbane, U of Notre Dame
114. Reading Asexually
3:30–4:45 p.m., Jackson
A special session
Speakers: Liza Blake, U of Toronto; Catherine Clifford, Hastings C; Lee Emrich, U of Toronto; Vivian Huang, San Francisco State U; Ianna Hawkins Owen, Boston U
Panelists explore both theorizations and models of what it means to read asexually—to apply the insights of asexuality studies as a queer reading practice—offering preliminary readings of literary texts and other media, cultural objects, social character types, and institutions, as well as metacritical methodological reflections on possible modes of asexual reading.
115. COVID-19's Disability Dialectic: Narratives of Structural Violence and Expertise in Disabled New York
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 19
A special session. Presiding: Harris Kornstein, U of Arizona, Tucson
Speakers: Yan Grenier, New York U; Aiyuba Thomas, Columbia U
Discussing challenges and opportunities in theorizing disabled people's experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and making visible underrecognized narratives from this mass disabling event in the face of uncertain viral futures, panelists focus on a disability dialectic in which multiply marginalized disabled people suffered negative impacts rooted in eugenic logics and neglectful policies, while also sharing disability expertise and creativity.
For related material, visit disabilitycovidchronicles.nyu.edu.
Thursday, 9 January 5:15 p.m.
116. Ernest Hemingway's In Our Time at One Hundred: Brevity, Adaptation, Evolution
5:15–6:30 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation and Society. Presiding: J. Gerald Kennedy, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
1. “The Aura of In Our Time: Ten Decades of Cover Art Design,” Patrick Bonds, Troy U
2. “Hemingway at the Speed of Sound: In Our Time, Podcasting, and Pedagogy,” Michael Von Cannon, Florida Gulf Coast U
3. “Graphic Language, Graphic Art: In Our Time and the Frontiers of New Minimalism in Adaptation,” Kirk Curnutt, Troy U
117. Dickinson and Visibility/Invisibility
5:15–6:30 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the Emily Dickinson International Society. Presiding: Vivian R. Pollak, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “Invisibility as Other,” Shira Wolosky, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
2. “Dickinson's Geological Imaginaries,” Patrick Morgan, U of Louisiana, Monroe
3. “Dickinson's Misery 2.0: Dickinson Gone Viral,” Micah Bateman, U of Iowa
118. Plagiarism
5:15–6:30 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the Society for Critical Exchange. Presiding: Jeffrey R. Di Leo, U of Houston, Victoria
Speakers: Jeffrey R. Di Leo; Peter Hitchcock, Baruch C, City U of New York; Adriana Johnson, U of California, Irvine; Sophia A. McClennen, Penn State U, University Park; Paul Allen Miller, U of South Carolina, Columbia; Nicole J. Simek, Whitman C
What are the social, political, economic, and intellectual dimensions of plagiarism in the contemporary academy? What are its critical and philosophical dimensions?
For related material, visit societyforcriticalexchange.org/ after 31 Dec.
119. Book History and Digital Humanities
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 19
Program arranged by the Association for Computers and the Humanities
Speakers: Ryan Cordell, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Natalie McGartland, U of Maryland, College Park; Élika Ortega, U of Colorado, Boulder; Whitney Trettien, U of Pennsylvania; Alexandra Wingate, Indiana U, Bloomington
How have developments in digital humanities informed the study of the history of the book? How do digital humanities scholars draw upon book history methods, tools, and ways of thinking in their work to advance the study of technology?
For related material, visit ach.org/news/ after 1 Dec.
120. Imperfect Women Writers
5:15–6:30 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the Margaret Fuller Society. Presiding: Jana L. Argersinger, Washington State U, Pullman
Speakers: Shoshana Milgram Knapp, Virginia Tech; Jeslyn Pool, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Susannah Sharpless, Cornell U; Kerri Slatus, Arizona State U, Phoenix; Katie Williams, Brooklyn C, City U of New York
Respondent: Mollie Barnes, U of South Carolina, Beaufort
Fuller was once described as looking at herself as “a living statue” on “a polished pedestal.” What responsibilities do critics have to remove women writers from pedestals predecessors imagined? How should we write and teach women writers to document their flaws, failures, or perceived imperfections? How do women writers and their readers contend with criticism or pressures not to speak up or speak out? How should critics handle such violence in women writers' views and voices?
For related material, write to [email protected].
121. The Theory and Practice of Public Scholarship and Academic Civic Engagement in the Spanish Humanities
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the ALCESXXI: Asociación Internacional de Literatura y Cine Españoles Siglo XXI. Presiding: Steven Torres, U of Nebraska, Omaha
Speakers: Txetxu Aguado, Dartmouth C; Jose Antonio Aguirre Pombo, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Annabel Martín, Dartmouth C; Bécquer Seguín, Johns Hopkins U, MD
Panelists interrogate the role in the humanities of Spanish faculty members today, particularly when it comes to the theory and praxis of academic civic engagement, public scholarship, and public humanities, including the medical humanities, with an eye toward finding ways to make academic knowledge a public good.
122. The Jewish Cold War
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LLC Jewish American. Presiding: Karolina Krasuska, U of Warsaw
Speakers: Brian Goodman, Arizona State U, Tempe; Benjamin Ratskoff, Hebrew Union C, CA; Allison Schachter, Vanderbilt U; Benjamin Schreier, Penn State U, University Park
Panelists take on the question of how a Cold War logic continues to tacitly shape historical and cultural narratives of Jewish American literature, including literary canons. This perspective not only reveals the imbrications of Cold War discourses and the shaping of the Ashkenormative American Jewishness but also explores the function of Jewishness as constitutive for Cold War liberalism.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Nov.
123. Black Speculations
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the forum LLC Late-19th- and Early-20th-Century American. Presiding: DeLisa Hawkes, U of Tennessee, Knoxville
1. “Sutton Griggs's Speculative Endings,” DeLisa Hawkes
2. “The Claustrophobic Horror of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” Danielle Jones, U of Chicago
3. “‘Wife, Don't You Know Me?': Racism, Intimacy, and Interiority in Black No More and ‘Lex Talionis,'” Makeba Lavan, Grinnell C
124. Teaching Coloniality: From Medieval Iberia to Colonial Latin America
5:15–6:30 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the forums LLC Medieval Iberian and LLC Colonial Latin American. Presiding: Heather Bamford, George Washington U; Amber Brian, U of Iowa
Speakers: Emily Colbert Cairns, Salve Regina U; Ruth Hill, Vanderbilt U; Amelia R. Mañas, Colby C; Juan Manuel Ramirez Velazquez, Colgate U; Ruben Sanchez-Godoy, Southern Methodist U; Núria Silleras-Fernández, U of Colorado, Boulder
Participants share their teaching experiences to explore how coloniality studied across geographies and temporalities can resonate with student interest.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/medieval-iberian/forum/ after 16 Dec.
125. Competing Concerns in Language Education Discourse
5:15–6:30 p.m., Quarterdeck A
Program arranged by the forum LSL Second-Language Teaching and Learning. Presiding: Janice McGregor, U of Arizona, Tucson
1. “‘That's Not How You Say It': Discursive Constructions of Heritage Learners in US Higher Education,” Katharine Burns, Carnegie Mellon U
2. “Reclaiming Tradition: The Making and Breaking of an Antislogan,” Barbara Schmenk, U of Waterloo
126. Envisioning Reality: Adapting Nonfiction Texts to the Screen
5:15–6:30 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum TC Adaptation Studies. Presiding: Leah M. Anderst, Queensborough Community C, City U of New York
1. “Transplanting Nonfiction into Fiction: On Claire Denis's Adaptation of Jean-Luc Nancy's The Intruder,” Ian Balfour, York U
2. “Palimpsexts and Body Doubles,” Iliana Cuellar, U of California, Riverside
3. “The Autobiographical Voice and Vision from Words to Screen: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” Leah M. Anderst
127. Plants and Book History
5:15–6:30 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the forum TM Book History, Print Cultures, Lexicography. Presiding: Rebecca Schneider, New Mexico Highlands U
1. “‘Upon Thy Word I Rest': Flowers and Floral Ornaments in Nineteenth-Century Books,” Andrew M. Stauffer, U of Virginia
2. “Printed for Manuscript: How Thomas Gray Tabulated His Plants,” Ruth Abbott, U of Cambridge
3. “Emily Dickinson and the Herbarium Workshop,” Jeannette Schollaert, U of Delaware, Newark
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/book-history-print-cultures-lexicography/ after 2 Jan.
128. Peer Review: The Inside Scoop
5:15–6:30 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom
Program arranged by the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Presiding: Brenda Machosky, U of Hawai‘i, West O‘ahu
Speakers: Sarah E. Chinn, Hunter C, City U of New York; Justin A. Joyce, Washington U in St. Louis; Andrew Osborn, U of Dallas; Carlos Riobo, Graduate Center, City U of New York
Editors and experienced peer reviewers, in an effort to make transparent the often mysterious processes of peer review, discuss becoming a peer reviewer; understanding the responsibility of peer review, including its nurturing function; creating a quality review; and receiving peer reviews with a better understanding of their process and purpose.
129. Open Session in Premodern German Literature and Culture
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LLC German to 1700. Presiding: Sara Suzanne Poor, Princeton U
1. “The Giant's Deforestation: Dietrich, Hildebrand, Siegenot, and the Fight for the Forest,” Annegret Oehme, U of Washington, Seattle
2. “Who Would Win in a Fight? The Battles of Dietrich von Bern and Siegfried in Germanic Heroic Legend,” Jonathan Seelye Martin, Illinois State U
3. “Echo as Poet: Klangmalerei's Sonic Senses,” Evan Strouss, U of California, Berkeley
4. “Sermon Literature as a Social Mirror: Johannes Pauli's Schimpf und Ernst (1522),” Albrecht Classen, U of Arizona, Tucson
130. Invisible Peripheries: Place, Race, and Subjectivity in Lusophone Cultures
5:15–6:30 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Global Portuguese. Presiding: Patrícia H. Baialuna de Andrade, Brigham Young U, UT
1. “Reflections on Recording in Carolina Maria de Jesus's Manuscripts,” William Mullaney, Princeton U
2. “O rap ainda é dedo na ferida: Brazilian Rap and Political Protest in the Early 2010s,” Ligia Bezerra, Arizona State U, Tempe
3. “The Loneliness of the Black Woman in Neighbours, by Lília Momplé,” Letícia Barbosa, U of Wisconsin, Madison
4. “Cordões umbilicais enterrados: Animism and Ecofeminism in Paulina Chiziane's Niketche,” Sophie Hirtle, Brigham Young U, UT
131. Translation, Visibility, and Style: Accommodating Audiences
5:15–6:30 p.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the forum LSL Linguistics and Literature. Presiding: Roshawnda Derrick, Pepperdine U
1. “From AAVE to ‘Petit-nègre': How French Colonial Imagination Shaped Autant en emporte le vent,” Jeanne Sauvage, Yale U
2. “An (Un)Translatable Abortion: Rosamond Lehmann's The Weather in the Streets,” Sophie Levin, Washington U in St. Louis
3. “Layered (In)Visibility: Translating Multilingualism in Indonesian Fiction,” Lara Norgaard, Harvard U
4. “On the Translator's Invisibility in Gu Hongming's English Version of The Analects,” Yuan Deng, Chinese U of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
For related material, visit https://doi.org/10.17613/pge0-vj89.
132. Ursula K. Le Guin: Science, Utopia, Futurity
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum TC Science and Literature. Presiding: Rebecca Ballard, Florida State U
Speakers: Mona Ashour, U of Florida; Jason Bartles, West Chester U; Melody Jue, U of California, Santa Barbara; Seohyon Jung, Korea Advanced Inst. of Science and Tech.; Susana Morris, Georgia Inst. of Tech.; Alison Sperling, Florida State U
A half century after the publication of The Dispossessed, panelists probe how Le Guin's work brings visibility to structures of power and to other possibilities, emphasizing global perspectives on capitalism, environment, gender and sexuality, patriarchy, politics, race, and science and technology today.
133. Gothic Hypervisibilities
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Gothic Studies. Presiding: Eloise Sureau, Butler U
1. “Slashers and Final Girls: Obvious Intertexts in the Novels of Stephen Graham Jones,” Joshua Gooch, D'Youville U
2. “Unmistakably Alive: The Hypervisual Body of Emilia Pardo Bazán's ‘La resusitada',” Linda M. Willem, Butler U
3. “Unboxing Dracula: Conspicuous Consumption and Gothic Economies of Pleasure,” Manuel Herrero-Puertas, National Taiwan U
4. “Gothic Hypervisibility in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” Calvin Olsen, Ohio State U, Columbus
For related material, visit www.facebook.com/groups/MLAGothicStudies.
134. Conspiracy Theories in Law and Literature: Rhetoric and Genre
5:15–6:30 p.m., Quarterdeck B
Program arranged by the forum TC Law and the Humanities. Presiding: Lisa Siraganian, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Nicole Mansfield Wright, U of Colorado, Boulder
1. “‘Already Uncertain': Conspiracy Theories and Literary Resolution,” Laura Whitebell, U of Rochester
2. “Conspirators, Confidence Men, and Conjurers: Trickery and Short Form in Melville and Chesnutt,” Laurena Tsudama, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
3. “The Rhetoric of Conspiracy: From American Pragmatism to DeSantis in Drag,” Kevin Artiga, U of Florida
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/law-and-the-humanities/.
135. Central American Subjectivities: Resignifying and Reimagining the (Global) South
5:15–6:30 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum LLC Latina and Latino. Presiding: Maritza Cardenas, U of Arizona, Tucson
1. “Extractivism, Disaster Capitalism, and Internal Displacement in ‘The Honduran Boy,'” John Kennedy, U of Colorado, Boulder
2. “Contesting Visual Narratives of Picturesque Panama: Colonial Constructions of Race and Nature,” Cristina E. Pardo Porto, Syracuse U
3. “‘Guat Hunting': Maya (Social) Death in the Diaspora,” Alicia Ivonne Estrada, California State U, Northridge
4. “The Comforts of Home: Salvador(e)an Possibility and Belonging in Northwest Arkansas,” Yajaira M. Padilla, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
136. The (In)Visibility of Memory in Pre-Fourteenth-Century Chinese Literature
5:15–6:30 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum LLC Pre-14th-Century Chinese. Presiding: Benjamin Ridgway, Swarthmore C
1. “Echoes from Mount Beimang: Poetry, Memory, and Sacred Space in Ancient and Medieval China,” Yiyi Luo, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
2. “Flavors of Time: Food and Historical Memory in Medieval Chinese Literature,” Huijun Mai, U of California, Los Angeles
3. “The Future of Postmemory in the Song Lyrics of Xin Qiji,” Benjamin Ridgway
4. “Echoes of the Fallen Dynasty: Ci-Poetry and Collective Memory in Song-Yuan Transition,” Hanqi Zhou, Stanford U
Respondent: Sarah Allen, Williams C
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
137. Italianità and Music: From Resistance to Assimilation
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Italian. Presiding: Giulia Riccò, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Saskia Ziolkowski, Duke U
1. “Pino Daniele and the Deconstruction of Italianness in Neapolitan Music of the Late 1970s,” Ciro Incoronato, Duke U
2. “Tales of ‘Emilia Paranoica': CCCP and the Italian Political Imaginary,” Luca Naponiello, U of Massachusetts, Lowell
3. “Songs of Money, Labor, and Mobility: Giovanna Daffini (1965) and Epoque (2021),” Rachel Love, U of Pittsburgh
4. “‘Senza radici non crescono fiori': The ‘Afro-Italian Vibes' of Ghali, Abby 6ix, and Epoque,” Lisa Dolasinski, U of Georgia
138. Reading What's There: Readers, Writers, and Visibility in Old Norse Textual Culture
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC Old Norse. Presiding: Eric Bryan, Missouri U of Science and Tech.
1. “Messages from Marginal Space,” Sarah M. Anderson, Princeton U
2. “Cryptic Alphabets in Some Early Modern Icelandic Manuscripts in the Houghton Library at Harvard University,” Shaun F. D. Hughes, Purdue U, West Lafayette
3. “The Invisibility of Egill Skallagrímsson's Words,” Judy Quinn, U of Cambridge, Newnham C
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/old-norse/ after 1 Jan.
139. Humanities Funding, Visibility, and the Future of Research
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of the Executive Director. Presiding: Paula M. Krebs, MLA
Speakers: Joy Connolly, American Council of Learned Societies; Phillip Brian Harper, Mellon Foundation; Christopher John Newfield, Independent Social Research Foundation; Christopher Thornton, National Endowment for the Humanities
Humanities research gets a shockingly small percentage of the United States' investment in academic research, yet support for humanities research and expertise is increasingly important in the face of increasing threats to both democracy and higher education. Panelists discuss the need for a national strategy for making the value of humanities research and expertise more visible and for developing a framework for measuring the impact of the humanities, working with the audience to identify steps for building a national ecosystem for humanities research funding and demonstrating to the American public the value of humanities research.
140. Black Crip Temporalities
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 7
A special session. Presiding: Dennis Tyler, Jr., Fordham U
Speakers: Anna Hinton, U of North Texas; Stephen P. Knadler, Spelman C; Maren T. Linett, Purdue U, West Lafayette; Camille Owens, McGill U; Delia Steverson, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Jess Waggoner, U of Wisconsin, Madison
Panelists consider Black temporalities and their relationships to disability, bringing together questions of futurity, crip time, “Colored People's time,” coming-of-age narratives, paranormal temporalities, eugenics, transhumanism, and the archive to think about ways that African American authors worked through ideas about Black futures in a society and a time that attempted to foreclose those futures.
141. Decolonizing Maghrebi Historiography
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Edwige Tamalet Talbayev, Tulane U
Speakers: Maya Boutaghou, U of Virginia; Brahim El Guabli, Williams C; Valérie I. Loichot, Emory U; Marie-Pierre Ulloa, Stanford U
How do we disentangle a historical reality from its fictions? How does artistic space allow us to question the historical markers imposed by colonial historiography? What forms of decolonial historiography, including fictional writing and art, emerge outside the strictures of institutional history? Can emotions partake of the writing of history? Are emotions archivable?
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
142. Latinx Archival Forms
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill A2
A special session. Presiding: Olivia Lott, Yale U
1. “Archival Problems in Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children Archive,” Michael Dowdy, Villanova U
2. “Scavenger Texts: A Latinx Genealogy of Writing with Scraps,” Mariajosé Rodríguez Pliego, Northwestern U
3. “Documenting ‘Filipinicity': Hemispheric Borderlands in Catalina Cariaga's Cultural Evidence,” Whitney DeVos, independent scholar
4. “PharmacoCuir: Cuir Archives and the AIDS Crisis at the United States–Mexico Border,” Francesca Dennstedt, U of Kentucky
143. Literary Aesthetics against the Grain of Empire
5:15–6:30 p.m., Prince of Wales
A special session
1. “Egyptian Aesthetics: Latinx American Politics,” Sarah Quesada, Duke U
2. “Slow Flow and Dark: Gothic, Baroque, and Empire in the Caribbean,” Luis Othoniel Rosa, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
3. “Binational Aesthetics: Poetry toward Border Abolition,” Ignacio Sánchez Prado, Washington U in St. Louis
4. “Horror and the Anti-Imperialist Feminist Strike Form,” Patricia Stuelke, Dartmouth C
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
144. Blueprint, Model, Building: Architecture and the Novel
5:15–6:30 p.m., Parish
A special session. Presiding: Adelmar Ramirez, Hood C
Speakers: Pavel Andrade, Texas Tech U; Petra Burianova, U of Southampton; Alfonso Fierro, Northwestern U; Olivia Ho, University C London; Lauren Horst, Columbia U; Simon Lee, Texas State U; Laura Tscherry, Indiana U, Bloomington
How do literary and built forms model sociality and make visible patterns of social composition? Participants explore affinities between architecture and the novel across a wide range of historical and geographic positions, from the intimate to the global, to consider how literary spatiality scales principles of political structuration and how the building and the novel act as condensations of social relationships.
For related material, visit architectureandthenovel.mla.hcommons.org/ after 2 Dec.
145. Victorian Plants: Imperial Networks and the Affordances of Care
5:15–6:30 p.m., Chart C
A special session. Presiding: Amy M. King, Saint John's U, NY
Speakers: Zarena Aslami, Michigan State U; Sarah Bilston, Trinity C, CT; Amy M. King; Andrea Kaston Tange, Macalester C; Lindsay Wells, independent scholar
The Victorian period's near-obsessive taxonomizing has legacies in human terms and was a necessary precondition for instrumentalizing the land. Within the context of extractive imperial practices, panelists wonder: might the deep attention to the natural world that was necessary to establish global plant collections or classify and celebrate the natural world in art and literature also mark a kind of care that could lead to outcomes that are not merely exploitative?
146. Teaching Indigenous Languages: Fostering Multilingual Classrooms and Decolonial Methodologies across Abiayala
5:15–6:30 p.m., Marlborough A
A special session. Presiding: Leila G. Gomez, U of Colorado, Boulder
Speakers: Adam Coon, U of Minnesota, Morris; Wilma Doris Loayza, U of Colorado, Boulder; Javier Muñoz-Diaz, Farmingdale State C, State U of New York
Respondent: Tiffany D. Creegan Miller, Colby C
Drawing from experiences within higher education institutions and nongovernmental organizations in Latin America, participants discuss developing academic programming for Indigenous languages and cultures in order to offer diverse perspectives on how scholars and activists can support more spaces for the representation and visibility of Indigenous cultures, literatures, and scholars in connection with curricular goals.
For related material, write to [email protected].
147. Transcultural South Asia: A Futuristic Visibility
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Mary Louise Pratt, New York U
Speakers: John Charles Hawley, Santa Clara U; Maryse Jayasuriya, Saint Louis U; Cynthia Leenerts, East Stroudsburg U; Iqra Shagufta Cheema, Graceland U
Respondent: Waseem Anwar, Kinnaird C for Women
Participants explore various complex critical intersections toward transculturation and its negotiable facilitation. In many ways, it holds a futuristic implication to unveil multiple local-global possibilities for liberating us from our assumed sociopolitical and nationalistic constraints. Discussion focuses on how the ideas in transcultural humanities may open avenues for furthering the transculturation process in South Asia.
148. Seeing Faulkner in the Gulf South
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the William Faulkner Society. Presiding: Rebecca Nisetich, U of Southern Maine, Portland
1. “‘That Airport Wasn’t Quite the Airport’: Reading Pylon through a Lost Airfield,” D. Matthew Ramsey, Salve Regina U
2. “Faulkner, Atchafalaya,” Ryan Heryford, California State U, East Bay
3. “Multilingual Absalom, Monolingual Absalom: William Faulkner’s Empire of Language,” Harilaos Stecopoulos, U of Iowa
4. “William Faulkner’s Sketches of New Orleans: Showing through Sensorial Experience,” Frederique Spill, U of Picardie Jules Verne
149. Visibility and Defiance in Black Public Rhetoric
5:15–6:30 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Laura L. Mielke, U of Kansas
1. “‘I Wish I Could Find Words to Tell You . . .': Black Women's Politics of Deviance and the Failure of Civic Discourse,” Sonya Donaldson, Colby C
2. “The (In)Visibility of Claudia Rankine's and Donald Glovers's Public Responses to the 2015 Charleston Shooting,” Nicole Lowman, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
3. “'To Be Entrapped in Other People's Fictions': Editing and Defiance in Jessie R. Fauset's 'Emmy,'” Demetra McBrayer, U of Delaware, Newark
150. Intermediality and Digital World Literature
5:15–6:30 p.m., Canal
A special session. Presiding: Youngmin Kim, Dongguk U
Speakers: Michael Allan, U of Oregon; Dima Ayoub, Middlebury C; Youngmin Kim; Sirsha Nandi, Texas A&M U, College Station; Robert Tally, Texas State U; Dhanashree Thorat, Mississippi State U
A new interface between literature, media, and digital technology has brought about rapid changes in the transformation process of digital technology, creating an ecosystem of ecotechnology of the Internet. Electronic literature transforms itself into “digital world literature” as a digital archive, the databases of computerized algorithms: hashtags, blogs, social media, YouTube, paratext, and Wikipedia. Different types of reading are demanded now.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
151. Celebrating the Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Death of John Fletcher and His Drama
5:15–6:30 p.m., Fulton
A special session. Presiding: Celia Caputi, Florida State U; William Reginald Rampone, Jr., South Carolina State U
1. “More Roman Than Roman: Fletcher's Rewriting of Coriolanus in Bonduca,” Meredith Beales, U of British Columbia
2. “Making the Reformation Visible: The Function of Masques in Fletcher and Shakespeare's Henry VIII,” Jennifer Kraemer, Texas Christian U
3. “Fletcher in Company,” Lucy Munro, King's C London
4. “Performing Fletcher's Genders,” Michael Wagoner, Florida State U
For related material, write to [email protected].
Thursday, 9 January 7:00 p.m.
152. Twice-Sung Theatrical Tales: Reviving, Revising, Recovering, and Resisting Musical Texts
7:00–8:15 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the Lyrica Society for Word-Music Relations. Presiding: Shoshana Milgram Knapp, Virginia Tech
1. “Thrice-Altered Tale within Tale: Reimagining the Flower Spirits' Dance Routine in The Peony Pavilion,” Liana Chen, George Washington U
2. “Decadent Senses: The Dissemination of Oscar Wilde's Salomé across the Arts,” Polina Dimova, U of Denver
3. “No Trouble in River City: When Broadway Revisals ‘Fix' the Wrong Things,” Zelda Knapp, independent scholar
4. “Rehearing Irving Berlin's ‘White Christmas': Unlike the Ones We Used to Know,” Alex Tischer, Fordham U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 24 Dec.
153. Poe and the Archives
7:00–8:15 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the Poe Studies Association. Presiding: Emron Esplin, Brigham Young U, UT
Speakers: Adam Bradford, Idaho State U; J. Gerald Kennedy, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge; Richard Kopley, Penn State U, University Park; John Edward Martin, U of North Texas; Philip Edward Phillips, Middle Tennessee State U; Kelly Ross, Rider U; Susan Elizabeth Sweeney, C of the Holy Cross
What can we learn about Poe and his global advocates from the archives? How have archival visits helped shape important work on Poe in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries? Panelists share information about public and private collections that will spur new archival studies of Poe and other authors whose works are closely connected to his.
154. Seeing Things: Perception and Palpability in Henry James
7:00–8:15 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the Henry James Society. Presiding: Jane F. Thrailkill, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1. “‘A Supersubtle Sixth Sense': Operations of Atmospheric Feeling in the Fiction of Henry James,” Max Kaisler, U of California, Berkeley
2. “Picture and Perception in The Golden Bowl,” F. Philip Horne, University C London
155. Visibility and Power in Midwestern Literature
7:00–8:15 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature. Presiding: Marilyn Judith Atlas, Ohio U, Athens
1. “A Foucauldian Analysis of Visibility, Power, and Knowledge in Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith,” Shaun Richards, Finger Lakes Community C, NY
2. “Making the Invisible Visible: From Nella Larsen's Quicksand to Gwendolyn Brooks's Emmett Till Poems,” Marilyn Judith Atlas
3. “The Invisible Dark Dangers of Urban Design in Adrienne Kennedy's Ohio State Murders,” Jared Hackworth, U of Illinois, Chicago
4. “Making the Unspoken Visible in Mona Susan Power's A Council of Dolls,” Michele Willman, U of Minnesota, Crookston
156. Invisible Reading
7:00–8:15 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Reception Study Society. Presiding: Erin Ann Smith, U of Texas, Dallas
Speakers: Amy L. Blair, Marquette U; Jaime Harker, U of Mississippi, Oxford; Cecilia Konchar Farr, West Liberty U; Kristin L. Matthews, Brigham Young U, UT; Yung-Hsing Wu, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
Each panelist speaks on a specific instance of reception that has occluded, obscured, displaced, or otherwise made less than visible the work of women writers.
For related material, write to [email protected].
157. The Forgotten and Marginalized in Italian Cinema
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the American Association of Teachers of Italian
1. “Recovering the Memory of Giacomo Matteotti in Italian Historical Cinema,” Annemarie Lisko, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2. “An Avant-Garde Feminist Take on a Founding Father's Fling: Lina Mangiacapre's Didone non è morta,” Hilary Emerson, U of Rhode Island
158. Literary Biography
7:00–8:15 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum CLCS European Regions. Presiding: Julia Elsky, Loyola U, Chicago
1. “Biographies of an Artists' Community in World War II Europe,” Sara Kippur, Trinity C, CT
2. “Budd Schulberg's World War,” Gordon N. Hutner, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
3. “‘The Elusive Man': Biographical Variations in Lo stadio di Wimbledon and Bobi,” Anna Borgarello, Columbia U
159. Visibility of Hope as the Response to the Representation of Crises in South Asia and Its Diasporic Literatures
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LLC South Asian and South Asian Diasporic. Presiding: Umme Al-wazedi, Augustana C
1. “Documenting Demons: Finding Hope for a Just Reconciliation in Sri Lankan and Diasporic Fiction and Film,” Maryse Jayasuriya, Saint Louis U
2. “Model Mourners and the Crisis of Canadian Multiculturalism,” Chandrima Chakraborty, McMaster U
3. “Self-Reflexivity and Joy in Creative Expression,” Asiya Zahoor, Cornell U
160. Narrative Theory, Historically Speaking
7:00–8:15 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum LLC Victorian and Early-20th-Century English. Presiding: Sukanya Banerjee, U of California, Berkeley
Speakers: Elaine Auyoung, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Tina Young Choi, York U; Cornelia Pearsall, Smith C; Kent Puckett, U of California, Berkeley; Daniel Stout, U of Mississippi, Oxford; Robyn Warhol, Ohio State U, Columbus; Alex Woloch, Stanford U
What has it meant for Victorianists and modernists to engage with narrative theory? What does it mean for how they might engage with it now? To what extent is the idea of a historical narratology useful? In addressing these questions, panelists take up a range of topics, including theories of the novel, the relation of literature and science, and the relation of narrative theory and poetics.
161. What Does Bad Education Teach Us?
7:00–8:15 p.m., Commerce
A special session. Presiding: Madhavi Menon, Ashoka U
Speakers: Stephen Best, U of California, Berkeley; Jack Halberstam, Columbia U; Ranjana Khanna, Duke U; Grace Lavery, U of California, Berkeley; Heather K. Love, U of Pennsylvania
Respondent: Lee Edelman, Tufts U
Scholars from the fields of Afropessimism, trans*, queer, and postcolonial theory assess the political and theoretical impact of Lee Edelman’s controversial book Bad Education: Why Queer Theory Teaches Us Nothing.
162. Issues of Agency with AI
7:00–8:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LSL Language and Society. Presiding: Shakil Rabbi, Virginia Tech
1. “Ungrading in the Age of Generative AI,” Shannon Mooney, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
2. “Cocreating with Generative AI,” Collier Nogues, Chinese U of Hong Kong
3. “Poetry, AI, and Meaning-Making Machines,” Andrew Nance, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/language-and-society/.
163. Queer Studies and Infrastructure
7:00–8:15 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the forum TC Sexuality Studies. Presiding: Davy Knittle, U of Delaware, Newark
Speakers: Jack Jen Gieseking, Mount Holyoke C; Matthew Kateb Goldman, Brown U; Koby Hansen, U of California, Riverside; Z'étoile Imma, Tulane U; Stephanie LeMenager, U of Oregon; Sean Matharoo, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Bringing together conversations in queer studies and the environmental humanities, participants ask how infrastructural systems shape life chances.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
164. Envisioning Imagined Communities: Introducing Special Collections to General Education Literature
7:00–8:15 p.m., Churchill A1
A special session. Presiding: Qiao Yang Chen, U of Iowa
1. “Teaching Intertextuality in the Archives: Tracking Down Texts in The Underground Railroad,” Qiao Yang Chen
2. “Making the Book: Curating Textual Communities in the General Education Classroom,” Philip Zaborowski, U of Iowa
3. “Access and Equity: Practical Applications of the Digital Archive in the General Education Literature Classroom,” Maria Capecchi, Elmhurst U
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/envisioning-imagined-communities-introducing-special-collections-to-general-education literature/.
165. Negative Feeling and Contemporary Chinese Art
7:00–8:15 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Modern and Contemporary Chinese. Presiding: Liang Luo, U of Kentucky
1. “Wu Wenguang's Treatment: Documentary Avenues of Grief,” Charles Laughlin, U of Virginia
2. “Cinematic Articulation of Gendered Negativity in Li Shaohong's Baober in Love,” Lingzhen Wang, Brown U
3. “Postsocialist Chinese Love and Pain in Teeth of Love,” Sijia Yao, Soka U of America
4. “Ecological Feelings as Anthropocentric Responses,” Ting Zheng, Stanford U
166. Resilience across the “Spanish” Philippines
7:00–8:15 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global Hispanophone. Presiding: Mahan Ellison, Furman U
1. “Linguistic Diversity, Translation, and Heterodoxy in the Early Spanish Philippines,” Marlon James Sales, U of the Philippines
2. “Unacknowledged Resistance: Chinese Authorships and Aesthetics in the Spanish Philippines,” Yangyou Fang, Princeton U
3. “Voices of Resistance in the Penal Colonies in Mindanao (the Philippines),” Aurélie Vialette, Stony Brook U, State U of New York
4. “Ansiedades imperiales: Representaciones de Filipinas en la obra ensayística de Benito Pérez Galdós,” Olga Guadalupe, U of Pennsylvania
167. Unauthoring Middle English
7:00–8:15 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum LLC Middle English. Presiding: Claire Waters, U of California, Davis
Speakers: Kathleen Burt, Middle Georgia State U; Megan Cook, Colby C; Holly Crocker, U of South Carolina, Columbia; Thomas Sawyer, U of Chicago; Maggie Solberg, Bowdoin C
Respondent: Myra Seaman, C of Charleston
What new perspectives and interpretive possibilities emerge if we embrace the anonymity of most Middle English manuscripts? What might be the critical utility of deferring recourse to an author? Panelists consider drama, lyric, narrative poetry, manuscript compilations, and their critical receptions.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/middle-english/forum/topic/info-for-mla-2025-middle-english-forum-session-unauthoring-middle-english/#post-1038380.
168. Revision
7:00–8:15 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the forum TM Bibliography and Scholarly Editing. Presiding: Sarah Neville, Ohio State U, Columbus
1. “Margaret the First, Second, and Third: Revision and Authorship in Cavendish's Poetry and Philosophy,” Lara A. Dodds, Mississippi State U
2. “Revising the Poems of Sylvia Plath,” Amanda Golden, New York Inst. of Tech.
3. “Revising the Body, Revising the Book: Whitman, Phrenology, and the Transmateriality of Leaves of Grass,” Kadin Henningsen, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
4. “Dealing with Deletion: ‘Poetry' and ‘Poets' in Percy Shelley's ‘On Life' (1819),” Ross Wilson, U of Cambridge
Respondent: Marissa Nicosia, Penn State U, Abington
169. Shakespeare, Libraries, and the Alfred Knight Collection
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 19
Program arranged by the forum LLC Shakespeare. Presiding: Brandi Adams, Arizona State U, Tempe
Speakers: Jonathan Hope, Arizona State U, Tempe; Alex Mada, Phoenix Public Library
Panelists address the ways that public library collections such as the Alfred Knight Collection at the Burton Barr Library in Phoenix provide important resources for understanding the nature of twentieth-century rare book collectors other than the most famous, including H. Folger and H. Huntington. Discussion focuses on material Knight curated in order to underscore the importance of learning about Shakespeare through smaller collections.
170. The (In)Visibility of Minoritized Speakers: Case Studies in Literature and Translation
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LSL Language Change. Presiding: Laura Francis, Maynooth U
1. “Translating African Traditional Beliefs in Oyeyemi's The Icarus Girl and Emezi's Freshwater,” Casandra Aigbogun, U of Georgia
2. “Hyper- and Hypovisible ‘Orientals': The Case of Sadakichi Hartmann,” Sanghoon Oh, Cornell U
3. “‘What, Then, Is the Question?': Contemporary American Poetics of Response,” Katherine Preston, Brown U
4. “Reflections on Recording in Carolina Maria de Jesus's Manuscripts,” William Mullaney, Princeton U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/language-change/ after 1 Dec.
171. Multilingualism and Visibility in Digital Humanities and Digital Scholarship
7:00–8:15 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Information Technology. Presiding: Eduard Arriaga, Clark U
1. “Vernacular DH in Resistance to Technonationalism,” Sharanya Ghosh, Indian Inst. of Tech, Jodhpur; Setsuko Yokoyama, Singapore U of Tech and Design
2. “Making the Multilinguality of DH More Visible through User Profiles,” Aliz Horvath, Eötvös Loránd U; David Joseph Wrisley, New York U, Abu Dhabi
3. “Digital Multilingualism: How Digital Scholarship Renders English-Centrism of Academia Visible,” Merve Tekgürler, Stanford U
4. “From Multilingualism to Translinguaging in the Digital Humanities at Hispanic Serving Institutions,” Sylvia Fernandez, U of Texas, San Antonio; Stephanie Gonzalez, U of Texas, San Antonio
172. Advocating for World Languages: Outreach to Prospective Students and Their Parents
7:00–8:15 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the ALD Executive Committee. Presiding: John Baskerville, Jr., United States Military Acad.
Speakers: Lisa Connell, U of West Georgia, Carrollton; Erin E. Edgington, U of Nevada, Reno; Charlotte Gifford, Greenfield Community C, MA; Scott Muir, National Humanities Alliance; Fernando Rubio, Yale U; Natalia Santamaria Laorden, Ramapo C of New Jersey
Panelists explore recruitment and retention strategies to make world languages more accessible to all learners. Speakers address K–12, two-year, and four-year pathways; best practices for engaging heritage language learners; the differences between app-based language learning and formal language study; and approaches for addressing parent and student concerns about the career outcomes of humanities majors.
173. Literary Border Studies: New Directions
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 3
A special session
1. “Crossing the Border of the Literary: Asylum Narrative as Genre,” Graham Liddell, Hope C
2. “Philology's Borderscape and the Making of Refugee Literatures,” William Stroebel, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “Comparing the Literatures of the Global South,” Waïl S. Hassan, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Respondent: Karen Emmerich, Princeton U
174. Beyond Ethical Reading: How Fiction Thinks about Motive, Will, and Desire
7:00–8:15 p.m., Camp
A special session. Presiding: Marianna Torgovnick, Duke U
1. “Poe's Aesthetics of the Effect,” Emily Ogden, U of Virginia
2. “‘Jealousy, Revenge, and Disappointment,'” Caleb Smith, Yale U
3. “Three Paths for the Novel,” Jennifer L. Fleissner, U of Chicago
For related material, write to [email protected].
175. Asian American Writings on Trauma and Disaster in Conversation with the Anthropocene
7:00–8:15 p.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Eliko Kosaka, Hosei U
1. “Living in the Anthropocene: Cats, Crows, Oceans, and Trees in Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being,” Gayle Sato, Meiji U
2. “Confronting the Other Ecohorror in Vietnam: Guan Barry's Poems,” Xiaojing Zhou, U of the Pacific
3. “Apocalypse Now, Again? Reading Ling Ma's Severance in the Postpandemic Era,” Yasuko Kase, U of the Ryukyus
4. “Kibei Hibakusha Traumas in Naomi Hirahara's Big Bachi and Yamazaki Toyoko's Two Homelands,” Eliko Kosaka
For related material, write to [email protected].
176. Strategic Approaches to Reimagining Recruitment through Talent Spotting, Career Alignment, and Data Analysis
7:00–8:15 p.m., Churchill B2
A special session. Presiding: Tania Leal, U of Arizona, Tucson
1. “Recruitment Reimagined: Enhancing Humanities Enrollment through Talent Spotting,” Tania Leal; Stephanie Springer, U of Arizona, Tucson
2. “A Powerful French Recruitment Tool: The High Value of Français Professionnel de la Santé at Washington University in St. Louis,” Lionel Cuillé, Washington U in St. Louis
3. “Making the Case for Humanities Degrees and Career Success,” Robert Townsend, American Acad. of Arts and Sciences
177. Women in the Early History of Comics (1800s–1950s)
7:00–8:15 p.m., Quarterdeck B
A special session. Presiding: Qiana Whitted, U of South Carolina, Columbia
1. “The Rise and Fall of the Cascading Layout in Women's Comics,” Camila Gutiérrez, Pontificia U Católica de Chile
2. “Playing with Paper: How Women's Magazines and Paper Dolls Shaped Comics,” Morgan Podraza, Ohio State U, Columbus
3. “Superwomen Fighting for and against Justice: The Golden Age of Female Representation in Comics,” Elisabetta Di Minico, Complutense U of Madrid
For related material, visit womenincomics.hcommons.org/.
178. Rural as Periphery in Latin American Literature
7:00–8:15 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Pavel Andrade, Texas Tech U
Speakers: Mieko Anders, Columbia U; Adriana Estrada Álvarez, U Autónoma del Estado de Morelos; Emilio Irigoyen, U de la Republica; Wyatt Leaf, Princeton U; Lenin Lozano-Guzman, Bryn Mawr C; Juan G. Ramos, C of the Holy Cross; Hugo Salas, U of Pennsylvania
Panelists reflect on how art forms articulate different approaches on the insertion of Latin American rural areas in global capitalism. To what extent do focuses on rural modernization challenge conventional representations of peripheries? What aesthetics are invested in transitions in the countryside?
179. “The Palestinians Still in Question”: Francophone Palestinian Voices
7:00–8:15 p.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Carine Bourget, U of Arizona, Tucson
1. “‘A Terrible Closeness': Elias Sanbar's Writings about Palestinians and American Indians,” Olivia C. Harrison, U of Southern California
2. “Cinematographic Journey of a Return and Narratives of Reclamation in Carol Mansour's Aida Returns,” Marilyn Matar, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “Writing Une enfance à Gaza, 1942–1958,” Carine Bourget
180. Ishiguro's Peripheries: (Re)Seeing Historical Perspective and Literary Practice
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Ryan James McGuckin, Appalachian State U
1. “Haunted Halls: Relics of the English Estate in Irving's Bracebridge Hall and Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day,” Joshua Myers, Ball State U
2. “The Restructuring of Relationships in The Unconsoled,” Anjalee Nadarajan, York U
3. “On the Edge of the English Novel: Granta's Rebirth and the Making of An Artist of the Floating World,” Ben Fried, U of London
4. “The Brief Intimacy of Song in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Virginia Woolf's Between the Acts,” Ryan James McGuckin
For related material, write to [email protected].
181. Literary Scholars Writing Collective Biographies
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 6
A special session. Presiding: Hillary Hope Herzog, U of Kentucky
1. “A Collective Biography of the Scriblerus Club,” Judith Hawley, Royal Holloway, U of London
2. “Letting the Spirits Move You: The Who, What, and How of Collective Biography,” Katheryn Laborde, Xavier U, LA
3. “A Collective Biography of Jewish-Austrian Classmates,” Jacqueline Vansant, U of Michigan, Dearborn
For related material, write to [email protected].
182. Narrating Spectacle around 1800
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Ellwood H. Wiggins, Jr., U of Washington, Seattle
Speakers: Baharak Beizaei, Princeton U; Tove Holmes, McGill U; Ingrid Lassek, McGill U; Pauline Preisler, U of St Andrews; Alan Rauch, U of North Carolina, Charlotte; Ellwood H. Wiggins, Jr.
Panelists explore the narrative production of visuality and spectacular effect in novels, philosophy, and other media in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. What can narrated scenes of acting teach us about the nature of performance? What does the novel's drive to re-create theatrical experience say about the nature of narration? How does the reproduction of copresence impact the claims of texts in philosophy, politics, and aesthetics?
183. Is Nation-State a Passage to Autonomy or an Erasure of Intersectionalities? Case Studies from South Asia
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Dinalo Chakma, U of Florida
1. “Indigenous Chakma Songs: Cultural Resistance and Emerging Collective Consciousness,” Dinalo Chakma
2. “Bangladesh Liberation War and Women Survivors' Trauma,” Paulomi Sharma, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
3. “Scrutinizing the Modern: Sri Lankan State-Building Attempts,” Deepthi Siriwardena, U of Texas, Permian Basin
184. Theorizing Contemporary Hospitality
7:00–8:15 p.m., Starboard
A special session
1. “Empathy and the Conditions of Hospitality in Caryl Phillips's A Distant Shore,” Saumya Lal, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Hosting the Enemy,” Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller, Vanderbilt U
3. “Seeking Asylum: The Conditions of State Hospitality in By the Sea,” Carolyn Ownbey, Golden Gate U
4. “‘Something Bad Could Have Happened': A Derridean Reading of Hospitality in HBO's The White Lotus,” Pelin Kivrak, Emerson C
185. The Archive as Unheimlich: Latinx Inhabitances of the Archival House
7:00–8:15 p.m., Eglinton Winton
A special session. Presiding: Ben V. Olguín, U of California, Santa Barbara
1. “‘The Gaping Mouth Slit Heart from Mind': Reading Body Horror in Gloria Anzaldúa's Coatlicue State,” Magda Garcia, U of California, Riverside
2. “YAP: Sandra Cisneros and the Politics of Archiving Latino Youth,” Sara A. Ramírez, Texas State U
3. “‘Temperance Was for Fools': Archiving the Spiritual in Felicia Luna Lemus's Like Son,” Roberto Macias, Jr., U of California, Santa Barbara
186. Palimpsests: Traces of Memory and Oblivion
7:00–8:15 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Peter Schulman, Old Dominion U
Speakers: Alexa Barger, U of California, Los Angeles; Cheryl Edelson, Chaminade U; Richard E. Hishmeh, Palomar C; Jerry Rafiki Jenkins, Palomar C; Stanley D. Orr, U of Hawai‘i, West O‘ahu; Peter Schulman; Craig Svonkin, Metropolitan State U of Denver
Members of the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association engage the 2025 PAMLA conference theme, Palimpsests: Traces of Memory and Oblivion, exploring literary, media, professional, and pedagogic topics related to themes of remembering, forgetting, history, and echoes, erasures, and lingering presences from the past.
187. Celebrating the Poetic Legacy of the University of New Orleans
7:00–8:15 p.m., St. James Ballroom
Presiding: Samuel Gladden, U of New Orleans
Participants: Stacey Balkun, U of New Orleans; Jericho Brown, Emory U; Gina Ferrara, Delgado Community C, LA; John Roy Octavius Gery, U of New Orleans; Jeff Grieneisen, State C of Florida; Carolyn Hembree, U of New Orleans; Jade Hurter, U of New Orleans; Skye Jackson, poet; Bill Lavender, Lavender Ink / Diálogos; Kay Murphy, U of New Orleans
Poets from the University of New Orleans have long engaged with social, political, and cultural dimensions of visibility, including but not limited to environmental concerns that threaten surrounding cultures. What power does an archive hold when it can be lost to flood waters at any moment? How does the constant threat of loss and displacement disrupt common practices of accepting the status quo? Engaging with themes of identity, erasure, resistance, and displacement, poets echo and challenge the literary history of the region, even as they rethink their own creative, critical, and pedagogical practices in a larger global context.
Friday, 10 January 8:30 a.m.
189. Cervantes and Visibility
8:30–9:45 a.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the Cervantes Society of America. Presiding: Christine Garst-Santos, South Dakota State U
1. “Visibility and Misperception in the Episode of the Windmills,” Alexander Brock, Princeton U
2. “Cervantes and the Poetics of Opacity in Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda,” Sonia Velazquez, Indiana U, Bloomington
3. “Seeing Guiomar: Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender in Cervantes's El celoso extremeño,” Elizabeth Lagresa-Gonzalez, U of British Columbia
190. William Carlos Williams and the Question of “America”: One Hundred Years of In the American Grain
8:30–9:45 a.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the William Carlos Williams Society. Presiding: Mark C. Long, Keene State C
1. “Williams and the ‘Remapping' of American Literature and Cultural Studies: In the American Grain at One Hundred,” Stephen Hahn, William Paterson U
2. “William Carlos Williams, Daniel Boone, and the Shadow of American Colonization,” Florian Gargaillo, Austin Peay State U
3. “Irredeemable Beauty: An American Counterplot,” Zachary Tavlin, School of the Art Inst. of Chicago
191. Visuality in the Eighteenth Century
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the G. E. Lessing Society. Presiding: Mary Bricker, Southern Illinois U, Carbondale
1. “Night Visions: A Survey of Nightmares in Lessing's Plays,” Mary Bricker
2. “Iconoclastic Images: Destruction Made Visible,” Christopher Chiasson, Southern Illinois U, Carbondale
3. “Visual Poetics: The Dynamics of Word and Image in Lessing,” Beate Allert, Purdue U, West Lafayette
192. How to Get Published in a Scholarly Journal
8:30–9:45 a.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Presiding: Susan Tomlinson, U of Massachusetts, Boston
Speakers: Amy L. Blair, Marquette U; Katherine L. Chiles, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Sarah E. Chinn, Hunter C, City U of New York; Nathan Grant, Saint Louis U
Editors address various aspects of the journal article: drafting, revising, submitting, and the publishing process. Topics include selecting a journal (“fit”), decoding submission guidelines, processing and acting on reader reports, and navigating the revise-and-resubmit process.
193. Native American Literary Speculations in Horror and History
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the Western Literature Association
Speakers: David Jeffrey Carlson, California State U, San Bernardino; Nicole R. Rikard, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Andrea Rogers, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Billy J. Stratton, U of Denver; Ted Van Alst, Portland State U
Panelists explore recent trends in the development of Native American literary discourse and poetics focused on the intersections and interplay between history, resistance to the narrative of colonial vanishing, and the utilization of horror as a reflection of settler realities.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 30 Nov.
194. African Materialities
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the forum LLC African since 1990. Presiding: Olabode Ibironke, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
1. “Call Me by My Name: Queer (In)Visibility in the Works of Trifonia Melibea Obono,” Caroline Colquhoun, U of Alaska, Fairbanks
2. “Outward Mobility and (Truncated) Futurity of Youthful Bodies in Nigerian Literature,” Oluwafunmilayo Akinpelu, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
3. “Becoming Afropolitan: Embodiments in Unigwe's Better Never than Late and Adichie's Americanah,” Elizabeth Olaoye, Midwestern State U
195. Queer and Trans French and Francophone Cultures
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century French. Presiding: Denis M. Provencher, North Carolina State U
Speakers: Eric Disbro, Duke U; Kévin Drif, U of California, Berkeley; Emilie Hautemont, Tulane U; Ryan Joyce, Ohio State U, Columbus; Blase A. Provitola, Trinity C, CT; Todd W. Reeser, U of Pittsburgh
Speakers explore a range of contemporary topics related to queer and trans subjectivities, drawing from social-activist, literary, political, cultural, cinematic, and artistic productions.
196. The Axolotl in Mexican Literature and Culture
8:30–9:45 a.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC Mexican. Presiding: Sophie Esch, Rice U
1. “Axolotl: Pre-Hispanic Delicacy, Rejected Monster, and Reclaimed Wonder of Science and Literature,” Fernando Valerio-Holguín, Colorado State U
2. “Experiments on Fantastic Biology: Salvador Elizondo's Axolotls and the Colonial Trace,” Arturo Ruiz-Mautino, Cornell U
3. “Strangle Angels: Axolotls, Extinction, and LiterNatura in Contemporary Culture,” Cheyla Samuelson, San José State U
197. Postcolonial Capitalism: Southeast Asia and Its Diaspora
8:30–9:45 a.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forums CLCS Southeast Asian and Southeast Asian Diasporic and TC Marxism, Literature, and Society
1. “Ports of Art: Postcolonial Capitalism's Perpetual Transits,” Shaoling Ma, Cornell U
2. “Trans Subterfuge: Toward an Antinational History of the Philippines,” Ava Kim, U of California, Davis
3. “Conditional Loss: Life Magazine, Racial Capitalism, and Commodity Forms of the Southeast Asian Image,” Trung Nguyen, U of California, Merced
4. “Endangered and Dangerous OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) Bodies in Southeast Asian Anglophone Literature,” Kathleen Escarcha, U of Washington, Seattle
Respondent: Cheryl Narumi Naruse, Tulane U
198. Reproducing Chaucer
8:30–9:45 a.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum LLC Chaucer. Presiding: Megan Cook, Colby C
1. “Fragmented Recollections: Global Memory in Chaucer's House of Fame,” Jonathan Correa Reyes, Clemson U
2. “Stephen Scrope's Criseyde: Geoffrey Chaucer, Christine de Pizan, John Lydgate, and the Misogynist Muse,” R. D. Perry, U of Tennessee, Knoxville
3. “Father Chaucer and the Mother Tongue: Gendered Images of Language Change in Early Modern Chaucerianism,” Sarah A. Kelen, Nebraska Wesleyan U
4. “Father Chaucer's Century: Paternity, Popularity, and Racial Exclusion in Victoria's England,” Samantha Katz Seal, U of New Hampshire, Durham
For related material, visit chaucerllc2025.mla.hcommons.org after 1 Jan.
199. Souths: Encounters, Environments, Myths
8:30–9:45 a.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum LLC Literatures of the United States in Languages Other Than English. Presiding: Janet Hendrickson, New York U
1. “Cultivating Climate Justice and Language Access: Participatory Change Strategies from the South,” Isabel Gómez, U of Massachusetts, Boston
2. “Solidarity and Internationalism in Cold War Periodicals in Bengal,” Jigisha Bhattacharya, U of Cambridge
3. “Remapping Arabness and Africanness through the Literary Sudans,” Dina Mahmoud, Penn State U, University Park
4. “A Monument to the Confederacy? South-South Affinities in José Martí's Portrait of Judah Benjamin,” Marilyn Miller, Tulane U
Respondent: Janet Hendrickson
For related material, visit loteforum2025panel.mla.hcommons.org after 1 Nov.
200. The Future Library, Invisible Archive?
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Nordic. Presiding: Liina-Ly Roos, U of Wisconsin, Madison
1. “‘Only the Future Revisits the Past': The Precarity of Text in Ocean Vuong and Katie Paterson's Future Library,” Natalya Nielsen, U of California, Berkeley
2. “The Future Library as Critical Limit,” Robert Colson, Brigham Young U, UT
3. “Sjónian Ecopolitics, (In)Visibility, and the Material Turn,” Linda Badley, Middle Tennessee U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/nordic/ after 9 Jan.
201. Learning from What Doesn't Work
8:30–9:45 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum TM Language Theory. Presiding: C. P. Haun Saussy, U of Chicago
1. “Echo: More Than One Voice but Less Than Two,” Amit Pinchevsky, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
2. “Enriching Simulation Models: The Nuances of Touch,” Ellen J. Esrock, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.
3. “Failures of Metacognition and the Desire to Know,” Jessica Van Gilder, U of Kentucky
4. “Truth or Social Consensus,” Lisa Zunshine, U of Kentucky
202. Jewish Literature between the Local and the Transnational
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forums LLC Jewish American and CLCS Global Jewish. Presiding: Rachel Rubinstein, Springfield C
1. “Jewish Refugee Publishers and the Birth of Commonwealth Literature,” Ben Fried, School of Advanced Study Inst. of English Studies
2. “Global Yiddish and the Problem of Translation,” Rachelle Grossman, Harvard U
3. “Transnational Memory and Diasporic Identities in Maus and A Jewish Girl in Shanghai,” Wendy Sun, U of California, Santa Barbara
203. Hidden Figures and Secret Meanings: Visibility and Invisibility in Premodern Japanese Texts
8:30–9:45 a.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum LLC Japanese to 1900. Presiding: Michael McCarty, Salisbury U
1. “Notes, Paratext, and the Quest for Hidden Meaning in Japanese Myths,” Matthieu Felt, U of Florida
2. “(In)Visible Bodies: Sexual Violence and Death as Embodied Experiences in Classical Japanese Literature,” Otilia Milutin, Middlebury C
3. “Obsessed Ghosts and Absentee Fathers: Male Madness in Noh,” Hana Lethen, Columbia U
Respondent: Michael McCarty
204. NOL'italiano: Italian American New Orleans
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum LLC Italian American
1. “Italian Theater Set Designers in New Orleans between Freemasonry and Slavery: Antonio Mondelli and Giovan Battista Fogliardi,” Gianni Cicali, Georgetown U
2. “Questioning Creole Authenticity: Italian American Family-Owned Establishments in New Orleans,” Alan J. Gravano, Rocky Mountain U of Health Professions
3. “‘What Side Are You Gonna Be On?': Italian and African American Childhood Friendships in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement,” Marcella Zulla, U of South Florida
Respondent: Sarah Salter, Emory U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/italian-american/docs/.
205. Taiwan Literature in the Twenty-First Century: Taking Stock
8:30–9:45 a.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Modern and Contemporary Chinese. Presiding: Sung-Sheng Yvonne Chang, U of Texas, Austin
Speakers: Kate Costello, U of Oxford; Wen-chi Li, U of Oxford; E. K. Tan, Stony Brook U, State U of New York; Nicolai Volland, Penn State U, University Park; Chialan Sharon Wang, Middlebury C; Wendy Wang, U of California, Berkeley; Chia-rong Wu, U of Canterbury
Surveying trends and developments in literary production from Taiwan since the turn of the millennium, contributors address experimental poetry, women's writers, queer literature, environmental fiction, Indigenous literature, Taiwanese literature as world literature, Taiwan's literary relations with Southeast Asia, and Taiwan literature and its others.
206. Sound and Literature Now
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum MS Sound. Presiding: John Melillo, U of Arizona, Tucson
Speakers: Daimys García, C of Wooster; Sara Marcus, U of Notre Dame; Tamara Mitchell, U of British Columbia; Akshya Saxena, Vanderbilt U; Setsuko Yokoyama, Singapore U of Tech. and Design; Alex Valin, Columbia U
Panelists describe and discuss new academic and creative interventions that connect sound and literary studies. What does it mean to attend to the sound of literary works? What new directions does the recent interdisciplinary scholarship across these fields and media forms chart in the study of sound? How do literary studies respecify sound as an object of analysis?
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/sound/ after 30 Dec.
207. Palestine and Postcolonial Studies
8:30–9:45 a.m., Jackson
Program arranged by the forums TC Postcolonial Studies and LLC Arabic
1. “Missing Palestine in Postcolonial Theory,” Muhsin J. al-Musawi, Columbia U
2. “Palestinian Absence and the Specter of Capital,” Kevin Potter, U Wien
3. “Postcolonialism by Proxy in the Arab-Israeli Classroom,” Andrew Gorin, New York U; Rima Khavekina, U of Haifa
Respondent: Anthony Alessandrini, Kingsborough Community C, City U of New York
208. Early Modern Human Rights
8:30–9:45 a.m., Compass
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Renaissance and Early Modern. Presiding: Penelope Anderson, Indiana U, Bloomington
Speakers: Sherif Abdelkarim, Grinnell C; Kimberly Anne Coles, U of Maryland, College Park; Penelope H. Geng, Macalester C; Anna Klosowska, Miami U, Oxford; Tonhi Lee, Tufts U
Can we trace a concept of human rights in early modern literature? How might rights shape our ideas of subjectivity, politics, and ethics? Scholars of critical race, disability, gender, legal, and trans studies discuss literatures in Arabic, English, and French.
209. Internationalist versus World Literature in Interwar Central and Southeastern Europe
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forums LLC Slavic and East European and LLC Hungarian. Presiding: Csaba Horváth, Károli Gáspár U of the Reformed Church in Hungary
1. “Bruno Jasieński and the Problem of Internationalism,” Daniel W. Pratt, McGill U
2. “The Visual Textuality of Lajos Kassák as an Internationalist Paradigm,” Jessie M. Labov, Corvinus U
3. “Between World Revolution and World Literature: Miroslav Krleža and the Supranational Form,” Djordje Popovic, U of California, Berkeley
For related material, write to [email protected].
210. Memory, Reliability, Authority, and History
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum GS Nonfiction Prose. Presiding: Anish Dave, Georgia Southwestern State U
1. “Rising Narratives: Orphanhood and Memory in Postconflict Peru,” Santiago Perez-Wicht, Tulane U
2. “Registers of Nonfictionality: Toward a History of a Term,” Dana Glaser, U of Chicago
3. “Climate Manifestos and the Anthropocene,” Gabi Keane, Stanford U
4. “‘None of These Things Exist': (Un)Mediating Experience in The Dream House,” Sam Norcross, Tufts U
211. Visualizing Carceral Environments: Creative, Critical, and Pedagogical Approaches
8:30–9:45 a.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. Presiding: Jane Robbins Mize, School of the Art Inst. of Chicago
1. “Ecologies of Incarceration: A Longue Durée Perspective,” Jennifer Lieberman, U of North Florida
2. “Nongrievable: Disabled Archives from Cook County Jail,” Harley Pomper, U of Chicago
3. “Responding to Angela Davis’s Call for ‘Genuine Solidarity’: Abolition Pedagogy at Parchman,” Patrick Alexander, U of Mississippi, Oxford
4. “Products of Our Environment: An Abolitionist Approach to Collaboration,” Isabel Lane, Harvard U; Jane Robbins Mize
212. Black Visibility: Swift, Smart, and Sharp
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on the Literatures of People of Color in the United States and Canada. Presiding: Dorothy Randall Tsuruta, San Francisco State U
1. “Aurielle Marie's Gumbo Ya Ya and Queer Black Visibility,” Laura Vrana, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
2. “Intimacies Caught in . . . Pauses: Determining the Immaterial of Richard Bruce Nugent's ‘Smoke, Lilies, and Jade,'” Ariel Estrella, Cornell U
3. “Branding Pain: Racializing Surveillance Capitalism in Colson Whitehead's Apex Hides the Hurt,” Timothy Lem-Smith, Saint Michael's C
4. “Marie Stewart's Prophetic Imagination: The Emergence of a Heterodox Black Prophetic Tradition,” Jarvis Young, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
213. What Now? (Re)Defining Ourselves after Tenure
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Alison Langdon, Western Kentucky U; Amy Woodbury Tease, Norwich U
Speakers: Tisha Brooks, Southern Illinois U, Edwardsville; Meredith Lynn Goldsmith, Ursinus C; Michelle Leigh Gompf, Concord U; Susan Ryan, U of Louisville
Achieving tenure can trigger an existential crisis, leading us to ask, What now? This session connects tenured faculty members with opportunities to reinvigorate their professional lives and find fulfillment. Panelists share a variety of experiences with the goal of learning how to navigate change and imbue new energy and enthusiasm into the work we do.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tx8vUnTMxFXlQbnFB4Fv_nH8uOOk7vWs?usp=drive_link after 2 Jan.
214. Innovation Room
8:30–11:30 a.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the Association of Language Departments and the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Lydia Tang, MLA
1. “Using Automated Assessment Tools in the Classroom for Engagement in Writing Tasks and Discussion of Value,” Tiffany Barney, U of Utah
2. “Innovation in HBCU Humanities Education: New Initiatives in Graduate Curricula and Professional Development at Howard University,” Jimisha Relerford, Howard U
3. “Poetry on the Holodeck, Targeted Tutoring in the Lab: AI and Student Engagement,” Meta Henty, Stephen F. Austin State U; Steve Marsden, Stephen F. Austin State U; Jason McIntosh, Stephen F. Austin State U
4. “Leading with Cultures: Focusing on Diversity and Communication in Lower-Level French Classes,” Anne Violin-Wigent, Michigan State U
5. “Reimagining the French Major: Innovation Pays Off,” Elizabeth Tuttle, Michigan State U
6. “Innovation in Graduate Career Development for Humanities Doctoral Students: What Worked, What Didn't, and Lessons Learned,” Julie Rojewski, Michigan State U
7. “Transforming Traditions: Harnessing the Power of Slow Education in Freshman Writing Courses,” Young-Kyung Min, U of Colorado, Boulder
8. “Detroit River Story Lab,” David L. Porter, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
9. “Decolonizing the Curriculum by Promoting Learner Autonomy in Spanish Language Courses in City College and Private University Settings,” Denise Bouras, Northwestern U; Anna Proffit, Wilbur Wright C
10. “Attending to ADHD: On Learning Languages with Neurodiversity,” David A. Brenner, Texas A&M U, College Station
11. “Worldmaking for Linguistic Diversity: French and Spanish Service Learning in Central Arkansas,” K. Adele Okoli, U of Central Arkansas; Jennifer Patterson Parrack, U of Central Arkansas
12. “Internalizing Antiracism,” Trisha Rezende, Xavier U, LA
13. “Inclusive Open Educational Resources in Spanish: Nonbinary Spanish and Voseo,” Maria Mercedes Fages Agudo, U of Southern California, Dornsife; Liana Stepanyan, U of Southern California, Dornsife
14. “Mississippi State University's Humanities Camp: Understanding Mississippi to Write the Future,” Leslie Voller, Mississippi State U
15. “Conocimiento y Corazon,” Mandy Geddes, Community C of Aurora, CO; Robley Welliver, Community C of Aurora, CO
16. “Siglo Latinx: Pedagogy in Practice,” Erin Cowling, MacEwan U; Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas, Ohio Wesleyan U
17. “Diversifying the Language Curriculum: A Modular Approach,” Andre Schuetze, U of Washington, Seattle; S. Kye Terrasi, U of Washington, Seattle
18. “Diversity and Inclusion in Literature Class: Personal Narratives Matter,” Atousa Kaviani, Binghamton U, State U of New York
19. “Mentoring for Success: Dalton State College's English Teaching Assistant Program,” Kerri Lynn Allen, Dalton State C; Jenny Crisp, Dalton State C; Calley Hornbuckle, Dalton State C; Kelley Mahoney, Dalton State C; Lydia Postell, Dalton State C
20. “Career Readiness for English and Humanities Students,” Doni Wilson, Houston Christian U
21. “Introducing ‘Jane Austen's Desk,’ an NEH Digital Project for the Public,” Inger Sigrun B. Brodey, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Sarah Walton, Marshall U
22. “Lessons from the MLA Workshop on Reimagining Humanities Coursework for Career Readiness,” Maria Seger, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
23. “Implementing a Successful Corequisite English Program in Rural Louisiana,” Thomas Reynolds, Jr., Northwestern State U of Louisiana
24. “Diversifying Chinese Language and Literature Curriculum in the Age of AI,” Eileen J. Cheng, Pomona C; Jun Lang, Pomona C; Feng Xiao, Pomona C; Yanshuo Zhang, Pomona C
25. “What (All) Do Students Really Get from Language Classes, and Why Do They (Not) Stay Enrolled?,” Matt Coss, Michigan State U
26. “Study Abroad by Staying Home: Exploring Cultures through International Board Games,” David Moody, Flagler C
27. “Spanish Language Studies: Teaching Spanish as an American Language,” Elena Foulis, Texas A&M U, San Antonio; Alexandra Rodriguez Sabogal, Texas A&M U, San Antonio
28. “Creating an Open Educational Tool Kit to Create an Inclusive Pedagogy Fellows Program,” Denise Acevedo, Michigan State U; Sonja Rae Fritzsche, Michigan State U; Kathryn McEwen, Michigan State U; Kayla Wikaryasz, Michigan State U
29. “Northern Kentucky University's STAR Program: Inspiring Students for Real-World Success,” Tonya Krouse, Northern Kentucky U; Tamara F. O'Callaghan, Northern Kentucky U
30. “Cultivating the Cinematic Imagination: Storyboarding in the Writing Classroom,” Jodie Childers, U of Virginia
31. “Rhetorics of the Rust Belt: Framing Cleveland through Transformative Texts,” Katharine G. Trostel, Ursuline C; Valentino Zullo, Ursuline C
Showcase presenters share models of curriculum reform—including new programs, credentials, courses, and initiatives—in areas such as experiential learning, digital humanities, public humanities, AI, and career diversity. The event, a poster-style session with each presenter at an individual station, allows audience members to drop by anytime while the Innovation Room is in session and spend as much time as desired exploring the showcase.
215. Life after Life: Visualizing Life and Death Worlds
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Orchid Tierney, Kenyon C
1. “Daniel Lie's Aesthetics of Rottenness: Toward a Recomposition of Life,” Carolina Diaz, Wesleyan U
2. “Necropolitical Apocalypse and the World's Last Tree in Forest 404,” Stefanie Dunning, U of Rochester
3. “Viruses, Specters, and the Making of Afrocubanidad,” Juan Esteban Plaza, Wesleyan U
4. “Retribution in the Wake: The Corpse Poems of Langston Hughes,” Sumita Chakraborty, U of Virginia
For related material, write to [email protected] after 31 Dec.
216. Gender, Race, and Sexuality in Literatures in Portuguese
8:30–9:45 a.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Benjamin Legg, Vanderbilt U
1. “Rainha Ginga in Transatlantic Circulation,” Lanie Millar, U of Oregon
2. “Reclaiming Agency: The Protagonism of Women in Eliana Alves Cruz's Historical Novels,” Patrícia H. Baialuna de Andrade, Brigham Young U, UT
3. “Chasing Queer Utopias in the Decadent City,” Benjamin Legg
4. “‘Flor, flores, ferro retorcido': Lesbianismo e doença desde a perspectiva infantil,” Carolina Bonansea, Temple U, Philadelphia
217. Deadly Intricacies: Reading Value under Finance Capitalism
8:30–9:45 a.m., Cambridge
A special session. Presiding: Angel Garduno, U of Washington, Seattle
1. “Detritus, Dispossession, and the ‘Slow Reading' of Collapsed Domestic Scenes,” Angel Garduno
2. “The Bailout and the Complaint: On the Politics of Bankruptcy,” Shirl Yang, Washington U in St. Louis
3. “Auditing Poetics: Debt in Contemporary Puerto Rican Poetry,” Geronimo Sarmiento Cruz, U of Kentucky
For related material, write to [email protected] after 29 Dec.
218. Concrete Jungles: Hip-Hop and the Global City
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 19
A special session. Presiding: Akshara Dafre, Texas A&M U, College Station
1. “‘Just a Young Boy in the Hood': Imaginative Cartographies of the Ends in UK Rap's Live Performances,” Lizzie Bowes, U of Bristol
2. “Hip-Hop Performances in Southeast Asia: The Rose That Grew from Concrete, the Lotus That Grew from Mud,” Paige Chung, Cornell U
3. “The Subaltern Urbanism of Dalit Rap: The Choreopolitics of Cultural Assertion,” Jomal Jose, National Inst. of Science Education and Research
219. Beyond the Pale of Reason: Writing Black Genders and Sexualities
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Carmel Ohman, Brandeis U
1. “Speculative Spectators: Side-Eyeing Western Empiricism from Nella Larsen to Raven Leilani,” Carmel Ohman
2. “The ‘I' Is Not Satisfied with Being,” Emerson Zora Hamsa, Auburn U
3. “A Defiance of Mirrors: Letting Go of Reflections with G. Winston James,” Brandon Callender, Brandeis U
4. “Who Cares? Black Feminist Nonpossessive Ethics of Maternal Care,” Megan Finch, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
220. Archives and Possibility
8:30–9:45 a.m., Marlborough B
A special session. Presiding: Dennis Denisoff, U of Tulsa
Speakers: Carolyn M. Dever, Dartmouth C; Yomaira Figueroa, Hunter C, City U of New York; Briona Simone Jones, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Cherrie Kwok, U of Virginia; Joseph Pierce, Stony Brook U, State U of New York
Respondent: Kristin Mahoney, Michigan State U
Scholars working in Black studies, Caribbean studies, Native and Indigenous studies, and Victorian studies consider archival methodologies that position the archive as a site of re-creation or possibility.
221. The Poetics of Wetlands in Latin American Cultural Production
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill A2
A special session. Presiding: Aroldo Nery Mora, Washington and Lee U
1. “From Wetlands to Water Features: Balbuena's Grandeza Mexicana and the Rewriting of Mexico City's Lakes,” Hillary Eklund, Loyola U, New Orleans
2. “A Minor River: Mapocho, by Nona Fernández,” Roberto Ibanez Ricouz, Cornell U
3. “Los muertos y Las aventuras de la China Iron entre el Estado y el Paraná,” Barbara Xavier Franca, Tulane U
4. “Ranching and Enchantment in the Frontier Wetlands,” Thomaz Amâncio, U of Chicago
For related material, write to [email protected] after 22 Nov.
222. How to Decolonize the Classroom
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the forum HEP Teaching as a Profession. Presiding: Atia Sattar, U of Southern California
Speakers: Lennie Amores, Albright C; Yari Cruz, independent scholar; Vanessa Marie Fernández, San José State U; Emad Hakim, Illinois State U; Srimati Mukherjee, Temple U, Philadelphia
BIPOC teacher-scholars discuss experiences and efforts to decolonize language and literature classrooms, sharing stories, strategies, and teaching materials.
For related material, write to [email protected].
223. Old Texts, New Questions: Critical Approaches to Medieval Italian Literature I
8:30–9:45 a.m., Magazine
A working group. Presiding: Alejandro Cuadrado, Bowdoin C; Alberto Gelmi, Vassar C; Akash Kumar, U of California, Berkeley
Participants: Laura Banella, U of Notre Dame; Catherine Bloomer, Brandeis U; Danielle Callegari, Dartmouth C; Grace Delmolino, U of California, Davis; Alyssa Granacki, U of Kentucky; Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Brown U; Ori Kinberg, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
This working group features emerging scholars in medieval Italian studies whose work showcases new approaches and trends in the field, drawing on critical methodologies such as disability theory, feminist philosophy, and transnational orientations to ask new questions of texts by both canonical and noncanonical authors, from Dante to Ahitub of Palermo. The results of this working group will be published in the 2026 Italian issue of MLN.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/mla-2025-old-texts-new-questions-critical-approaches-to-medieval-italian-literature/.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 510 and 707.
224. The Future of Nineteenth-Century Author-Based Societies I
8:30–9:45 a.m., Commerce
A working group. Presiding: Kate Singer, Mount Holyoke C
Participants: Stephanie P. Browner, New School; Mary A. Carney, U of Georgia; Dawn D. Coleman, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Melissa Gniadek, U of Toronto; Sean Grass, Rochester Inst. of Tech.; John Gruesser, Sam Houston State U; Keri Holt, Utah State U; Charles W. Mahoney, U of Connecticut, Storrs; James McKusick, U of Missouri, Kansas City; Kaila Rose, Byron Soc. of America
What challenges, best practices, and projects can help create broad communities of readers for nineteenth-century authors within the academy and the wider public? Members and leaders of author societies consider which new infrastructures and collaborations can best support scholarship, fundraising, public humanities, DEI, and future lives of small humanities organizations.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/19th-century-british-and-us-author-societies/ after 1 Jan.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 511 and 708.
225. Monuments
8:30–11:30 a.m., Quarterdeck B
A seminar
Speakers: Erin Costello Wecker, U of Montana; Emily Fedoruk, U of British Columbia; Chaney Hill, Rice U; Stephanie Larson, Carnegie Mellon U; Melissa Lingle-Martin, International School Carinthia; Lauren Rule Maxwell, The Citadel; D. Quentin Miller, Suffolk U; Courtney Novosat, Carnegie Mellon U; Eva Ulrike Pirker, Vrije U Brussel; Sarah Ruffing Robbins, Texas Christian U; Patricia A. Wilde, Washington State U, Tri-Cities
This closed seminar gives participants an opportunity to develop writing that critically examines their commemorative landscapes, architectures, and infrastructures. Seminar participants are working toward the production of a specific project that takes interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to commemoration, reparation, practices and objects of monumentalizing, and so on.
The session is open only to seminar participants.
226. Climate Humanities
8:30–11:30 a.m., Quarterdeck C
A seminar. Presiding: Margaret M. Koehler, Otterbein U; Molly Volanth Hall, Rhode Island School of Design
Speakers: Stacey Balkun, U of New Orleans; Elizabeth Barrios, Albion C; Tori Bush, Colorado C; Megan Cole, U of California, Irvine; Bailey Flannery, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Kristin J. Jacobson, Stockton U; Rajender Kaur, William Paterson U; Davy Knittle, U of Delaware, Newark; John Linstrom, Centenary C of Louisiana; Katrina Newson, Tennessee State U; Nancy J. Peterson, Purdue U, West Lafayette; Christa Vogelius, U of Southern Denmark; Paola Yuli, Howard U
This closed seminar gives participants an opportunity to develop writing grounded in the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches of climate humanities. Seminar participants are working toward the production of a specific project that engages with ecocritical methodologies, themes of the Anthropocene, climate change and crisis, climate and the built world, and more.
The session is open only to seminar participants.
227. AI and World Languages
8:30–11:30 a.m., Quarterdeck A
A seminar. Presiding: Kevin Michael Gaugler, Marist C
Speakers: Nicky Agate, Carnegie Mellon U; Nicole Bonino, U of Virginia; Yuhan Huang, Rochester Inst. of Tech.; Tianyi Kou-Herrema, Michigan State U; Anne Lambright, Carnegie Mellon U; Priscilla Dionne Layne, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Fatima Zohra, U of Waterloo
This closed seminar explores how developments in AI, natural language processing, and computational linguistics influence language study. Participants are from every career stage and include educators who represent a range of world languages. Contributions focus on current research and future implications of AI on the profession, strategies for using AI in the classroom, reflections on policies, and questions of equity and access.
The session is open only to seminar participants.
Friday, 10 January 10:15 a.m.
228. Presidential Plenary: Visibility, Place, and Displacement: Louisiana's Expressive Culture and the Changing Same
10:15–11:30 a.m., St. James Ballroom
Presiding: Dana A. Williams, Howard U
Speakers: Jericho Brown, Emory U; Jesmyn Ward, Tulane U
Expressive culture is a part of everyday life in many parts of the world, including New Orleans, where lifelong residents of the city embody culture and express it publicly through language, literature, and performance, visual, and culinary arts. More than an outward expression of tradition and values, Louisiana (and Mississippi) expressive culture shape-shifts to constitute movements that build community, craft agency, and reorient the politics of place and power.
For linked sessions, see meetings 386 and 512.
229. Blake in the Twenty-First Century
10:15–11:30 a.m., Steering
Program arranged by the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism. Presiding: Kathryn Sue Freeman, U of Miami
1. “Disorientation and Dysphoria: Blake's Infernal Falls,” Smith Yarberry, Northwestern U
2. “Blake's Lambeth Books and the Trauma of the Sciences,” Tilottama Rajan, U of Western Ontario
3. “Biodiverse Blake: Ecologies of Being from Songs of Innocence to Milton,” Kurt Fosso, Lewis and Clark C
4. “Silence and Secrecy in Blake's Europe,” Jennifer Davis Michael, U of the South
230. Performing Multiculturalism and Multilingualism in Medieval and Renaissance Drama
10:15–11:30 a.m., Port
Program arranged by the Medieval and Renaissance Drama Society. Presiding: Kirsten Mendoza, U of Dayton
1. “Pardon My English: Franglish and Transnational Exchange on the Restoration Stage,” Alexander Brock, Princeton U
2. “Multiculturalism and Multilingualism in Shakespeare's Plays,” Daniela D'Eugenio, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
3. “Staging the Court: Performing Multiculturalism and Multilingualism in Sixteenth-Century Valencia,” Núria Silleras-Fernández, U of Colorado, Boulder
4. “Anglo-Asian Diplomacy as Cultural Mixing in Court and Civic Entertainments,” Su Fang Ng, Virginia Tech
231. Literary Agents and Book Publishing
10:15–11:30 a.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing
1. “Carlos Frías ‘Tr[ies] a Little Harder': How Borges's Editor Shaped His Global Presence,” Emron Esplin, Brigham Young U, UT
2. “Ad Schulberg and the Making of the Literary Agent,” Gordon N. Hutner, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
3. “The Two Agents of J. M. Coetzee,” Elisa Sotgiu, independent scholar
232. (Re)Marking the Invisible in the Work of Robert Graves
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the Robert Graves Society. Presiding: Anett Jessop, U of Texas, Tyler; Michael Joseph, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
1. “Envisioning the Invisible: The Child within and without Robert Graves's The Penny Fiddle,” Joseph Thomas, San Diego State U
2. “Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon, and the Hidden Anxieties of Postwar Homoerotic Revelation,” Richard Allen Kaye, Hunter C, City U of New York
3. “Crafting Female Characters in I, Claudius: Robert Graves and the Ancient Historians,” Adriana Marinelli, U of Naples
4. “The Islands of Unwisdom and the Male Gaze,” Jonahs Kneitly, Texas A&M U, College Station
For related material, visit robertgravesreview.org/essay.php?essay=6&tab=8.
233. Ethnic Geographies: Roots and Routes of Resistance and Resilience
10:15–11:30 a.m., Royal
Program arranged by the MELUS: The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
1. “Tell Me about Traction: Coming Home to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles,” Ana Iwataki, U of Southern California
2. “Ties That Bind: Across the Canada-US Border in Lawrence Hill's Any Known Blood,” Sherry Johnson, Grand Valley State U
3. “Hidden Geographies: Estela Portillo Trambley's Concept of the Biosphere,” Melina Vizcaino-Alemán, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
4. “Ariana Benson's Resistant (Anti)Pastoral Poetics of Place,” Laura Vrana, U of South Alabama
234. Samuel Beckett and Persistent Impoverishment
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the Samuel Beckett Society
1. “Subtraction in Beckett: Neoliberalism, Social Justice, and Conspiracy,” James McNaughton, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2. “Beckett's Modernist Thermodynamics: Entropy and Exhaustion in the Trilogy,” Britton Edelen, Duke U
3. “Deskilling in Comment c'est / How It Is,” Matthew Garrett, Wesleyan U
4. “Samuel Beckett and the Impoverishment of the Stage Image,” Felipe de Souza Santos, U de Sao Paulo
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/samuel-beckett-society/ after 1 Dec.
235. Literature, Art, and Science in the Early Modern Period
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the Society for German Renaissance and Baroque Literature. Presiding: Aleksandra Prica, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1. “Inventing Professions: At the Intersection of Early Modern Literature and Science,” Dori Coblentz, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
2. “Microscope Technology and the Infinitesimal in the Poetry of Margaret Cavendish and Andrew Marvell,” Tyler Dunston, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “Maria Sibylla Merian: Art and Science and the Popularization of Knowledge,” Karin Wurst, Michigan State U
236. Queer Melville and Beyond
10:15–11:30 a.m., Compass
Program arranged by the Melville Society. Presiding: Dana Seitler, U of Toronto
1. “‘Bartleby,’ a Love Story,” Peter M. Coviello, U of Illinois, Chicago
2. “Video Killed the Literary Star: Queer Melville and the Video Essay,” Dalia Davoudi, Pratt Inst.
3. “Herman Melville, Peeping Tom (of Finland),” Peter Brown, U of California, Berkeley
4. “Bartleby, Cross-Dressed and Transmigratory,” Alyson Brickey, U of Winnipeg; Dana Medoro, U of Manitoba
237. Visibility and Beyond: Multisensory Engagements in Indigenous Texts
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures
1. “Hitting Her Mark: Indigenous Women Staging Aesthetic Interventions in Film,” Shannon Toll, U of Dayton
2. “Theater in the Time of Termination: Teaching Menominee Culture in the Public Sphere,” Ryan Winn, C of Menominee Nation
3. “Looking at and Listening to Place: Ethics of a Settler Engagement with Stó:lō Sxwõxwiyám,” Olivia Abram, U of Saskatchewan
4. “Erotic Anomalies: Queer Indigenous Spaces, Identities, and Intimacies in Joshua Whitehead's Jonny Appleseed,” Jon Olsen, U of Southern Mississippi
238. Trigger Warnings and Teaching East Asian Literature
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum LLC East Asian. Presiding: Suyoung Son, Cornell U
Speakers: Yangjung Lee, Seattle U; Newell Ann Van Auken, U of Iowa; Xiaowen Xu, U of British Columbia; Ivanna Yi, Cornell U; Jing Zhang, New C of Florida
Teaching East Asian literature with potentially triggering content can present a challenge for teachers. Speakers offer instructors guidance for navigating the teaching of controversial topics and events and share their experiences and effective strategies for teaching East Asian literature.
239. Slowdown, Sick-Out, Work Stoppage, Strike
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum TC Marxism, Literature, and Society. Presiding: Laura Elizabeth Lyons, U of Hawai‘i, Mānoa
Speakers: Steven Carr, Purdue U, Fort Wayne; James Daniel, Seton Hall U; Maureen A. Moynagh, Saint Francis Xavier U; Subramanian Shankar, U of Hawai‘i, Mānoa
In a climate where workplaces and governments increasingly regulate and police different forms of dissent, ranging from bureaucratic rules governing assembly to outright dismissal, how do workers organize for better and safer workplace conditions, health benefits, and fair compensation? What are effective methods for workers—including academic workers—to resist exploitation and disrupt the operations of the workplace?
240. W(h)ither the Individual?
10:15–11:30 a.m., Jackson
Program arranged by the forum TC Cognitive and Affect Studies. Presiding: Laura Christine Otis, Emory U
1. “Individual Selves: How They're Formed, How Destroyed,” Nancy Lincoln Easterlin, U of New Orleans
2. “Narratorial Agency in Narrating the Ineffable,” Ellen Stenstrom, Indiana U, Bloomington
3. “Reader Reflux,” Joseph Glinbizzi, Penn State U, University Park
4. “Sylvia Wynter, the ‘Cognitive Charter,’ and the Ancestors,” Deborah Jenson, Duke U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 20 Dec.
241. Forms of Water, Forms of Life
10:15–11:30 a.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the forum TC Ecocriticism and Environmental Humanities. Presiding: Melody Jue, U of California, Santa Barbara
1. “Temporary Waters in Literature and Sonic Archives,” Nadia Ahmed, U of California, Santa Barbara
2. “‘This Whole Place Is a Fish'; or, Keri Hulme Maps the Moeraki Foreshore,” Kaitlin Moore, Wake Forest U
3. “One Water, One Nước across Vietnamese Anglophone Cultural Production,” Karen Siu, Rice U
4. “Queer Seal People and Transoceanic Solidarities: The Fiction of Kirsty Logan and Cathie Dunsford,” Alison Glassie, Northeastern U
242. The Arboreal Turn in South Asian Anglophone Literature
10:15–11:30 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LLC South Asian and South Asian Diasporic. Presiding: Jill Didur, Concordia U, Sir George Williams Campus
Speakers: Deepika Bahri, Emory U; Amit Baishya, U of Oklahoma; Maria Job, U of California, Santa Barbara; Dhrijyoti Kalita, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Barirah Nazir, U of Sarghoda; Sreejata Paul, Shiv Nadar U; Thakshala Tissera, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
Speakers explore the recent turn toward arboreality in contemporary South Asian anglophone literature, connecting with new discussions on the arboreal in the humanities globally to discuss the centrality of literature on trees to the Anthropocene in general and to South Asian anglophone ecocentric literature in particular.
243. Gothic Invisibilities
10:15–11:30 a.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Gothic Studies. Presiding: Joshua Tuttle, Penn State U, University Park
1. “‘Remarks on the Peculiar Position of Blind Women': Uncanny Eyes and the Gothic (Un)Visible,” Christian Lewis, Vassar C
2. “Spectral Science: I Will Believe It When I See It,” Aileen Farrar, Nova Southeastern U
3. “Solid, Viscous, Dissipating,” Maia Gil'Adí, Boston U
4. “Gothic Optics: Camera-Being and Perception in Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man,” Gregory Brophy, Bishop's U
For related material, visit www.facebook.com/groups/MLAGothicStudies.
244. Age and Disability, Age as Disability
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the forums TC Age Studies and TC Disability Studies. Presiding: Sharon Tran, U of Maryland Baltimore County
1. “Disability Aesthetics, Older Voices, and Virtuosity in Sky on Swings,” Michael Kinney, Stanford U
2. “Cripistemologies of Memory: Dementia, Disappearance, and Mourning,” Clare Mullaney, Clemson U
3. “Disability, Childhood, and Narrative Temporality in American Postwar Writing,” Evan Chaloupka, Franklin U
4. “The Futurity of Disabled Girlhood,” Anastasia Todd, U of Kentucky
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/age-studies/ or mla.hcommons.org/groups/disability-studies/ after 9 Jan.
245. Unbuilding Colonial and Carceral Infrastructures in Asian Diasporic Literature and Media
10:15–11:30 a.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum LLC Asian American
1. “Beyond a ‘Lawless' Frontier: Reading Afghan Landscape and Afghan Futurity in Jamil Jan Kochai's Work,” Zainab Abdali, Rice U
2. “Learning with Bamboo: Filipinx Meditations on Collectivity and Care,” HL Doruelo, U of California, Riverside
3. “(De)Colonial Intimacies and Fantasies in Dream Jungle and America Is in the Heart,” Steven Beardsley, U of California, San Diego
Respondent: Trisha Remetir, U of California, Riverside
246. Hebrew's Invisible Ink
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum LLC Hebrew
1. “The Invisible Prose of Yehuda Amichai: Wild Metaphors at Work,” Yael Segalovitz, U of California, Berkeley
2. “Where Is the ‘Goy'? The Invisible Presence of a Diasporic Motif in Dorit Rabinyan's Gader Chaya,” Jagoda Budzik, U of Wroclaw
3. “Dahlia Ravikovitsh's Poetics of (In)Visibility,” Ethan Pack, U of California, Los Angeles
4. “Queer (In)Visibility: Haim Ben-Dor's ‘Foundling' Texts,” Guy Ehrlich, Northwestern U
247. Conspiracy Theories in Law and Literature: Circulation and Reception
10:15–11:30 a.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forum TC Law and the Humanities. Presiding: Peter Leman, Brigham Young U, UT; Elise Wang, California State U, Fullerton
1. “‘Continual Terror of Their Secret Conspiracies': On the Norman Yoke Theory,” Jordan Skinner, Princeton U
2. “State Terror, Neoliberal Subjection, and Paranoid Narration in Horacio Castellanos Moya,” Katherine Sugg, Central Connecticut State U
3. “Raspail's The Camp of the Saints, Camus's Great Replacement, and the Soteriological Politics of MAGA,” James McBride, New York U
4. “The Queer Conspiracy of Illegibility,” Namrata Verghese, Stanford U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/law-and-the-humanities/.
248. The Pedagogy of Translation and the Methods of Machine Translation, Generative AI, and DH
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forums LLC Ming and Qing Chinese and TC Translation Studies. Presiding: Remy Attig, Bowling Green State U
1. “Exploring Opportunities for AI Collaboration in Language Learning Through Translation Exercises,” Junjie Luo, Gettysburg C
2. “The Application of AI to Translating Culture-Specific Expressions,” Ai Zhong, Fudan U
3. “Teaching Bad Translation,” Michael Shea, U of Pennsylvania
4. “Research as Pedagogy in Teaching Digital Methods for Translation Studies,” Xuezhao Li, Ohio State U, Columbus
For related material, write to [email protected].
249. Italy's Archipelagic Imaginaries
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Italian. Presiding: Lina N. Insana, U of Pittsburgh; Rhiannon N. Welch, U of California, Berkeley
Speakers: Chiara Caradonna, Hebrew U of Jerusalem; Evelyn Ferraro, Santa Clara U; Qian Liu, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Valerie McGuire, U of Texas, Austin; Giancarlo Tursi, U of California, Santa Barbara
Reflecting on Italy conceived not as a bounded territorial, political, or cultural entity but as a porous and tenuous archipelagic assemblage with myriad routes of connection to other islands and diasporas—from New Orleans to Manhattan, from Jamaica to Japan—participants consider the possibilities and limits of foregoing what Glissant called pensée continentale in favor of the relational fragmentation of pensée archipelagique.
250. Socialism in the Magazines: Transnational Periodicals between World Revolution and Cold War Geopolitics
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC Russian and Eurasian
1. “The Russian Avant-Garde Journal 2.0: [Translit],” Marijeta Bozovic, Yale U
2. “The Last Sputniks in Havana: Soviet Magazines in Revolutionary Cuba,” Antonio Cardentey, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
3. “Mayakovsky Memorials: SSSR na stroike and the Propagandizing of Grief,” María Matilde Morales, Harvard U
4. “(Resisting) Socialist Internationalism in Czechoslovak Literature: The Case of Světová literatura,” Philip Gleissner, Ohio State U, Columbus
251. The (In)Visibility of Minoritized Speakers: Digital and Corpus-Based Approaches
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LSL Language Change. Presiding: Laura Francis, Maynooth U
1. “Beyond the Peel: Analyzing Transgender Writing with Project MapLemon,” Theodore Manning, Graduate Center, City U of New York
2. “The Intervention of Artificial Intelligence on Language Change: A Case Study on ChatGPT and Gender,” Haley Patterson, Saint Mary's C, MD
3. “Effects of Tibetan (In)Visibility in Jackson Heights on Perceived Ethnolinguistic Vitality,” Olivia Mignone, Graduate Center, City U of New York
4. “Subverting Oppressive Policy through Chinese Fan Fiction,” Yiming Li, Wenzhou-Kean U; Jennifer Marquardt, Wenzhou-Kean U; Yue Wu, Wenzhou-Kean U; Yueyang Zhu, Wenzhou-Kean U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/language-change/ after 1 Dec.
252. Transformative Texts: Ancient and Modern
10:15–11:30 a.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Classical and Modern. Presiding: Caroline Stark, Howard U
Speakers: Rhonda Collier, Tuskegee U; Kenneth Morrell, Rhodes C; Jackie Murray, U at Buffalo, State U of New York; David van Schoor, Emory U
This roundtable brings together scholars whose research and teaching pair transformative texts from antiquity and from the African diaspora. To stimulate conversation, each panelist will discuss a pair of texts that figure in their teaching or research (e.g., Wole Soyinka's adaptation and translation of Euripides' Bacchae or Rita Dove's Mother Love and the Homeric Hymn to Demeter).
253. Diversifying Scholarly Editions
10:15–11:30 a.m., Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Scholarly Editions. Presiding: Rhondda Thomas, Clemson U
Speakers: Kimberly Blockett, U of Delaware, Newark; Mayra Bottaro, independent scholar; John Ernest, U of Delaware, Newark; Barbara McCaskill, U of Georgia; Joycelyn K. Moody, U of Texas, San Antonio; Kenneth Warren, U of Chicago
In an effort to diversify scholarly editions and publications that receive the seal of the MLA Committee on Scholarly Editions, participants discuss researching, editing, and publishing scholarly editions; encouraging the creation of diverse scholarly editions; and devising innovative methodologies the MLA could implement.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/diversifying-scholarly-editions/ after 6 Jan.
254. Open Hearing on Resolutions
10:15–11:30 a.m., Prince of Wales
Presiding: Members of the Delegate Assembly Organizing Committee
This meeting is only open to MLA members.
During the open hearing, MLA members and delegates may discuss the regular resolutions that are on the Delegate Assembly's agenda. For information on these resolutions (i.e., those submitted by 1 September), visit www.mla.org/DA-Agenda-2025 after 11 December.
255. Adjunct by Any Other Name
10:15–11:30 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Contingent Labor in the Profession. Presiding: Clark Barwick, Indiana U, Bloomington
Speakers: Zita Hüsing, Georgia Inst. of Tech.; Kandace Lillian Lombart, independent scholar; Nathan Nikolic, Baruch C, City U of New York; Carl Peters, U of the Fraser Valley
University administrators often refer to contingent faculty members in nameless, generic terms. Participants share stories from contingency (about, among other topics, resourcefulness, creativity, and perseverance) to demonstrate the complexity of the people delivering university instruction.
256. Discussion Group on the MLA Report on 2021 Enrollments: Meeting Enrollment Challenges in Languages and Literatures
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Natalia Lusin, MLA; Suwako Watanabe, Portland State U
After a concise presentation of the key findings from the most recent MLA enrollments report, participants explore the extent to which the national data mirror their experiences on their own campuses, share the challenges they are facing, and highlight examples of successful initiatives and effective advocacy strategies.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=drive_link.
257. Rhetoric in the Digital Town Squares
10:15–11:30 a.m., Marlborough A
A special session
1. “Ad Hominem: Identitarian Culture and Critical Discourse,” Justin Cosner, U of Iowa
2. “NFT as a Digital Rhetorical Decolonializing Pla(r)tform for Black Female Digital Artists,” Oluwafunmilayo Akinpelu, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
3. “Meme as Social Media ‘Whatever Singularity': Citationality, Politics, and the Visual in Meme Culture,” Zara Richter, George Washington U
4. “Shaping Public Perception: Risk Communication in the Digital Age,” Kevin Artiga, U of Florida
258. Political Biofiction's Contested (In)Visibilities
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 19
A special session. Presiding: Laura Cernat, KU Leuven
1. “The Cunning Metaphors of Political Biofiction,” Michael Lackey, U of Minnesota, Morris
2. “The Politics of Equality,” Alexandre Gefen, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
3. “Troubled Exemplarity in Contemporary Biofictions,” Alison S. James, U of Chicago
4. “Biofictional Doubles and Political Doppelgangers,” Virginia Rademacher, Babson C
259. Cultural Legacies of Slavery in Modern Spain
10:15–11:30 a.m., Starboard
A special session. Presiding: Akiko Tsuchiya, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “Memorialized Blackness: The Case of the Museo Atlántico,” Jeffrey Coleman, Northwestern U
2. “Searching for Cayetana's Daughter: From Goya to Carmen Posadas,” Rosalía Victoria Cornejo-Parriego, U of Ottawa
3. “From Slavery to Anti-Black Racism in the Atlantic World: Racial Ideas from Cuba and Catalonia,” Juliana Nalerio, Stanford U
Respondent: Aurélie Vialette, Yale U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Jan.
260. Children and Young Adult Literature: Visibility, Diversity, Dialogue
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Liza Bolen, U of New Brunswick; Pooja Booluck-Mille, U of New Brunswick
1. “Images of Children's Literature Beset by Chattel Slavery, Residential Schooling, and Reconstruction,” Wesley Jacques, Wheaton C, MA
2. “Embedding Antiracist Pedagogies in a Children's and YA Literature Course,” Sarah Minslow, California State U, Los Angeles
3. “‘You Can't Just Lie Here and Get Murdered by Books': Adapting (to) Jane Eyre,” Meg Dobbins, Eastern Michigan U
4. “Fugitive Lives: Young, Black, and Becoming Visible,” Sean Golden, Western Washington U
261. Is Visibility a Trap? Rethinking Visibility in Queer and Trans Studies
10:15–11:30 a.m., Cambridge
A special session. Presiding: Ben Nichols, U of Manchester
1. “Chained Girls Coming into Hiding,” Guy Davidson, U of Wollongong
2. “Portal and Portal 2; or, Revisiting Opacity through the Epistemologies of the Closet and the Black Site,” Ashleigh Cassemere-Stanfield, Colgate U
3. “Eyes/I's: Documenting the Visible Field of the Trans Subject,” Todd W. Reeser, U of Pittsburgh
262. What Remains of the Common? Politics, Ethics, Aesthetics
10:15–11:30 a.m., Kabacoff
A special session. Presiding: Tom Roach, Bryant U
1. “Shattered Remains: Richard Wright on the Destiny of ‘the Common,'” Mikko Tuhkanen, Texas A&M U, College Station
2. “Being a Type, Being in Common: The Case of Asian American Literature,” Dora Zhang, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Seriality, Typicality, Fungibility: Juan Pablo Echeverri's Impersonal Common,” Tom Roach
4. “An Incongruous Common: On Being Alone with Dean Sameshima,” John Paul Ricco, U of Toronto
263. Asian(ness) and Racialized Visuals in Latin American Cultural Production: Race Making, Diasporas, and Survival
10:15–11:30 a.m., Eglinton Winton
A special session. Presiding: Oscar Zapata Garcia, U of Pittsburgh
1. “The Golden Belt and the Railroad: Chinese Migration in Mexico and Its Transpacific Networks,” Greta Alvarado Lugo, U Autónoma de San Luis Potosí; Arturo Humberto Gutiérrez del Ángel, C de San Luis
2. “Visualizing Asia: National Identity Formations and Chinese Communities in Mexican Cinema,” Oscar Zapata Garcia
3. “(Dis)Orienting the West: Trans Bodies and Space in LGBTQ+ Peruvian Fanzines,” Maria Alexandra Arana Blas, U of Pittsburgh
4. “Latin America Techno-Orientalist Imaginaires,” Nelson Castañeda, U Sergio Arboleda
264. Climate Change and the Global Relevance of North African Literature
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 16
A special session. Presiding: Teresa Villa-Ignacio, Kent State U, Kent
Speakers: Matthew Brauer, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Brahim El Guabli, Williams C; Jill Jarvis, Yale U; Anna Levett, Oberlin C; Edwige Tamalet Talbayev, Tulane U; Teresa Villa-Ignacio
Specialists of North African literature connect with scholars working on environmental literature and climate change in any region or historical period to explore how and why North African literature must be made more visible in narratives of local and global climate change struggles and in global efforts to mitigate or adapt to climate change.
265. James Joyce's Legacies: Old News, New Readings
10:15–11:30 a.m., Camp
Program arranged by the International James Joyce Foundation. Presiding: Ellen M. Scheible, Bridgewater State U
1. “Joyce the Opposer,” Jonathan Goldman, New York Inst. of Tech.
2. “‘This Guileful Thing': Ulysses, Penelope, and the Craft of Private Life,” Zoë Henry, Columbia U
3. “Joycean Genre Fiction, ‘with None of Joyce's Wit,'” Cathryn Piwinski, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
265A. Navigating Visibility: Challenges and Opportunities in Designing Inclusive Pedagogies
10:15–11:30 a.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum RCWS Writing Pedagogies
1. “Creative Companions: Generative AI Models and Liberatory Access in Writing Pedagogy,” Elizabeth Wayson, U of Georgia
2. “Reaching, Supporting, and Protecting Undocumented Students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” Addison Palacios, Mount San Jacinto C, CA
3. “Extracurricular Visibilities: What We Can Learn from Writers in Writing Centers across the Country,” Rebecca Hallman Martini, U of Georgia
266. Building Critical AI Literacies I
10:15–11:30 a.m., Commerce
A working group
Speakers: Leslie Allison, Rowan U; Kathryn A. Conrad, U of Kansas; Tiffany DeRewal, Rowan U; Chloe Kitzinger, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Marit J. MacArthur, U of California, Davis; Teresa Ramoni, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
This working group shares knowledge, strategies, and best practices in response to the ongoing challenge of generative AI and in dialogue with the MLA-CCCC’s Joint Task Force on Writing and AI and with Critical AI’s recent special issue on the topic. Speakers address a broad range of questions, from how generative AI works to strategies for teaching writing and language acquisition with an emphasis on critical AI and design justice perspectives.
For related material, write to [email protected].
For the other meeting of the working group, see 474.
267. To Mine or Not to Mine: Questioning Extractivism I
10:15–11:30 a.m., Magazine
A working group
Participants: Luke Bowe, New York U; Lisa Burner, U of the South; Huw Edwardes-Evans, Rice U; Eduardo Febres Munoz, U of Notre Dame; Tatjana Gajic, U of Illinois, Chicago; Pedro García-Caro, U of Oregon; Jack Martinez Arias, Hamilton C; Isabelle Rogers, U of Oregon
This working group looks at debates and cultural opposition to extractivism in the realm of literary, photographic, and filmic production, predominantly in the Americas and Southern Europe but open to a wider set of comparisons and cultural interactions. Participants consider the notion of colonial brutalization of the planet and the drive to create sacrifice zones, areas slated for ruination through toxic extractive practices.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/culture-questions-extractivism-to-mine-or-not-to-mine/.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 473 and 737.
Friday, 10 January 11:00 a.m.
267A. Chat with an Editor I
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Churchill C2
Presiding: Susan Tomlinson, U of Massachusetts, Boston
This one-on-one mentoring session offers practical advice for early career scholars who are interested in publishing in scholarly journals. Members of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals serve as table moderators for authors who sign up in advance or attend on a walk-in basis. Topics of discussion include understanding author guidelines, submission processes, and queries.
For related material, visit celj.org/chat after 1 Dec.
Friday, 10 January 12:00 noon
268. Claudel et la femme / Claudel's Representations of Women
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the Paul Claudel Society. Presiding: Eric Touya de Marenne, Clemson U
Speakers: Agnese Bezzera, U di Parma; Chantal Clouard, Société Paul Claudel; Chiara Guillot, Sorbonne U; Nathalie Mace-Barbier, Avignon U; Jean-François Poisson-Gueffier, U de Franche-Comte
Panelists explore the importance of women in Paul Claudel's theater, poetry, criticism, and exegesis.
269. Visibility and Humor: Seen and Unseen Meaning and Methods in American Humor
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the American Humor Studies Association. Presiding: Sabrina Fuchs Abrams, Empire State U, State U of New York
1. “Barbed Wit and Empowerment: William Wells Brown's ‘My Southern Home,'” Jericho Williams, U of Alaska, Fairbanks
2. “The Humor of Intelligent Agents,” Benjamin Mangrum, Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.
3. “‘I Shouldn't Laugh . . .': Destabilizing (In)Sights in Cinematic Dark Comedy,” Emma Ridder, U of California, Los Angeles
270. Invisible Genres of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the Keats-Shelley Association of America. Presiding: Amelia Worsley, Amherst C
Speakers: Alexis Chema, U of Chicago; Spencer Dodd, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge; David Faflik, U of Rhode Island; Judith Pascoe, Florida State U; Jacob Risinger, Ohio State U, Columbus; Jonathan Sachs, Concordia U, Montreal; Fuson Wang, U of California, Riverside
Panelists consider how invisible, incipient, or overlooked genres take form and expression in the work of John Keats, Mary and Percy Shelley, and their contemporaries. What are the conditions under which a genre becomes visible? How does genre function as a tool of evaluation? What implicit hierarchies govern the thresholds for distinguishing or studying a genre?
271. Bespoke Platforms and Algorithmic Resistance: Electronic Literary Futures
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the Electronic Literature Organization. Presiding: Lai-Tze Fan, U of Waterloo
Speakers: Caitlin Fisher, York U; Leonardo Flores, Appalachian State U; Dene M. Grigar, Washington State U, Vancouver; Sarah Laiola, Coastal Carolina U; Chloe Milligan, U of Pennsylvania; Anastasia Salter, U of Central Florida; Zach Whalen, U of Mary Washington
Dramatic changes such as the slow death of Twitter and the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence are fundamentally reshaping the platforms on which we create, communicate, and publish. Panelists imagine possible futures of born-digital literature, considering tools of resistance, including feminist and queer approaches to code; “small” language models; mixed and virtual reality; and alternatives to corporate-owned platforms.
For related material, visit anastasiasalter.net/bespokeplatforms/.
272. Rewriting Dominant Narratives in Italian Culture
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the American Association of Teachers of Italian
1. “The ‘Maggioranza Vile' at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century: Notes on Periodical Culture,” Silvia Valisa, Florida State U
2. “Anna Maria Ortese's Plea for the Dispossessed in Her Milanese Narratives,” Andrea Baldi, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
3. “From National to Transnational Views on Prostitution in Italian Cinema,” Patricia Lyn Richards, Kenyon C
4. “Rediscovering African American Actor Dots Johnson, the Long-Forgotten Star of Roberto Rossellini's Paisan,” Claudia Romanelli, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
273. Stranger Encounters: D. H. Lawrence and the Foreign
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the D. H. Lawrence Society of North America. Presiding: Benjamin Hagen, U of South Dakota
1. “Encountering Strangers in D. H. Lawrence's ‘The Virgin and the Gipsy,'” Sijia Yao, Soka U of America
2. “‘Strange and Powerful': The Gipsy as Foreigner in D. H. Lawrence,” Bret Keeling, Northeastern U
3. “Playing Indian: D. H. Lawrence and Native Americans,” Jonathan Ivry, U of Wisconsin, Whitewater
4. “Meeting the Stranger, and the Stranger Is Himself: Lawrence in Oaxaca,” Feroza Jussawalla, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
274. Heinrich Heine and Literary Identity
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the North American Heine Society. Presiding: Alicia E. Ellis, Colby C
1. “Literary History as Critical Practice,” Willi Goetschel, U of Toronto
2. “Jewish Lexical Items in Heine's Late Poems and Writings and His Place in Jewish Literary History,” Mark H. Gelber, Ben-Gurion U of the Negev
3. “Poetry and Deintegration: The Temporality of Jewish Difference in Heinrich Heine and Max Czollek,” Adi Nester, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
275. Teaching Japanese Tales from Times When Feminism Was Not a Thing (Just Yet)
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Japanese to 1900. Presiding: Sachi Schmidt-Hori, Dartmouth C
Speakers: Marjorie Burge, U of Colorado, Boulder; Chris Kern, Auburn U; Angelika Koch-Low, Leiden U; Matthew Mewhinney, Florida State U
Scholars of premodern Japanese literature discuss their experiences and pointers on teaching texts that involve gender dynamics and sexual encounters that strike many college students in North America as problematic, aiming to reaffirm the value of teaching such texts at universities in North America and beyond.
For related material, write to [email protected].
276. Religious Dissent and Literature
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum TC Religion and Literature. Presiding: Ken Seigneurie, Simon Fraser U
1. “Anticlericalism and Dissent: The Case of Inquisitorial Spain, Satire, and Power,” Mark J. Mascia, Sacred Heart U
2. “Subversion by Tradition: Orthodox Christianity in Greek Marxist Literature,” Andrew Ntapalis, Harvard U
3. “Genocide and the Armenian Christian Picaresque,” Ken Seigneurie
For related material, write to [email protected].
277. World Republics of Letters: Nineteenth-Century Literary Capitals beyond the Anglosphere
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Romantic and 19th-Century. Presiding: David S. Kurnick, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Speakers: Sony Coráñez Bolton, Amherst C; Anirudh Karnick, U of Pennsylvania; Xiaolu Ma, Hong Kong U of Science and Tech.; Mónica Ramírez Bernal, Columbia U
Participants consider comparative work in nineteenth-century studies that does not center English and French (or London and Paris as world capitals, à la Pascale Casanova's Paris-centered vision of literary networks), focusing on literary networks connecting South Asia to the Middle East, the Philippines to Latin America, and Northeast Asia to Russia.
278. Arabs in World Culture
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global Arab and Arab American. Presiding: Anna Ziajka Stanton, Penn State U, University Park
1. “‘Switching Sand on the Telltale Trace': Unseeing Arabic Poetry in Images from the Arab World,” Daniel Behar, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
2. “Photographs in Egyptian Women's Political Memoirs,” Nada Ayad, Cooper Union
3. “Ladders of Reform: The Female Writers of the Twentieth-Century Syrian Diaspora,” Zaina Ujayli, U of Southern California
4. “‘Something about Palestine by a Palestinian?': Invisible Fiction and Nonfiction from 1930s Palestine,” Pasquale Macaluso, U of Cape Town
279. Queer Infrastructures of and in Early America
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum LLC Early American. Presiding: Sam Sommers, U of Connecticut, Waterbury
1. “Stephen Calvert’s Queer Infrastructure,” Christopher Looby, U of California, Los Angeles
2. “Sex in the Post Office,” Christy Pottroff, Boston C
3. “All in the Family: Infrastructures of Race and Sexuality,” Jordan Alexander Stein, Fordham U, Lincoln Center
4. “Studying Trans, Studying Gender: What Are the Ends and Objects of Trans Studies in Early America?,” Eagan Dean, Stanford U
Respondent: Sam Sommers
280. Underworlds and Undergrounds: Subterranean Tactics
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th- and Early-20th-Century German. Presiding: Ilinca Iurascu, U of British Columbia
1. “Lettering from the Underground in Adalbert Stifter's ‘Turmalin,'” Ulrike Baur, U of Oregon
2. “Submerging into the Shadows: Joseph Roth's Travelogues from Postrevolutionary Russia,” Olesya Ivantsova, Oberlin C
3. “The Underground Man and Hans Fallada's Little Man, What Now?,” Michael Tavel Clarke, U of Calgary
281. Translating Black (In)Visibility from Portuguese
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum LLC Luso-Brazilian and the American Portuguese Studies Association. Presiding: Felipe Fanuel Xavier Rodrigues, U do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
1. “Black Women Poets in the Cadernos Negros of Today: Challenges in Writing and Translation,” Eliza Araújo, U Federal Fluminense
2. “Translating Cristiane Sobral: Voice, Black (In)Visibility, and the Translator's Impostor Syndrome,” Cristina Ferreira Pinto-Bailey, independent scholar
3. “Retranslating Blackness at the Crossroads of Language,” Felipe Fanuel Xavier Rodrigues
4. “Writing as Translation in Short Stories by Lília Momplé and Paulina Chiziane,” Joyce Silva Fernandes, Brown U
282. Mass Violence and New Genres of Witnessing
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC West Asian. Presiding: Shir Alon, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
1. “Framing Gaza: Intent and the Source of Authority,” Liron Mor, U of California, Irvine
2. “Seeing Genocide and Witnessing Resistance: The Afterlives of Guerilla Filmmaking,” Karim Elhaies, New York U
3. “TikTok, Time's Up? Genocide, Global Witnessing, and US Censorship of Palestinian Testimonies,” Natalie El-Eid, Syracuse U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/west-asian/.
283. Rethinking the Humanities: Past, Present, and Future
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-Century English. Presiding: Jane Hwang Degenhardt, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
Speakers: Marissa Greenberg, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Melissa E. Sanchez, U of Pennsylvania; Ayanna Thompson, Arizona State U, Tempe; Henry S. Turner, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Speakers address current challenges facing the humanities by drawing on early modern archives, methods, and questions; topics include administrative leadership, theater practice, culture and method wars, archival resources, and the future and limits of criticism.
284. Visibility, Language, Style: Authorship as Resistance
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LSL Linguistics and Literature. Presiding: Mary Hayes, U of Mississippi, Oxford
1. “Callouts, Shout-Outs, and Shout-Backs: Presence, Visibility, and Resistance in The Western Recorder,” M'Balia Thomas, U of Arizona, Tucson
2. “What Could Have Been and What Might Yet Be: Narrative Refusals as Queer Narrative Forms,” Devon Anderson, U Innsbruck
3. “‘I Didn't Say Anything': Amplifying Voices through Silence in Jean Rhys's Novels,” Marianne Fish, U of Nottingham
For related material, visit https://doi.org/10.17613/pge0-vj89.
285. Queer and Trans Forms of Black Study
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum TC Women's and Gender Studies. Presiding: Cameron Awkward-Rich, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
1. “I Decided to Make Up a Story of My Own: The Absented Presence of Black Queer History in Audre Lorde's Zami,” Maandeeq Mohamed, U of Toronto
2. “Half Telling and Untelling: A Contemplation of Writing a Black Queer Ghostly Intimacy,” Haylee Harrell, U of Houston
3. “Side Conversations and Selves,” Ianna Hawkins Owen, Boston U
4. “Assembly and Anticipation: The Work of ‘We' from the Combahee River Collective to #BlackLivesMatter,” John Brooks, Ohio State U, Columbus
286. Envisioning Racial Futures: Race, Ethnicity, and Speculative Fiction Comics
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the forums GS Comics and Graphic Narratives and GS Speculative Fiction. Presiding: Derek Lee, Wake Forest U; William Orchard, Queens C, City U of New York
Speakers: Chris Gavaler, Washington and Lee U; Matthew Goodwin, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Christian Hines, Texas State U; Javiera Irribarren, Columbia U; Aaron Kashtan, U of North Carolina, Charlotte; Adrienne Resha, U of Virginia
Exploring how science fiction and fantasy graphic narratives have reimagined racial identity, conflict, and justice, speakers track the history and future of race in comics by way of the colonization of Latinx virtual realities, generational trauma in Black fantasy, Arab American space operas, the racialization of Marvel mutants, and multiculturalism from the Golden Age to the Blue Age.
287. Cite, Incite, Recite: Performing Citation
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the forum RCWS Creative Writing. Presiding: Vidhu Aggarwal, Rollins C; Michael Leong, Kenyon C
1. “Scientific Reference and Absence,” Kelly Krumrie, U of Denver
2. “Memory, Citation, Scene, Seen,” Ronaldo V. Wilson, U of California, Santa Cruz
3. “‘In Dreams We See but We Do Not Here': Represencing the Present,” Ami Xherro, U of Toronto
For related material, write to [email protected].
288. (In)Visibility: Language, Ideology, and Power
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum LSL Language and Society. Presiding: Roshawnda Derrick, Pepperdine U; Inés Vañó García, Framingham State U
1. “The Invisible Politics of Affect in STEM Learning Contexts,” A. Suresh Canagarajah, Penn State U, University Park
2. “(Un)Natural Languages, (Un)Natural Identities: Decentering Spanish in Puerto Rican Studies,” Carmin Quijano Seda, Hunter C, City U of New York
3. “Deconstructing Masculine (Will)Power through French Medical Models of Trauma (1914–19),” Katherine Ellis, Westminster C
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/language-and-society/.
289. Keywords and the History of Ideas
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum LLC Late-18th-Century English. Presiding: Vivasvan Soni, Northwestern U; Abigail S. Zitin, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
1. “Word and Idea: A Problem for Criticism,” Heather Keenleyside, U of Chicago
2. “Key Grammars,” David Alff, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
3. “Not Res but Verba: Keywords, Exemplarity, and Representing the Character of an Age,” Supritha Rajan, U of Rochester
4. “Kultur and Society: Raymond Williams and the Specter of the German Mandarins,” Christian Thorne, Williams C
290. (In)Visibility and Marginality in the Global Middle Ages
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Medieval. Presiding: Nahir Otano Gracia, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Speakers: Jonathan Correa Reyes, Clemson U; Alicen Davis, U of Texas, Austin; Dorothea Heitsch, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Chan Lee, U of Texas, Austin; Basil Price, U of California, Los Angeles
Margins are the contours that create (in)visibility, and thus discussion of the visible and what must be unearthed to make something visible raises questions about margins and marginality: How do margins shape the contours of literary rhetorics? What is the role of margins in creating both visibility and invisibility? How does the study of the global Middle Ages as a theoretical model of scholarship help us explore the field's margins?
291. Gender in the Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Sephardic World
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forum LLC Sephardic. Presiding: Hazel Gold, Emory U
Speakers: Rustem Ertug Altinay, U of Milan; Rachel Baron-Bloch, Columbia U; Adam Cohn, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Rachel Kaufman, U of California, Los Angeles; Karen E. H. Skinazi, U of Bristol; Modiane Lior Zerdoun-Daniel, Central European U
Focusing on gender in Sephardic culture of the Diaspora and Israel viewed through the lens of multilinguistic production in literature, film, television, and historical commemorations, panelists examine the construction of masculinity/femininity, feminist and queer cultural products and spaces, traditions and challenges to gender roles, gender and modernity in the Sephardic world, and alternative historiographies.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/sephardic/forum/topic/llc-sephardic-studies-mla-2025-gender-in-the-sephardic-world/#post-1038034.
292. New Directions and Emerging Voices in African American Literary Scholarship
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LLC African American. Presiding: Magana Kabugi, Fisk U
Speakers: Fredrick Cherry, Jr., U of Maryland, College Park; Tolonda Henderson, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Kenneth Johnson II, C of Charleston; Latoya Teague, Brown U; Nadejda Webb, Johns Hopkins U, MD
Junior scholars in African American literary and cultural studies discuss a diverse range of works in progress that examine the narratives and inner lives of Black people rendered doubly invisible by American society: Black women creatives, Black gay male writers, the formerly enslaved, and the disabled. Here emerging voices has dual meaning, referring to both up-and-coming scholars and the emergence of still-marginalized voices.
293. Land as Pedagogy
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Latin American. Presiding: Natalia Brizuela, U of California, Berkeley
1. “Dancing, Dreaming, Earthing, Mountaining, Rivering, Storytelling, Singing: Notes on Times without Time,” Natalia Brizuela
2. “La tierra da,” Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, writer
3. “Visualizing Land-Based Pedagogies in Amazonian Aesthetics,” Jamille Pinheiro Dias, U of London
4. “Historical Erosions: Gestures of Disintegration in Contemporary Puerto Rico,” Pedro Rolón, U of California, Irvine
294. PMLA: Getting Published as Graduate Students and Early Career Scholars
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the PMLA Editorial Board. Presiding: Brent Hayes Edwards, Columbia U
Speakers: Alexandra Brown, Skidmore C; Rachael DeWitt, Washington U in St. Louis; Davy Knittle, U of Delaware, Newark; Alexander Sherman, Stanford U
This session brings together graduate students and early career scholars who have recently had their work published in PMLA. The authors discuss their experience with the journal, addressing, among other topics, how they responded effectively to peer review and worked with the editorial board to further refine their submissions, all with an eye toward having their specialized work speak to the broad MLA membership.
295. Poetry, Translation, and the Afro-Caribbean Cultural Legacy of New Orleans
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the MLA Office of the Executive Director. Presiding: Luana Moreira Reis, U of Pittsburgh
Speakers: Clint Bruce, U Sainte-Anne; Kelly Harris-DeBerry, Historic New Orleans Collection; Kalamu Salaam, Historic New Orleans Collection; Mona Lisa Saloy, Dillard U
In 2020, the Historic New Orleans Collection published Afro-Creole Poetry in French from Louisiana's Radical Civil War–Era Newspapers, translated by Clint Bruce. It received the MLA's Roth Award for Literary Translation. Three New Orleans poets—Kelly Harris-DeBerry, Kalamu Ya Salaam, and Mona Lisa Saloy—share their twenty-first-century responses to these nineteenth-century poems and discuss this encounter across time.
296. Open Hearing of the MLA Delegate Assembly
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Prince of Wales
Presiding: Members of the Delegate Assembly Organizing Committee
This meeting is only open to MLA members.
During the open hearing, MLA members and delegates may discuss all items on the Delegate Assembly's agenda except resolutions. MLA members may also present new matters of concern to the assembly.
For related material, visit www.mla.org/DA-Agenda-2025 after 11 Dec.
297. Discussion Group on Setting Mid-Career Priorities
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Martha Daas, Old Dominion U; Christine A. Wooley, Eckerd C
The path to tenure is long and arduous, but it has a clear end with a definite marker of achievement. The post-tenure path can wiggle and branch, and many faculty members lose focus or direction. This discussion is a space for mid-career faculty members to share stories and advice and then to set a goal or two.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=drive_link.
298. Deaf Performance, Language, and Art
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession. Presiding: Jennifer Nelson, Gallaudet U
1. “Teaching Deaf Women's Comportment in Literature, Language, Film, History,” Brenda Brueggemann, U of Connecticut, Storrs
2. “Model of a Successful Theater Collaboration,” Pamela Wright, Gallaudet U
3. “Signed Music and Its Applications,” JB Begue, Towson U; Jody Cripps, Clemson U; Pamela Witcher, Vancouver Community C, BC
For related material, write to [email protected].
299. Advocating for World Languages: Structures That Work for the Students You Have
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the Association of Language Departments. Presiding: Michael Long, Baylor U
Speakers: Muriel Cormican, Texas Christian U; Amanda Nagy, U of North Dakota; Danielle Pyun, Ohio State U, Columbus; Sonja Stephenson Watson, Texas Christian U; Faye Stewart, U of North Carolina, Greensboro; Suwako Watanabe, Portland State U
Panelists focus on both tested and innovative ways to make language study more accessible and relevant to students. Topics include liaising with and educating advisers, reworking the curriculum, navigating scheduling concerns, leveraging credentials, countering negative discourses about language study and the humanities, creating an inclusive environment, and making study abroad accessible to all students.
300. The Humanities Grant-Making Landscape
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill B1
Program arranged by the MLA Office of the Executive Director. Presiding: Jason Rhody, MLA
Speakers: Sean Buffington, Henry Luce Foundation; Carolyn Dinshaw, Mellon Foundation; Julia Lieber, Fulbright Scholar Program; Loni Bordoloi Pazich, Teagle Foundation; Christopher Thornton, National Endowment for the Humanities; Alice Tsay, The Huntington
Leaders of the nation's foremost humanities grant-making bodies will discuss the current state of federal and foundation support for language, literature, and culture research and teaching.
301. Freud's Ecology
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Steven Swarbrick, Baruch C, City U of New York
1. “Swallow/Spit,” Eugenie Brinkema, Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.
2. “Wild Ecologies, Lay Ecologies,” Ellen Lee McCallum, Michigan State U
3. “A Philosopher of the Flesh: Freud, Merleau-Ponty, and the Respiration Image,” McNeil Taylor, U of Cambridge
4. “The Colonized Snake: Sontag, the Oedipal Complex, and the Ecology of No Logos,” Mario Telo, U of California, Berkeley
For related material, visit hcommons.org/members/sswarbrick/.
302. The Far North and the Global South
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Jenna Sciuto, Massachusetts C of Liberal Arts
Speaker: Shun Kiang, U of Central Oklahoma
Respondent: Ryan Charlton, Georgia State U
What are the ways in which the economically and spatially marginalized spaces of the Far North disrupt the geographies of the Global North and Global South? Far North spaces in some ways have more in common with the Global South, such as the exportation of raw materials, centrality of indigenous populations, and heightened impacts of climate change. How might attention to the Far North introduce new insights, complicating the binarism in formulations of space?
For related material, write to [email protected].
303. Indigenous Artivism in Contemporary Latin America
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Nicole Bonino, U of Virginia
1. “Dispossession, Monstrosity, and Indigeneity in Lisandro Alonso's Experimental Cinematic Aesthetics,” Maria Paola Monteros-Freeman, U of Virginia
2. “Identity Reconstructions and Artistic Creations in the Afro-Indigenous Pacific,” Cesar Salgado Portillo, Georgetown U
3. “Sacrificial Rituals of Queer Motherhood: Cherríe Moraga's Chicana Mothers,” Jisun Kim, Yale U
4. “Live Indigenous Artivism in Belem: Traversing Spaces and Constructing Knowledges,” Tom Kissock-Mamede, U of Cambridge
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
304. Motherhood Disorders: Childless, Nonconformist, and Hysterical Women Facing Gender Expectations
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session
1. “The Archetype of Pain: The ‘Crazy Mother' Character in a Bolivian Contemporary Play,” Natalia Chavez, Georgetown U
2. “Disenchanted Motherhood in I've Forgotten Your Name, by Martha Riviera,” Elena Valdez, Christopher Newport U
3. “Embodying Mothering in Casas Vacías, by Brenda Navarro, and La hija única, by Guadalupe Nettel,” Katelyn Smith, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
4. “‘Ante todo . . . soy madre': Celebrity Motherhood in Spain's ‘Decade of Change' (1982–92),” Ana Marques Garcia, U of California, Santa Barbara
For related material, write to [email protected].
305. The World after Jubilee: Margaret Walker, Black Aesthetics, and Slavery's Twentieth-Century Renaissance
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Erica Edwards, Yale U
1. “History in the Sound of Walker's Jubilee,” Christopher Freeburg, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2. “Jubilee's Life and Legacy,” Maryemma Graham, U of Kansas
3. “Jubilee and the Black Arts Movement,” Margo Natalie Crawford, U of Pennsylvania
Respondent: Ivy Wilson, Northwestern U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Jan.
306. Resisting In(Visibility): Violence, Trauma, and the Representation of Marginalized Voices
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the South Asian Literary Association. Presiding: Nalini Iyer, Seattle U
1. “Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Tarana Burke: (In)Visibility, Intertextuality, and Intergenerational Trauma,” Ruma Sinha, Rider U
2. “#MeTooIndia, Visibility, and the Role of Bystander Witness: Bilkis Bano Case and Darlings,” Nidhi Shrivastava, Sacred Heart U
3. “The Politics of (In)Visibility and Disinformation: ‘National’ Media and the Manipur Crisis,” Billie Thoidingjam Guarino, Saint Anselm C
Friday, 10 January 1:45 p.m.
307. Reading the Classical in the Modern, Reading the Modern in the Classical
1:45–3:00 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Arabic. Presiding: Sarah R. bin Tyeer, Columbia U
1. “The Reenchantment of World Literature: Arabic Modernism’s Aestheticized Sufism,” Yaseen Noorani, U of Arizona, Tucson
2. “Seeing What Cannot Be Seen: Muḥammad Bannīs’s Concept of Kitāba and Its Lineages,” Lubna Safi, U of California, Riverside
3. “The Poetic Functions of ʿAǧamī Impostors in Nāṣīf al-Yāziǧī’s Majmaʿ al-baḥrayn,” Rama Alhabian, Hamilton C
4. “Synaethesia in Bashshsār b. Burd Love Poetry,” Ula Aweida, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
309. Transnational Byron
1:45–3:00 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the Byron Society of America. Presiding: Piya Pal-Lapinski, Bowling Green State U
1. “Byron's ‘Infant World,'” Mark E. Canuel, U of Illinois, Chicago
2. “Byron's Global Celebrity,” Omar F. Miranda, U of San Francisco
3. “Don Juan's Migrant Children,” Jonathan Sachs, Concordia U, Montreal
4. “Byron as Translator,” Maria Schoina, Aristoteleio Panepistemio Thessalonikes
310. Reclaiming Joy as Political Visibility
1:45–3:00 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the Women in French. Presiding: Adrienne M. Angelo, Auburn U; Michele Schaal, Iowa State U
1. “Reclaiming Joy as Resistance to Mainstream Narratives: Grassroots Art Activism in Paris's Banlieues,” Ashley Harris, Trinity C Dublin
2. “Decolonizing Hair, Beauty, and Clothing: Joyful Digital Feminist Activism from the Francophone World,” Maria Tomlinson, U of Sheffield
3. “Reading Joy and Feminist Killjoy in Nina Bouraoui's Autofiction,” Kiki Kosnick, Augustana C
4. “Joy as an Assertion of Political Presence in Franco-Vietnamese Visual Media,” Warisara Emily Sawin, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
311. Gendered Landscapes: Identity, Power, and Politics in German Visual Culture
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the Women in German. Presiding: Christine R. Rinne, U of South Alabama
1. “Intersectional Analysis of DOMiD Museum's Archival Images: Vietnamese Women Workers in East Germany,” Ahlam Hassan, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
2. “‘Es ist kein Platz für uns': Space and Inconvenience in Heiner Carow's Verfehlung,” Muriel Cormican, Texas Christian U
3. “The Power of Comedy: Leveraging Queer Space in Heteronormative German Cinema,” Anne Wooten, U of Texas, Austin
4. “From East German Provinz to Uterine Universe: Anke Feuchtenberger's Gendered Land- and Bodyscapes,” Elizabeth R. Mittman, Michigan State U
For related material, write to [email protected].
312. Career Collaborations: Working Together to Develop Career Pathways for World and Heritage Language Learners
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the American Translators Association. Presiding: Kathleen Stein-Smith, Fairleigh Dickinson U, Metropolitan Campus
1. “Career Collaborations and Language Advocacy,” Kathleen Stein-Smith
2. “The Work of Educators and the ATA Education and Pedagogy Committee,” Annelise Finegan, New York U
313. Visible Modernism: The Work of Eugene O'Neill
1:45–3:00 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the Eugene O'Neill Society. Presiding: Patrick James Chura, U of Akron
1. “The Emperor Jones and General Gabriel: Visible Modernism in Arna Bontemps's Black Thunder,” Patrick James Chura
2. “Scratching the Surface: Theatrical Drug Use after Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night,” Melissa Sturges, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “Rending Veils: Tragic Pathos and Social Consciousness in O'Neill's Climaxes,” Ryder Thornton, Tulane U
314. Transforming Space: Migration and Migrants in Austrian Literature and Ego-Documents
1:45–3:00 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the Austrian Studies Association. Presiding: Jacqueline Vansant, U of Michigan, Dearborn
1. “Julya Rabinowich: Dazwischen: Ich, Wir, and In-Between,” Hillary Hope Herzog, U of Kentucky
2. “‘You Are Entering a Border Area': Refugees and Space in Elena Messner's In die Transitzone,” Helga Schreckenberger, U of Vermont
3. “Home and Homelessness in the Diaries of Austrian Refugees Ruth Maier and Oskar Jellinek, 1938–45,” Kathryn Sederberg, Kalamazoo C
For related material, write to [email protected].
315. Comics on the Couch: Psychoanalysis and Graphic Medicine
1:45–3:00 p.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the American Psychoanalytic Association. Presiding: Vera Camden, Kent State U, Kent
Speakers: Suzy Becker, independent scholar; Jiyun Kim, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Andrew Slade, U of Dayton; Valentino Zullo, Ursuline C
Respondent: Naomi E. Morgenstern, U of Toronto
Rita Charon, founder of narrative medicine, brought a fuller recognition to stories as a source of medical insight. Panelists explore psychoanalysis as an originating model of narrative medicine while turning to graphic medicine as an outgrowth of the field. Reframing for patients, practitioners, and critics a question that Charon once posed, panelists ask, What are the dividends of placing psychoanalysis, narrative medicine, and now comics in conversation?
316. Visible (Un)Realities: Reconsidering Truth and Appearance in Pirandello and Beyond
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the Pirandello Society of America. Presiding: Lisa Sarti, Borough of Manhattan Community C, City U of New York
1. “Pirandello's Tailor: Carlyle's Influence on Pirandello's Philosophy of Appearances,” Lorenzo Mecozzi, Columbia U
2. “D'Annunzio's Long Avant-Garde and Pirandello's Exemplary Modernism,” Daniele Meregalli, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
3. “Visuality between Truth and Deception in Luigi Pirandello and Orson Welles,” Tommaso Verga, University C Cork
4. “Pirandellian Reflections and Refractions in Giuliana Musso's Dentro: Una storia vera, se volete,” Juliet Guzzetta, Michigan State U
316A. Psychoanalytic Criticism Today
1:45–3:00 p.m., Parish
Program arranged by the forum TM Literary Criticism. Presiding: Anna Kornbluh, U of Illinois, Chicago
1. “Nature’s Not Dead, It’s Unconscious: Claire Denis and New Psychoanalytic Approaches to Climate Change,” Matthew Mersky, Boston C
2. “A Palestinian Is Being Beaten,” Clint Burnham, Simon Fraser U
3. “‘Owning Your Narrative’: Online Therapy Discourse and the Sociology of Literature,” Lily Scherlis, U of Chicago
4. “Pranks, Redux,” Tess McNulty, Harvard U
317. Dussel, the Colonial Foundation of Latin American Thought, and Decolonial Ethics (In Memoriam)
1:45–3:00 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum LLC Colonial Latin American. Presiding: Santa Arias, U of Arizona, Tucson; Luis Fernando Restrepo, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
1. “Decolonizing Philosophy: Latin America and World History,” Eduardo Mendieta, Penn State U, University Park
2. “Political Theology from the Global South: Enrique Dussel and the Poetics of Liberation,” Javier Padilla, Colgate U
3. “La conquista de México en clave colonial: La mirada de Enrique Dussel,” Valeria Añón, U de Buenos Aires
4. “Uncovering Eurocentrism: Las Casas, Dussel, and the Coloniality of Knowledge in the Apologética,” René Carrasco, California Polytechnic State U, San Luis Obispo
318. The Unseen in Catalan Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC Catalan Studies. Presiding: Anna Casas Aguilar, U of British Columbia
1. “Creating and Destroying the Unseen: Catalonia's Conejo Bleach,” Bob Davidson, U of Toronto
2. “One Single Flavor: Making Food Culture Visible in Catalonia after the Dictatorship,” Eloi Grasset, U of California, Santa Barbara
3. “Under the Rocks: Visibility and Invisibility in and of Catalan Photography,” Olga Sendra Ferrer, Wesleyan U
4. “Unseen in Plain Sight: Tracing the Infrastructural Turn in Recent Catalan Cultural Production,” William Viestenz, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
319. Soundscapes of Travel and Resistance in Latin America's Long Nineteenth Century
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century Latin American and the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. Presiding: Vanesa Miseres, U of Notre Dame
1. “Mexican Soundscapes through the Ears of US Travel Writers in the Late Nineteenth Century,” Sara Hernández Angulo, Washington U in St. Louis
2. “Early Phonographic Culture and the Sonic Staging of Blackness in Argentina,” Rodrigo Viqueira, Washington U in St. Louis
3. “Soundscapes in Porfirian Mexican Serial Novels,” Julio Enríquez-Ornelas, Wabash C
4. “Sonic Panorama of Water Workers in Mexican Costumbrismo,” Sandrine Madouas, independent scholar
320. New Perspectives on “New France” and the Colonial Caribbean
1:45–3:00 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forums LLC 18th-Century French and LLC 17th-Century French. Presiding: Logan Connors, U of Miami; David R. Harrison, Grinnell C
Speakers: Matthew Barfield, Harvard U; Nathan Brown, Furman U; Andrew Curran, Wesleyan U; Robert Decker, U of Southern California; Michael Mulryan, Christopher Newport U; Robert Twiss, U of Toronto
Respondent: Brian Hawkins, U of Kansas
Speakers seek to unearth new directions and perspectives for analyzing the early modern French-speaking Atlantic, including Saint-Domingue, Martinique, Missouri, Quebec, and Louisiana, focusing on issues of coloniality, race, and power, as well as on religious, cultural, and literary history.
321. Remapping the Post-Katrina Gulf South
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum LLC Southern United States. Presiding: Frank Cha, Virginia Commonwealth U
Speakers: Julie Buckner Armstrong, U of South Florida, Saint Petersburg; Joanmarie Banez, U of California, San Diego; Jessica Bass, Jefferson State Community C, AL; Benjamin Compton, Kennesaw State U; Emily Fontenot, Illinois State U; Thomas Hallock, U of South Florida, Saint Petersburg; Katherine Henninger, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
Speakers consider how the Gulf South—a geographic border zone region with overlapping histories of colonizations and one of the most culturally diverse regions in the United States—has changed in the twenty years since Hurricane Katrina, exploring the ways in which environmental degradation and recovery, changing political landscapes, and economic turmoil have shaped a region undergoing a constant cycle of tragedy and rebirth.
322. Black Femme Visible Literatures and Histories: Traditions, Lineages, Traces, and Roots
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum TC Race and Ethnicity Studies. Presiding: Courtney Murray, Penn State U, University Park
Speakers: Cora Anthony, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; I. Augustus Durham, U of Toronto; Habiba Ibrahim, U of Washington, Seattle; Veronica Popp, U of Saint Francis; Jehan Roberson, Cornell U; Jorden Sanders, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Aiming to complicate how we make visible the roots, sites, and lineages of Black women's literary and historical production, traditions, and figures, speakers present three major through lines to encourage discussion: Black women's oral and religious genealogies, Black feminist literary traditions, and Black feminist theory and history.
323. Masking and Unmasking: Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Spanish Literature and Art
1:45–3:00 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum LLC 18th- and 19th-Century Spanish and Iberian. Presiding: Yvonne Fuentes, U of West Georgia
1. “Masking, Gender, and Translation in Petra Pedregal's Pelayo,” Catherine Marie Jaffe, Texas State U
2. “Naming the Pornographic: Fictional Authorship in Sexually Explicit Nineteenth-Century Iberian Literature,” Sergio Martinez Rey, Stanford U
3. “The Many Faces of Don Juan: Masking Shame and Revealing Truth in El diablo está en todas partes,” Oscar Ruiz Hernandez, U of Massachusetts, Lowell
4. “Masks of Death: Sartorial Spectrality in Illustrations of Espronceda,” Rhi Johnson, Indiana U, Bloomington
324. Iberian Exteriorities
1:45–3:00 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Spanish and Iberian. Presiding: Benita Sampedro Vizcaya, Hofstra U
Speakers: Nadiyah Aamer, U of Miami; Eric Calderwood, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Mahan Ellison, Furman U; Robert Patrick Newcomb, U of California, Davis; Rhodri Lloyd Sheldrake Davies, U of Durham
What are the dynamics at play in the historical, political, and theoretical configurations of Spain vis-à-vis “external” territories such as Gibraltar, Ceuta, Melilla, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands?
325. Code Switch: Digital Humanities of Peoples and Languages on Occupied Lands
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum TC Digital Humanities. Presiding: Gabriela Baeza Ventura, U of Houston
1. “Lived Experience: Ethical Descriptions in Latinx DH, Metadata, and Archives,” Lorena Gauthereau, U of Houston
2. “Digital translenguaje: Latinx DH en la lengua de la gente,” Elena Foulis, Texas A&M U, San Antonio
3. “I Wish I Knew How to Say ‘I Made a Short Film with My Mom' in Iñupiatun,” Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq, Virginia Tech
326. Ecologies of Resistance: Spaces and Embodiments in Medieval Texts
1:45–3:00 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum LLC Medieval French. Presiding: Megan Moore, U of Missouri, Columbia
1. “Materiality and Embodiment in Medieval Bestiaries,” Emma Campbell, U of Warwick
2. “Eliminating Desturbance: Panoptic and Profitable Gazes in Walter de Henley's Le dite de hosebondrie,” Jacob Abell, Baylor U; Eleanor Miller, independent scholar
3. “Old Paris and the City of Ladies: Building a Better Past,” Julie E. Singer, Washington U in St. Louis
327. Coriolanus: “Our Virtues / Lie in th’Interpretation of the Time”
1:45–3:00 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum LLC Shakespeare
1. “The Form of the Anecdote in Coriolanus,” David Nee, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “‘Lonely Dragons’: The Futures of Misanthropy in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus,” Huw Griffiths, U of Sydney
3. “Bearing Voice and Baring Voice: Coriolanus and the Unrepresentable,” Katie Adkison, Bates C
Respondent: Miles Grier, Queens C, City U of New York
328. Keywords, Questions, Concepts: Postcolonial Genres and Strategies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum TC Postcolonial Studies. Presiding: Najnin Islam, U of Connecticut, Waterbury
Speakers: Christina Marie León, Duke U; Alden Sajor Marte-Wood, Rice U; Juan Meneses, U of North Carolina, Charlotte; Angela Naimou, Clemson U; Mitia Nath, U of Massachusetts, Amherst; Christine Okoth, King's C London; Grega Ulen, Princeton U
Speakers address concepts that have not yet found purchase in postcolonial studies and commonly circulated keywords transposed into different aesthetic, political, and historical contexts: planning, critical irrealism, catachresis, unself, filth, protection, and nonalignment.
329. The Question of Palestine Now
1:45–3:00 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Arabic. Presiding: Refqa Abu-Remaileh, Freie U
1. “‘An Affirmation and a Denial': Reading Palestinian Women's Writing after Said,” Zeena Yasmine Fuleihan, Duke U
2. “Between Ecopostcolonial and Entanglement: Palestinian Literary Engagement with Land,” Johanna Sellman, Ohio State U, Columbus
3. “Palestinian Cultural Production at the End of the World,” Ido Fuchs, Tel Aviv U
4. “Synthesizing Edward Said's Tracks of Intellectual Inquiry: Comparative Literature, Settler Colonialism,” Helen Makhdoumian, Vanderbilt U
330. Making Visible Gender Justice in Asia
1:45–3:00 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the MLA Publications Committee. Presiding: Karen Thornber, Harvard U
Speakers: Amrita DasGupta, SOAS, U of London; Bruce Fulton, U of British Columbia; Junting Huang, Harvard U; Hui Faye Xiao, U of Kansas
Participants discuss teaching, translating, and researching narratives on gender inequity and gender-based violence in Asia and how to facilitate the transition from reading and learning to activism.
331. Jazz and the Problem of Genre
1:45–3:00 p.m., St. James Ballroom
Program arranged by the MLA Executive Council. Presiding: Erin D. Graff Zivin, U of Southern California
Speakers: Herman Beavers, U of Pennsylvania; Courtney Bryan, Tulane U; Maya Kronfeld, Duke U; Carter Mathes, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Artists and scholars in and of New Orleans will join specialists in music and sound studies, literature, and Black thought to discuss the problem of the category jazz as a far-reaching issue that allows us to think through the aesthetics, ethics, and politics of genre.
332. Disability in Older Age: Literary Models of Care and Control
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum TC Disability Studies. Presiding: Cynthia Port, Coastal Carolina U
1. “Truth or Trickery in the Name of Care: An Ethics-of-Care Reading of Shakespeare’s King Lear,” Chris Gabbard, U of North Florida
2. “Listening without the Ears, Seeing without the Eyes: Old Age and Disability in Perec and Carrington,” Sophia Millman, Princeton U
3. “Reorienting Realities: Gender, Aging, and Care in Emma Healey’s and Jo Walton’s Fictions of Dementia,” Crystal Lie, California State U, Long Beach
Respondent: Maren T. Linett, Purdue U, West Lafayette
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/age-studies/or mla.hcommons.org/groups/disability-studies/.
333. Discussion Group on Leading in Times of Consolidations, Mergers, and Restructuring
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Erin Templeton, Converse U
This discussion group offers a space to share lessons learned and useful strategies to work through opportunities that can arise in the upheaval of restructurings and mergings of programs.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=drive_link.
334. Designing and Advocating for Undergraduate Research Programs in the Humanities
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Academic Program Services. Presiding: Leah Misemer, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
Speakers: Jacquelyn Ardam, U of California, Los Angeles; Sue Lorenson, Georgetown U; Alison Mackey, Georgetown U; Andrew Squitiro, Tulane U; Amy Woodbury Tease, Norwich U
Participants share stories and outcomes of successful undergraduate research programs, strategies for developing and advocating for humanities undergraduate research, and ways undergraduate research can promote the value of the humanities on campuses and beyond.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tx8vUnTMxFXlQbnFB4Fv_nH8uOOk7vWs?usp=drive_link after 2 Jan.
335. Literatures of Incarceration
1:45–3:00 p.m., Quarterdeck A
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Convention and Events. Presiding: Sarah Higinbotham, Emory U, Oxford C; Kevin Windhauser, Washington U in St. Louis
Speakers: Cameron Flynn, U of California, Berkeley; Allison Serraes, Creighton U; Jennie Snow, Fitchburg State U; Whitney Trettien, U of Pennsylvania; Benjamin Williams, Carnegie Mellon U
This roundtable explores literatures of incarceration and the theories that guide our interpretation. Participants will share work in progress about the history of printing and publishing inside prisons, memoirs of detainment, the literature of probation and parole, redaction and ellipses in prison writing, anti-carceral feminism, abolition theory, and the ethics of queer care in carceral spaces.
336. Mentoring New Journal Editors
1:45–3:00 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Scholarly Communication
Speakers: Cheryl E. Ball, Council of Editors of Learned Journals; Tina Yih-Ting Chen, Penn State U, University Park; Bruce Holsinger, U of Virginia; Amanda Licastro, Swarthmore C; Kelly Ritter, Georgia Inst. of Tech.; Karin E. Westman, Kansas State U
Interested in taking on editorial responsibilities with a journal? Looking to learn how to onboard a new editor? to build community within a journal's board? Join this interactive session as experienced scholarly journal editors offer training, mentoring, and tips for becoming and training an editor. The session concludes with small-group breakout discussions. Scholars of all ranks are welcome.
337. Getting Funded in the Humanities: An NEH Workshop
1:45–3:45 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Patrick Fleming, National Endowment for the Humanities
Speakers: Molly Hardy, National Endowment for the Humanities; Madison Hendren, National Endowment for the Humanities
Representatives from the National Endowment for the Humanities' Division of Education Programs and Division of Research Programs outline current funding opportunities and highlight recent awards. In addition to emphasizing programs that support educational, scholarly research, and digital opportunities, this workshop offers applicants strategies for submitting competitive grant proposals. NEH staff members will also be available for individual meetings throughout the conference.
338. Toward a Negative Performance Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Lauren Bakst, U of Pennsylvania
1. “Scammers and Welfare Queens: Reading East African Women's Misperformance across the Long Twentieth Century,” Maandeeq Mohamed, U of Toronto
2. “Relational Illegibility: Another Beautiful Country, Scratching at the Moon, and an Asian American Aesthetics of Opacity,” Vanessa Holyoak, U of Southern California
3. “Black Vernacularity, Racial Orthography, and Nonperformative Utterance: On Will Rawls's Uncle Rebus,” Andrew Smyth, U of Pennsylvania
Respondent: Summer Kim Lee, U of California, Los Angeles
339. Spoiling This Wonderful Falsehood: Japanese Video Games and Critiques of Western Worlding
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: David Hall, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1. “‘We Are Thinking on the Basest of Planes': Bloodborne as Critique of Global Racialization and Capitalistic Expansion,” Austin Anderson, Howard U
2. “They Played Us Like a Damn Fiddle: Noble Suffering and the Spectacle of Torture in Metal Gear Solid,” Evan Manzanetti, U of California, Davis
3. “Working Title: Remediating Disney Myth,” Luna Loganayagam, U of California, Davis
4. “The Vampire Prince(ss): Escaping the Reincarnated Cycle of Gender Binary in SaGa Frontier,” Jakapat Koohapremkit, U of Texas, Austin
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/spoiling-this-wonderful-falsehood-japanese-video-games-and-critiques-of-western-worlding/ after 5 Jan.
340. Feeling Bad: Democracy, Vengeance, and the Politics of Recognition in Nineteenth-Century US Literature
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Omari Weekes, Queens C, City U of New York
1. “The Revenge of Justice: Vengeance and Balance in The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta,” Carrie Hyde, U of California, Los Angeles
2. “Insurrectionary Violence and Sheppard Lee's ‘Confusion of Characters,'” Daniel Couch, United States Air Force Acad.
3. “‘To Hear the Voice of the Red Man?': The Right to Be Heard in William Apess,” Jene Pledger, U of California, Los Angeles
4. “White Feelings, Bad Feelings: Counternarratives to Racial Domination in Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition,” Will Clark, San Francisco State U
341. Black Fantasy World-Building
1:45–3:00 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Ian MacDonald, Florida Atlantic U
1. “A Materialist Reading of Nnedi Okorafor's Nsibidi Scripts Trilogy,” Theo Joy Campbell, U of Wisconsin, Madison
2. “‘Into the Ocean Again': Black Feminist Underwater Epistemologies,” Adena Rivera-Dundas, Utah State U
3. “Apocalyptic Relativity: Catastrophe and the Fault Lines of History in the Work of N. K. Jemisin,” Kiana Murphy, Brown U
342. Necropolitical Violence and Visibility
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Muhammad Farooq, Seton Hall U
1. “A Community of the Dead: Igor Barreto's Invisible Violence,” Carlos Colmenares Gil, Indiana U, Bloomington
2. “Synecdochic Bodies in Latin American Activism,” Madison Felman-Panagotacos, Middlebury C
3. “Literary Sumud: Rebuilding ‘Home' in Atef Abu Saif's The Drone Eats with Me,” Daniel O'Gorman, U of Leeds
4. “Multiplicity of the ‘Muslim' Concept in Colonial Algeria,” Tasnîm Tirkawi, Tulane U
343. After Feminism: Early Modern Lyric
1:45–3:00 p.m., Fulton
A special session
1. “Reading Early Modern Women after Women's Studies,” Melissa E. Sanchez, U of Pennsylvania
2. “Against the Erotic Sublime: Lyric Sexuality in Aphra Behn,” David Simon, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “Carew's Mannered Force,” Connie Scozzaro, Brown U
344. Contested Environmentalisms in Modern China
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 7
A special session. Presiding: Dingru Huang, Tufts U
1. “Contested Environmentalisms: The Rhetoric of Afforestation in Socialist China, 1949–61,” Cheng Li, Carnegie Mellon U
2. “Pulling the Harrow: Desert Plants and Dark Ecology in Guo Xuebo's Sand Burial,” Robin Visser, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
3. “Labor and Ecology: A Critique of the Anthropocene,” Ban Wang, Stanford U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Jan.
345. Can You See Now? Black American Writers and the English Renaissance
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 10
A special session. Presiding: Brandi Adams, Arizona State U, Tempe
1. “Slavery, Literary History, and the History of Feeling: Twelve Years a Slave and The Tempest,” Dennis Britton, U of British Columbia
2. “Shakespeare, Shadrack, and Black Women's Invisible Dreams,” Arthur Little, Jr., U of California, Los Angeles
3. “Passing for White with Milton's (In)Visible Influence in Chesnutt's The House behind the Cedars,” Reginald A. Wilburn, Texas Christian U
346. Poetry as Object of Literary Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum GS Poetry and Poetics. Presiding: Kamran Javadizadeh, Villanova U
Speakers: Sarah Dowling, U of Toronto; Brian Glavey, U of South Carolina, Columbia; Virginia Jackson, U of California, Irvine; Katie Kadue, Binghamton U, State U of New York; Meredith Martin, Princeton U; Gillian C. White, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
During certain critical movements (e.g., New Criticism, deconstruction), poems seemed the default objects of literary study. But poetry has been marginal to recent method wars. How has the place of poetry in intradisciplinary debates changed—and with what consequences?
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LD5xB6p6HRsWZO0ZOPmbYHw6C1UMzW4e?usp=sharing after 8 Jan.
Friday, 10 January 3:30 p.m.
347. Students' Right to Their Own Language, Disciplinary Histories, and Equitable Futures
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the Conference on College Composition and Communication
1. “CCCC in 1968: The Abundant History of Ernece B. Kelly and the Origins of the NCTE Taskforce on Racism and Bias,” Megan McIntyre, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
2. “SRTOL and SRTOW: Abundant Resources for Giving Feedback on Black Students' Writing,” Michelle Petty, U of California, Santa Barbara
3. “They Say, I Say, No SAE: Teaching Students to Harness the Rhetorical Tools They Came With,” Xochilt Trujillo Flores, California State U, San Bernardino
4. “Abundant Virtues: How Assignment Guidelines Encourage and Negotiate Personal, Disciplinary, and Bureaucratic Values,” Kasen Christensen, East Carolina U
For related material, visit cccc.ncte.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2025CCCCMLASession.pdf.
348. Dostoevsky and Disability
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the International Dostoevsky Society. Presiding: Melanie Jones, independent scholar
1. “Pregnancy and Chronic Illness in Dostoevsky,” Melissa Miller, Colby C
2. “‘Who Sinned? This Woman or Her Husband?': Maria Timofeevna Lebyadkina and Disability as Penance,” Ruth Levai, U of Miskolc
3. “‘I Can't Work Forever': Disability, Dependence, and Labor in Dostoevsky's Novels,” Chloe Papadopoulos, Dalhousie U
349. Health, Well-Being, and Illness in Lusophone and Hispanophone Contexts
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Presiding: Jennifer Brady, U of Minnesota, Duluth
1. “Bereavement, Affiliation, Rejection, and Compensation: Illness in El invierno de los jilgueros,” Victoria Louise Ketz, La Salle U
2. “Exploring Health in the Intermediate Portuguese Classroom with Project-Based Assessment,” Boris Yelin, Northeastern U
3. “Sanity or Sickness in Soaps: Representation of Mental ‘Illness' as Superpower Mexico's Diana Salazar,” Amy Wright, Saint Louis U
4. “Writing about Diseases in Peru: A Search for Identity,” Alejandro E. Latinez, Bristol Community C, MA
350. Issues: The Challenge of Periodical Studies
3:30–4:45 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals. Presiding: James Mussell, U of Leeds
Speakers: Maria Damkjær, U of Copenhagen; Fionnuala Dillane, University C Dublin; Priti Joshi, U of Puget Sound; Katherine Malone, South Dakota State U; James Mussell
Participants focus on transnationalism, transmediality, and the cultural work of periodicals, examining movement as publications absorb and transmit content from diverse sources and across borders; periodical form, looking at parts from which periodicals are constituted and move through time; and ways the format and rhythms of the press structure the cultural work it performs.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 29 Dec.
351. Report on Editors' and Journal Contributions and Universities' Responsibility to Foster Academic Communication
3:30–4:45 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom
Program arranged by the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Presiding: Eugenia Zuroski, McMaster U
Speakers: Cheryl E. Ball, Council of Editors of Learned Journals; Brenda Machosky, U of Hawai‘i, West O‘ahu; Susan Tomlinson, U of Massachusetts, Boston
The CELJ Board of Directors describes results of a collaborative effort to update its document “The Contributions of Journals and Editors to the Scholarly Community and the Responsibility of Universities to Foster Academic Communication through Scholarly and Creative Journals.” This report grounds discussion of the current state of journal editing within universities with a focus on institutional support as a key component to scholarly success.
352. Latin American Performance
3:30–4:45 p.m., Compass
Program arranged by the forum TC Popular Culture
1. “Caring Bodies: Performance and Healing in the Venezuelan Diaspora,” Irina Troconis, Cornell U
2. “Embodying (Un)Documentation in Claudio Mir's Mondongo Scam,” Rebeca Hey-Colon, Temple U, Philadelphia
3. “Choreographies of Friction: Latinx Contemporary Dance in the Americas,” Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz, Cornell U
Respondent: Maria Ines Canto Carrillo, Colorado State U
For related material, write to [email protected].
353. Reimagining Tradition in Galicia/Iberia
3:30–4:45 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Galician. Presiding: Laura Lesta Garcia, Middlebury C
Speakers: Eva Alvarez Vazquez, U of Massachusetts, Amherst; Silvia Bermúdez, U of California, Santa Barbara; Luke Bishop, U of Texas, Austin; Renee Congdon, Princeton U; Sofia Fernandez Gonzalez, Yale U; José M Rodríguez García, Duke U; Alba Rodríguez-Saavedra, U de Vigo
Panelists explore traditional music, dance, and cultural-social practices in Galicia/Iberia, from perspectives spanning gender, queer studies, cultural studies, ethnography, and sociolinguistics.
354. Travel Writing and Go-Betweens
3:30–4:45 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum GS Travel Writing. Presiding: Jessica Howell, Texas A&M U, College Station
Speakers: Nicole Eitzen Delgado, Hunter C, City U of New York; Sayanti Mondal, Ithaca C; Carmen Nocentelli, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Pablo Pastore, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Wan Sonya Tang, Boston C
Panelists address how go-betweens mediate cross-cultural encounters, challenge colonialist narratives, and engage in world-making, considering various forms of writing from the seventeenth through twentieth centuries in English, Italian, and Spanish and examining travelers from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Topics include archival erasure, temporal and geographic dislocation, and the ethical responsibilities of intermediaries.
355. Creolizing Connections across the Americas: Louisiana and the Greater Caribbean
3:30–4:45 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum LLC Francophone. Presiding: Maya Angela Smith, U of Washington, Seattle
1. “Some Interimperial Contexts of Cecilia Valdés,” Leslie Bary, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
2. “Ciguapas in NOLA: Empowering Quadroon Women in The Grandissimes,” Alyssa Anders, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
3. “Exploring Blackness, Creolization, and Resistance: New Orleans and French West Indian Music,” Coraline Kandassamy, Florida Atlantic U
4. “Sybil Kein's Louisiana Creole: Archipelagic Bridges, Fractures, and Rasanblaj,” Rachel Kirk, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
356. TV and New Media
3:30–4:45 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum CLCS European Regions. Presiding: Joanne Britland, Framingham State University
1. “What Is Educational? German Public Broadcasting in the Era of Streaming,” Christine R. Rinne, U of South Alabama
2. “Terrorism and Communication: Nonexistent Organizations in Spanish Media,” Francesc Morales, The Citadel
3. “Queer as Folk as a Global Brand,” Maria Giovanna Fusco, U of L'Aquila
357. Disablement and Disability in Palestine and the Global South
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global Arab and Arab American. Presiding: Nesrine Chahine, Texas Tech U
1. “‘Occupation, the Closures . . . Have Made Amputees of All of Us': Debility in Palestinian Literature,” Nadine Sinno, Virginia Tech
2. “Do Gazan Women Need Saving? Genocide, Disablement, and Palestinian Feminism,” Asma Al-Naser, Vanier C
3. “Menstrual Justice and Disability in Palestine,” Ela Przybylo, Illinois State U
358. Global Englishes in the Public Sphere
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LSL Global English. Presiding: Zhaozhe Wang, U of Toronto
1. “Educating about the Diversity of English and English Speakers: Documentary Film Making,” Ryosuke Aoyama, U of British Columbia; Ryan Deschambault, U of British Columbia; Takeshi Kajigaya, U of British Columbia; Ryuko Kubota, U of British Columbia
2. “Blending Voices Online: The Role of English in the Translanguaging Practices of Italian Gen-Z Social Media Users,” Lucia Casiraghi, Harvard U
3. “Navigating and Negotiating Gender Neutrality and Linguistic Justice in Germany, North America, and Australia,” Maureen O. Gallagher, Australian National U
359. The Limits of Vision in Seventeenth-, Eighteenth-, and Nineteenth-Century Italy
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-Century Italian. Presiding: Clorinda Donato, California State U, Long Beach
1. “Emplotting Galileo: Vision, Poetry, and the Astronomical Imagination,” Beatrice Fazio, U of Chicago
2. “Europe 1606: What Bernardo Bizoni Saw,” Nathalie Hester, U of Oregon
3. “The Black Italian Renaissance: History and Countermemories of Resistance,” Angelica Pesarini, U of Toronto
360. Reaching and Becoming: Social Dynamics of Early Modern Chinese Texts
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LLC Ming and Qing Chinese. Presiding: Maria Franca Sibau, Emory U
1. “Rethinking Erotic Novellas,” Xiaoqiao Ling, Arizona State U, Tempe
2. “The Image of the Book and the Performance of Reading in The Drunken Man's Talk,” Canaan Morse, Boston U
3. “The Tradition of Poetic Interpretations of The Peach Blossom Fan,” Rainier Lanselle, École Pratique des Hautes Études
Respondent: Maria Franca Sibau
361. Solidarities and Schisms: Uses and Limitations of Irish Analogies
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LLC Irish. Presiding: Liam Lanigan, Governors State U
Speakers: Andrew Henderson, U of California, Santa Barbara; Mindi McMann, C of New Jersey; Cóilín Parsons, Georgetown U; Sarah L. Townsend, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Participants consider scholarship and debates in Irish studies, frequently defined and contested through comparisons with other cultures, nations, and peoples, from historical situations as disparate as those in Palestine, South Africa, Poland, India, and the Caribbean.
362. Black Parenting on the Stage and Written Page
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the forum LLC African American. Presiding: Dorothy Randall Tsuruta, San Francisco State U
1. “Motherhood as a Site of Resistance in Contemporary Brazilian Fiction,” Cristovao Nwachukwu, U of Florida
2. “Black Parents in Contemporary Black American Memoir,” Christina Marie Tourino, C of Saint Benedict
3. “‘Bad' Black Parenthood in the US Novel,” Brandy Reeves, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
4. “Nellia Larsen's Maternal Instincts,” Amadi Ozier, U of Wisconsin, Madison
363. Out of the Box: Rethinking Southeast Asia through Comics
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Southeast Asian and Southeast Asian Diasporic. Presiding: Nazry Bahrawi, U of Washington, Seattle
1. “Noir Aesthetics and the Nation in Southeast Asian Comics,” Weihsin Gui, U of California, Riverside
2. “Wayang ‘Out of the Box': Women and Superhero Comics in Indonesia,” Jennifer Goodlander, Indiana U, Bloomington
3. “‘Getting the Joke': Preserving Cultural Context in the Translation of Comics,” Michael N. Garcia, Clarkson U
4. “Historical Denial and Identity-Based Melancholia in Chinese Whispers,” Sarah Garrod, U of Southern California
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
364. Visibility and the Visual in Medieval and Early Modern German Culture
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the forum LLC German to 1700. Presiding: Jonathan Seelye Martin, Illinois State U
1. “Renaissance and RenAIssances: Perspectives on Dürer and Panofsky Today,” Hannah Hunter-Parker, Amherst C
2. “Visualization, Attention, Knowledge: Two Optical Tools in Athanasius Kircher's Ars magna lucis et umbrae,” Aleksandra Prica, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
365. Seeing, Watching, and Looking in Sixteenth-Century France (1480–1630)
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th-Century French. Presiding: Corinne Noirot, Virginia Tech
1. “Discerning Appearances in Early Modern Fictional Works,” Cynthia Vialle-Giancotti, Stanford U
2. “Witnessing a Massacre in Goulart's Histoire des martyrs,” Sophia Buehrer, New York U
3. “Cette ‘lumière qui est en nous' selon Descartes,” François-Xavier De Peretti, Aix-Marseille U
366. Histories and Legacies of Hurricane Katrina
3:30–4:45 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the forum TC Ecocriticism and Environmental Humanities. Presiding: Allison Carruth, Princeton U
1. “Reordering Disaster in Francis Lo's A Series of Un/Natural/Disasters,” Melissa Parrish, Smith C
2. “Tracing a Disaster: Flood Lines and the Artifactual History of Hurricane Katrina,” Michele White, Tulane U
3. “Hurricane Katrina and the Rise of Postcolonial Disaster Studies,” Ishanika Sharma, Emory U
4. “Slow Catastrophe: My Louisiana Love and Life under Necropower,” Weston Twardowski, Rice U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 6 Jan.
367. Theoretical Approaches to Decolonization in Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Literatures
3:30–4:45 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum CLCS 20th- and 21st-Century. Presiding: Mukti Lakhi Mangharam, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Speakers: Jigisha Bhattacharya, U of Cambridge; Rose Casey, West Virginia U, Morgantown; Arnab Dutta Roy, Florida Gulf Coast U; Katherine Hallemeier, Oklahoma State U, Stillwater; Kang Kang, Northwestern U; Kaushik Tekur, Binghamton U, State U of New York; Ali Eren Yanik, U of Texas, Austin
Understanding decolonization as an undoing of colonial logic, panelists explore and interrogate the persistent formations of colonial modernity, including of nation and private property, as well as the identity categories—including of indigeneity, race, religion, culture, and caste—that buttress colonial and postcolonial hierarchies. How do colonial and postcolonial literatures reflect and disrupt these to think through decolonization?
For related material, write to [email protected].
368. Humor, Laughter, and African Texts
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum LLC African to 1990. Presiding: Adwoa Opoku-Agyemang, Ashesi U
1. “Scatological Humor in African Literatures,” Ato Quayson, Stanford U
2. “Humor and African Digital Literature,” Olorunshola Adenekan, Ghent U
3. “Laughing through Tears: African Humor in and against the World,” Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Johns Hopkins U, MD
369. Immunity and Debility, Immunity as Debility: New Directions
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum TC Medical Humanities and Health Studies. Presiding: Travis Alexander, Rice U
Speakers: Travis Alexander; Amanda Caleb, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; Vivian Delchamps, Dominican U of California; Elizabeth Forsythe, Washington State U, Pullman; Justine Trinh, Washington State U, Pullman
Speakers seek to explore the possibilities at the intersection of disability and (auto)immunity, addressing the ramifications of long COVID on art and politics, the risks and potentials of including autoimmune conditions under disability and debility, and the resonances between theorizations of debility as alterity, on the one hand, and embraces of anti- or nonimmunity on the other, where the latter refers to an exposed and ecological way of being in the world.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Jan.
370. Visibility in Romance Linguistics
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LSL Romance Linguistics. Presiding: Amàlia Llombart, California State Polytechnic U, Pomona
1. “Visibility of Romance-Lexified Creoles in the Field of Romance Linguistics,” Kevin Reynolds, York U
2. “Disputing Diglossia: When a Sociolinguist Doesn't See Language,” Oliver Whitmore, U of California, Berkeley
3. “The Noun Ome (‘Man') and Multistage Grammaticalization in Abruzzese,” Raymond LaVerghetta, Howard Community C, MD
4. “Paths and Logical Relations: Case-Marked Adverbial Clauses in Romance Languages,” Martina Rizzello, U of Geneva
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lLOgr0e4b3XA5dOUJVSfoAGgNhtlxIfm?usp=drive_link.
371. Revisioning Gender in Adaptations
3:30–4:45 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum TC Adaptation Studies
Speakers: Rustem Ertug Altinay, U of Milan; Amber Jurgensen, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge; Janelle Poe, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Mary Ruth Robinson, U of Virginia
Speakers interrogate how diverse forms of adaptations engage with issues of representation and gender inclusion, particularly trans and feminist perspectives, attempting to decode how feminist and trans perspectives alter the perceptions of narrative and storytelling in different forms of adaptations. How do feminist and trans modes of storytelling reframe adaptations? How do these adaptations affect contemporary debates about trans rights?
372. Next-Generation Research in English: A Graduate Student Showcase
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Ayanni Cooper, MLA; Alanna Frost, U of Alabama, Huntsville
Speakers: Mosunmola Adeojo, U of Florida; Gracie Bain, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Amber Kinui, U of Texas, Austin; Samya Brata Roy, Indian Inst. of Tech., Jodhpur; Halle Trang, Georgetown U; Trent Wintermeier, U of Texas, Austin
Across English and related fields, graduate students are developing engaging, inventive, and transformative projects that envision their disciplines in new ways. In an effort to highlight “next-generation scholarship,” this session features lightning-round presentations that offer a snapshot of where these fields are headed.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Orb1vi-2_xvDaLO4WiK-AnGJuolv-ub-?usp=sharing after 1 Jan.
373. Discussion Group on Advocating for LCTLs at Your Institution and in the Profession
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Wilma Doris Loayza, U of Colorado, Boulder; Danielle Pyun, Ohio State U, Columbus
This group welcomes educators who teach less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to African languages, Asian languages, and Indigenous languages. Participants discuss advocating for LCTLs on campus and beyond, building sustainable programs and tapping into available resources, and study away and community engagement, as well as how professional meetings like the MLA convention can create a welcoming and supportive space for LCTL educators.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=drive_link.
374. Sentimental Politics after Doomerism
3:30–4:45 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Matt Tierney, Penn State U, University Park
1. “From Apocalyptic Romanticism to Apocalyptic Disappointment,” Zachary Loeb, Purdue U, West Lafayette
2. “From Outrageous Emptiness to Shared Grace,” Matt Tierney
3. “Fuzhou Nighttime Feeling,” Melanie Abeygunawardana, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
4. “Aesthetic Abandonment,” Sheila Liming, Champlain C
375. Teaching Medical Humanities
3:30–4:45 p.m., Port
A special session. Presiding: Pamela K. Gilbert, U of Florida
Speakers: Pamela K. Gilbert; Yonsoo Kim, Purdue U, West Lafayette; Lorenzo Servitje, Lehigh U; Bassam Sidiki, U of Texas, Austin; Emily Waples, Hiram C; Kym Weed, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Scholars of medical humanities in a variety of departmental settings, working in a variety of courses and programs and across periods, explore a range of institutional and pedagogical issues with this emerging and popular field.
376. Material Matters: Representations of Working-Class Life in Recent Fiction
3:30–4:45 p.m., Camp
A special session
1. “Double Invisibility: Intersections of Class, Race, and Gender in Contemporary German Literature,” Jan Behrs, Tulane U
2. “Irvine Welsh and Determinism,” Ben Clarke, U of North Carolina, Greensboro
3. “Now You See Us: The (In)Visibility of Filipino Migrant Workers in Singapore and Beyond,” Luka Lei Zhang, U of Macau
4. “Broader Allegories: Twenty-First-Century Political Struggle in Beasts of England,” Simon Lee, Texas State U
377. Deep Time Aesthetics in Latin America
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck A
A special session
1. “Environmental Bricolage: Latin American Literature in the Wasteocene,” Nicolas Campisi, Georgetown U
2. “Becoming ‘Pampa': Bones and Necro-Writing in the Atacama Desert,” Sebastián Figueroa, U of New Orleans
3. “Mining and Desedimentation in Pedro Castera's Geological Writings,” Jorge Quintana Navarrete, Dartmouth C
4. “River Temporalities in Times of Transitional Justice: Ongoing Fluvial Care along the Magdalena,” Amanda M. Smith, U of California, Santa Cruz
378. Indigenous Literatures Now! Land and Politics
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Mishuana Goeman, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
1. “Gadugi, Then and Now: Cherokee Community Values and the 1839 Act of Union,” Bradley Dubos, Ohio State U, Columbus
2. “Cane Fire and the Dreamworlds of the Pacific,” Keoni Correa, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Rhetoric and Reciprocity: East Carolina University's Neyuheruke Wampum,” Christopher Rodning, Tulane U; Kirstin L. Squint, East Carolina U
4. “Land's Agency and Native Sovereignties in Mohegan and US Literature and Law,” Kyle Keeler, Lafayette C
379. Multicultural Resonances in Early Modern England
3:30–4:45 p.m., Commerce
A special session. Presiding: Maggie Solberg, Bowdoin C
1. “Crafting Difference: The Meanings of Violence and Justice in Rowley's All's Lost by Lust,” Kirsten Mendoza, U of Dayton
2. “Cleopatra's Occult Knowledge: Epistemological Difference in Shakespeare's Egypt,” Roya Biggie, Knox C
3. “Making (In)Visible: The Racial Anxieties of Shakespearean Skincrafts,” Jennifer Park, U of Glasgow
For related material, write to [email protected].
380. Literary and Visual Memorials: Postcards, Prose, Poems
3:30–4:45 p.m., Chart A
A special session. Presiding: Ben Railton, Fitchburg State U
1. “Between History and Memory: African Americans and the Postcard,” Michael Hall, Virginia Commonwealth U
2. “Literary Memorials: Names and Lists in Contemporary Black Literature,” Miriam Thaggert, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
3. “An American Poetics: Claudia Rankine and Visual Art's Memorial Modes,” Sarah Nance, United States Air Force Acad.
381. Affective Economies of the (Greater) Caribbean
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Cristina E. Pardo Porto, Syracuse U
1. “The Novel as Repoliticizing Machine: Tourism, Development, and Affect in The Chosen Place,” Lauren Horst, Columbia U
2. “‘The Island of Her Body': Extractivism and Consumption in Nicole Dennis Benn's Here Comes the Sun,” Agnes Sastre-Rivera, Emory U
3. “Puzzled Vampires: Pleasure, Labor, and Tourism in Caribbean Film,” Justo Planas, Le Moyne C
4. “Abjecting the Beautiful: Food and Affect in Ediciones Vigía,” Ali Kulez, Boston C
Respondent: Zorimar Rivera Montes, Tulane U
382. The Wild City
3:30–4:45 p.m., Royal
A special session. Presiding: Matthew Lambert, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1. “Defending the Citizen Trees: Francis Hopkinson's Revolutionary Plant-Mindedness,” Judith Richardson, Stanford U
2. “Wildness, Aesthetics, and Reform in Antebellum New York City,” Evan Neely, Pratt Inst.
3. “Quarantine: Hidden Wildness in Elia Kazan's New Orleans,” Matthew Lambert
4. “‘No Life without Wildlife': Wilderness and Changing Cityscapes in Romesh Gunesekera's Suncatcher,” Thakshala Tissera, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
383. Migrant Narratives: Aesthetic, Literary, and Political Interventions
3:30–4:45 p.m., Kabacoff
A special session
1. “(Un)Documentedness in Black Feminist Political Autobiographies,” Esmeralda Arrizon-Palomera, U of Illinois, Chicago
2. “Queer Migrant Memorials: Queer Latinx Life Writing beyond Memoir and Testimonio,” José de la Garza Valenzuela, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
3. “Pirated Rivers: Twenty-First-Century Undocumented (Im)Migrant Poetry,” Eun Jin Kim, Rutgers U, Newark
4. “TransLatina Power: Life Narrative, Survival, and the Glamour of It All,” Ruben Zecena, U of California, Davis
384. Looking Black / Looking Back: African American Literature in Transition, 1970–1980
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Casarae Abdul-Ghani, Temple U; Marlo D. David, Purdue U, West Lafayette
Speakers: Philathia Bolton, U of Akron; Joycelyn K. Moody, U of Texas, San Antonio; Cassander Smith, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Panelists discuss the volume in the African American Literature in Transition series dedicated to the 1970s, engaging the postmodern legacies of the Black Arts Movement in contemporary Black literary study. The volume editors detail the intellectual journey and practical challenges of bringing this collection to the light of day.
385. Educating at the Intersection of Data Science and Humanities through Ethical and Responsible Contexts
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the forum TC Digital Humanities. Presiding: Sylvia Fernandez, U of Texas, San Antonio
Speakers: Katherine Hennessey, Lehigh U; Paulina Hernandez-Trejo, Notre Dame U; Anna Preus, U of Washington, Seattle; Aashna Sheth, independent scholar; Amardeep Singh, Lehigh U; Melanie Walsh, U of Washington, Seattle
Scholars discuss their work in the project “Responsible Datasets in Context: Collaboratively Designing for Ethical Humanities Data Education,” which seeks to strengthen students’ literacy and capacity to work with data and responsibly address humanities inquiries.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Jan.
386. Making Our Work Visible: Humanities Values and the “Anti” Impulse
3:30–4:45 p.m., St. James Ballroom
A linked session arranged in conjunction with the Presidential Plenary: Visibility, Place, and Displacement: Louisiana’s Expressive Culture and the Changing Same (228).
Presiding: Dana A. Williams, Howard U
Speakers: La Marr Jurelle Bruce, U of Maryland, College Park; Kevin Quashie, Brown U; Howard Rambsy, Southern Illinois U, Edwardsville
Antiracism, anticolonialism, anti-imperialism, and antifascism campaigns in higher education and beyond abound and rightly so. Among their many strengths, humanities practices—cultivated through disciplinary study—provide ways of exploring multivocal identities and of elevating the varied perspectives of these identities. In so doing, the humanities equip us with the tools needed to resist forces of racism, colonialism, imperialism, and fascism and to develop, instead, a more just society. Making the distinctive practices, aims, and methodologies of humanities study visible, especially in fields of study motivated by liberation impulses, is a challenge we must accept if we are to create meaning this fraught sociohistorical, cultural moment makes necessary.
Friday, 10 January 5:15 p.m.
387. Telling (on) Literacies
5:15–6:30 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum RCWS Literacy Studies. Presiding: Charissa Che, John Jay C of Criminal Justice, City U of New York
1. “Medieval Meaning Machines: Conceptualizing Literacy of Machines between Middle Ages and Alan Turing,” Aled Roberts, Columbia U
2. “‘It’s Just Like Everywhere Else’: Telling as Placemaking in a Community Writing Group,” Stacie Klinowski, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
3. “Extracurricular Tellings: What We Can Learn from Writers in Writing Centers across the Country,” Rebecca Hallman Martini, U of Georgia
4. “Professional Expertise versus Student Literacies: Inventing Counterstorying in Composition Classrooms,” Purna Chandra Bhusal, U of Texas, El Paso
Respondent: Romeo Garcia, U of Utah
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/literacy-studies/.
388. Poe Lives on Netflix
5:15–6:30 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the Poe Studies Association. Presiding: Philip Edward Phillips, Middle Tennessee State U
Speakers: Scott Caddy, Georgia Inst. of Tech.; Scott Peeples, C of Charleston; Annie Persons, U of Virginia; Carl Peters, U of the Fraser Valley; Sandra Tomc, U of British Columbia, Vancouver; Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan U
Poe is alive and well—on Netflix. Filmmakers and TV directors have long tapped into Poe's creative vein, and the era of streaming services has only increased his on screen(s) presence. Speakers explore the versions of Poe on Netflix.
389. Milton and Visibility
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the Milton Society of America. Presiding: Marissa Greenberg, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
1. “The Paper Messenger,” Tom Clayton, Colgate U
2. “Seeing the Body's Prison in Comus, Paradise Lost, and Samson Agonistes,” Frances Ringwood, U of Zululand
3. “‘The World Was All before Them': The End of Paradise Lost in Nineteenth-Century Visual Art,” Joseph Torres, U of California, Los Angeles
390. Making Climate Change Issues Visible in Eastern European and Romanian Culture, Media, and Politics
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the Romanian Studies Association of America. Presiding: Oana Popescu-Sandu, U of Southern Indiana
1. “The Visibility of Nonhuman Species: Simona Popescu's Philosophical Animism,” Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru, U of Bucharest
2. “Rosia Montana: Mobilizing Action for Environmental Justice with the Help of Documentary Films,” Madalina Meirosu, Arizona State U, Tempe
3. “Film Movements and Environmental Policies in Romania and Eastern Europe,” Jarvis Curry, U of the Cumberlands
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/romanian/.
391. Dickensian Cultures and Communities
5:15–6:30 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Dickens Society. Presiding: Chris Louttit, Radboud U
1. “How Did Slums Become Dickensian?,” Jason Finch, Åbo Akademi U
2. “Scrooge Goes to Seoul,” Richard Bonfiglio, Sogang U
3. “Dickens's Christmas in the Twenty-First Century,” Jen Cadwallader, Randolph-Macon C
4. “Dickensian Silliness: Serialization, Pastiche, and Parody in the Twenty-First-Century Sister Arts,” Elizabeth Bridgham, Providence C
For related material, visit dickensianculturesandcommunities.hcommons.org/.
392. Performing Pirandello at the MLA: Visible (Un)Realities and Truth versus Appearance
5:15–6:30 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the Pirandello Society of America. Presiding: Michael Subialka, U of California, Davis
1. “Unlimited Reality in Six Characters in Search of an Author: The Visibility of Truth Onstage,” Nick Gabriel, Chapman U
2. “Staging Henry IV as Solo Show: Playing Visible and Invisible with an Audience,” Laura Caparrotti, Kairos Italy Theater
This session features performances of scenes from adaptations of Pirandello's plays Six Characters in Search of an Author and Henry IV, presented by the directors of the adaptations and followed by conversation with the directors, actors, and audience members.
393. Joy, Resistance, and the Sounds of New Orleans: Black Music and Culture
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the College Language Association. Presiding: Constance Bailey, Georgia State U
Speakers: Constance Bailey; Madison Hunter, U of Memphis; Jennifer Morrison, Xavier U, LA
From music to Mardi Gras to funk and storytelling, speakers examine twentieth- and twenty-first-century narratives and narrators of New Orleans, considering how they led the way and how others have come within their tradition.
394. Uses of the Erotic in Chicanx Literary and Cultural Production
5:15–6:30 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Chicana and Chicano. Presiding: Sara A. Ramírez, Texas State U
1. “Chicana (S)Excess in the Archive,” Bernadine Hernandez, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2. “The (Un)Caged Voice in Octavio Solis's Lydia,” Riley Thomas, Temple U, Philadelphia
3. “‘From the Thorn Emerges the Flower': Peter Bratt's La Mission, Chicano Masculinity, and Desire,” Jose Navarro, California Polytechnic State U, San Luis Obispo
395. Depicting Violence in East Asia across Time and Space
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the forum LLC East Asian. Presiding: Jina Kim, U of Oregon
1. “Pregnant with Meaninglessness: Eroticizing Violence in the Japanese Onibaba Legend,” Laura Nuffer, Colby C
2. “Gendered Violence: Portrayal of an Outlaw in Drama and Film,” Jing Shen, Eckerd C
3. “Vignettes of Violence,” Theodore Hughes, Columbia U
4. “Gendered Violence and the Production of the Narratives of North Korean Refugee Women,” Eun Ah Cho, U of Kansas
For related material, write to [email protected].
396. Visualizing Medieval Iberia
5:15–6:30 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum LLC Medieval Iberian. Presiding: Yasmine Beale-Rivaya, Texas State U, San Marcos
1. “Queens at the Movies: Images of Isabel the Catholic and Medieval History,” Maria Elena Soliño, U of Houston
2. “Reimagining Melibea: Contemporary Interpretations in Visual Narratives,” Jen Fernandez, independent scholar
397. Easts in the German Imagination: Figurations of the “Demi-Orient”
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC 18th- and Early-19th-Century German. Presiding: Forrest Finch, Penn State U, University Park
1. “German Moldavian History: The Translation of National History from German into Romanian around 1800,” Alexandra Chiriac, Alexandru Ioan Cuza U
2. “German Notions of Place and Self in Benedikte Naubert's Later Crusade Novels,” Julie Koser, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “‘Man muß nur in die Fremde gehen, um zu Hause zu sein!': Carmen Sylva's West-Eastern Divan,” Beth Ann Muellner, C of Wooster
398. Historical Visibility in the Contemporary Hungarian Novel
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum LLC Hungarian. Presiding: Jessie M. Labov, Corvinus U
1. “Camera Obscura: Sándor Márai's Indirect Inspection of Contemporary History,” Peter Czipott, independent scholar
2. “‘For Now We See in a Mirror, Darkly': Visibility and Visualization in the Contemporary Hungarian Novel,” Csaba Horváth, Károli Gáspár U
For related material, write to [email protected].
399. Literature Not Literature
5:15–6:30 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Pre-14th-Century Chinese. Presiding: Christopher Nugent, Williams C
Speakers: Edward B. Kamens, Yale U; Christopher Nugent; Yunshuang Zhang, Wayne State U
Literature, beyond its intrinsic value as art and storytelling, often transcends its boundaries and serves various nonliterary purposes in different cultural landscapes. Panelists delve into the multifaceted ways that literature is utilized as an object, as a visual material, and as a medium of information management and knowledge transmission in diverse geographic and cultural contexts, shedding light on its significance beyond mere literary appreciation.
399A. Teaching with the MLA Guides
5:15–6:30 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the MLA Publications Committee. Presiding: Mario Ortiz-Robles, U of Wisconsin, Madison
Speakers: Elizabeth Brookbank, Western Oregon U; Hilda Chacón, Nazareth U; Nalini Iyer, Seattle U; Charles Snodgrass, Grambling State U
This session offers practical approaches to using the MLA Guide to Digital Literacy and the MLA Guide to Undergraduate Research in Literature in the classroom.
400. Topsy-Turvy: The Persistence of Historical Stereotypes of Black Girlhood
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum GS Children's and Young Adult Literature. Presiding: Jaïra Placide, Graduate Center, City U of New York
1. “Magical and Misunderstood: Examining Portrayals of Black Girlhood in YA Novels and Pop Culture,” Christian Hines, Texas State U
2. “Topsy's Revenge: Considering Dee as a Black Girl Out of Character in Lovecraft Country,” Kiedra B. Taylor, U of Connecticut, Storrs
3. “Terrifyingly Topsy-Turvy: Examining Topsy and Her Legacy through the Lens of Horror,” Hebah Uddin, U of Pittsburgh
4. “The Terrible Twos: Doubling Topsy's Terror in Lovecraft Country,” Janelle Poe, Graduate Center, City U of New York
401. Cuban Time Scales: Exploring Postmodern and Postrevolutionary Cultural Forms
5:15–6:30 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum LLC Cuban and Cuban Diasporic. Presiding: Katerina Gonzalez Seligmann, U of Connecticut, Storrs
1. “Antonio Benítez Rojo: Utopía, afecto y fracaso histórico en El mar de las lentejas,” Antonio Cardentey, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
2. “Temporalidades contrapuestas de la Revolución cubana: Landrián, del director Ernesto Daranas,” Maria Cumana, Tulane U
3. “El cine de los nietos: Revolución, agotamiento y posmemoria en El último país,” Isdanny Morales Sosa, Tulane U
4. “Heterotopias y la mise en abyme en el El rodeo y Gloria Eterna,” Ivonne Cotorruelo Perez, U of Connecticut, Storrs
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/cuban-and-cuban-diasporic/ after 1 Dec.
402. Masks and Masquerades
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century French. Presiding: Cary Hollinshead-Strick, American U of Paris
1. “The Transformative Power of Laughter: Unveiling Social Masks in Victor Hugo's L'homme qui rit,” Marie Dufay-Verbié, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
2. “White Skin, Brown Masks: Isabelle Eberhardt's Literary Performance in Rakhil and Yasmina,” Valentin Duquet, Rice U
3. “‘Nous avons la passion fiévreuse d'arracher ce masque': Masking and Unmasking Queer Desire in Letters between 1869 and 1873,” Michael Rosenfeld, Vrije U Brussel
4. “To Look or Not to Look: Ballet and the Female Gaze at the Paris Opera,” Madison Mainwaring, U of Notre Dame
403. Comparative Abolitionisms
5:15–6:30 p.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Romantic and 19th-Century. Presiding: Emily Sun, Barnard C
1. “Sisterhood, Affect, and Nineteenth-Century Spanish Women's Transnational Antislavery Networks,” Akiko Tsuchiya, Washington U in St. Louis
2. “Reenvisioning Abolitionism as Emancipatory Reconciliation,” Ahmed Idrissi Alami, Purdue U, West Lafayette
3. “Juan Francisco Manzano, Richard Robert Madden, and the Limits of Abolitionist Empiricism,” Ryan Carroll, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
4. “Caste, Global Abolition, and the Assemblages of Slavery,” Shruti Jain, Binghamton U, State U of New York
404. Culture of Palestine
5:15–6:30 p.m., River
Program arranged by the forum TM Literary and Cultural Theory. Presiding: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia U
1. “Culture, Coloniality, and Violence,” Moustafa Bayoumi, Brooklyn C, City U of New York
2. “The Right to Imagine,” Gil Z. Hochberg, Columbia U
3. “Culture in Palestine,” Hanan Ashrawi, Birzeit U
4. “Rebuilding from the Rubble: A Palestinian Odyssey,” Beshara Doumani, Birzeit U
405. Making Visible New Books in Indigenous Studies
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum LLC Indigenous Literatures of the United States and Canada. Presiding: Angela Calcaterra, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Speakers: Ryan Carr, Columbia U; Amy Gore, North Dakota State U; Matt Hooley, Dartmouth C; Maureen Konkle, U of Missouri, Columbia
Authors of new books in Indigenous literary studies discuss their books' subjects, methodologies, and contributions to the field, engaging in conversation about archives, authorship, community engagement, texts, theories, and Indigenous studies approaches.
406. Italoamericanos: The Italian Diasporic Experience in the Americas
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the forum LLC Italian American. Presiding: Loredana Polezzi, Stony Brook U, State U of New York
1. “Exploring Italian Identity through Memory and Politics in Zélia Gattai's ‘Anarchists, Thanks to God,'” Chiara Caputi, Graduate Center, City U of New York
2. “Carcamanos to Comendadores: Illegality and the Making of Italians in São Paulo,” Giulia Riccò, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “‘Charmingly and Unfashionably on the Side of Substance': Ani DiFranco's Aesthetic Disruptions,” Cristina Di Maio, U degli Studi di Torino
4. “Dagli Appennini alle Ande in Film: Representation and Collective Imagination of the Great Migrations,” Chiara De Santi, Farmingdale State C, State U of New York
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/italian-american/docs/.
407. Critical Appositions: What We Do Beside(s) Critique
5:15–6:30 p.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century American. Presiding: Erica Edwards, Yale U
1. “Evidence in Things Not Seen: Faith, Law, and the Unlikely Defense of Sovereignty,” Hannah Manshel, U of Hawai‘i, Mānoa
2. “Abolitionist Literary Criticism: Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and the Autobiographies of Reading,” John Rufo, Kenyon C
3. “The Work of Being Art: Black Criticism in the Age of Institutionality,” Casey Patterson, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
408. Citing and Sighting Coresistance in Canadian Literature
5:15–6:30 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum LLC Canadian. Presiding: L. Camille van der Marel, MacEwan U
1. “Settler Translation of Indigenous Literatures: What Possibilities, What Limits?,” Arianne Des Rochers, U de Moncton
409. Witnessing War and Genocide
5:15–6:30 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum MS Visual Culture. Presiding: Ruby Tapia, U of Virginia
1. “Palestine, Resurgent Violence, and Disaffected Witnessing,” Haya Alfarhan, Kuwait U; Domenic Davies, City U of London
2. “Photographing Lingerie in a Genocide: Palestinian Women and Intimate Dehumanization,” Aliyah Khan, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “Racial Justice and the Art of the Antiwar Newsletter in the 1980s,” Andrew Lanham, Yale U
4. “Witnessing the Repressed: The Ethics of Memory in Ari Polman's Waltz with Bashir,” Ido Moses, U of Toronto
410. Theorizing Practices: Research on and for Language Program Administration Work
5:15–6:30 p.m., Quarterdeck A
Program arranged by the forum LSL Second-Language Teaching and Learning and the American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators. Presiding: Cori Crane, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1. “People at the Core: A Panoply of Approaches to Language Program Leadership,” Denise Bouras, Northwestern U; María Jesús Barros Garcia, Northwestern U
2. “Taking a Data-Driven Approach to Textbook Evaluation: An Exploration of a Practical Framework,” Steven Flanagan, Arizona State U, Tempe
3. “Decisions, Decisions: Student and Instructor Buy-In on Textbook Choices,” Rachel Floyd, U of Georgia
411. Disability and Hiring: Access, Accommodation, Belonging, and Retention
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession. Presiding: E. Nicole Meyer, Augusta U
1. “Disability and Hiring: What Comes After?,” E. Nicole Meyer
2. “Social Conventions and Institutional Practices as Obstacles for Disabled Applicants in the Academic,” Petra Watzke, Lawrence U
3. “Moving (Slowly) Forward: Reshaping Campus Accessibility for the ASL Community,” Stephen Fitzmaurice, Clemson U; Joseph Mai, Clemson U
4. “Placemaking as a Means for Belonging and a Thriving Deaf Cultural Scene,” Tabitha Jacques, Gallaudet U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 20 Dec.
412. New Directions for Asian American Literary Studies
5:15–6:30 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the forum LLC Asian American. Presiding: Jinah Kim, California State U, Northridge
Speakers: Julianna Crame, Ohio State U, Columbus; Sarah Halabe, U of California, Berkeley; Libby Kao, U of California, Berkeley; Naomi Kim, Washington U in St. Louis; Maile Aihua Young, U of California, Santa Barbara
Respondent: Chris A. Eng, Washington U in St. Louis
Graduate scholars offer innovative approaches and research questions for Asian American literary studies.
413. Navigating the Academy: A Mentoring Session
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Profession. Presiding: Ryan Calabretta-Sajder, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Speakers: Debra Rae Cohen, U of South Carolina, Columbia; Luis Fernando Restrepo, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Colleen M. Ryan, Indiana U, Bloomington; Kate Schnur, Queens C, City U of New York; William James Spurlin, Brunel U London
This session is dedicated to mentoring graduate students and early faculty members to better navigate the academy. Scholar-mentors discuss diverse topics in ten-to-fifteen-minute slots simultaneously, and participants move around the room and network with the topics and mentors of their choice. Mentors provide advice aimed at graduate students, women, queer-identifying faculty members, contingent faculty members, and Black, Latinx, and Asian faculty members.
414. Next-Generation Research in World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures: A Graduate Student Showcase
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the Association of Language Departments. Presiding: Daniel Fried, U of Alberta
Speakers: Carlo Cinaglia, Michigan State U; Wenzhu Li, U of Alberta; Aleksandra Malinowska, U of Warsaw; Helena Stech, Michigan State U; Sokunthary Svay, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Carrie Anne Thomas, Ohio State U, Columbus
Across world languages, literatures, and cultures, graduate students are developing engaging, inventive, and transformative projects that envision their disciplines in new and exciting ways. In an effort to highlight this “next-generation scholarship,” graduate students give short presentations about their research to offer a snapshot of where their fields are headed.
415. Crossing Borders, Crossing Genres
5:15–6:30 p.m., Jefferson
Program arranged by the MLA Executive Council. Presiding: Tina Lu, Yale U
Speakers: Shahriar Mandanipour, writer; Viet Nguyen, U of Southern California; Sarah Schulman, Northwestern U
Campuses, classrooms, and books have always been politicized, but perhaps are more obviously so now than ever. Writers celebrated not just for their art but also for their social and political commitment discuss the intersection between formal innovation and politics, focusing on borders and border crossing, whether the borders are geographic, cultural, sexual, or political.
416. Do We Need the Posthuman?
5:15–6:30 p.m., Virtual
A special session
1. “Object-Disoriented Deontology: Toward an Ethics of Inhumanism,” Russell Sbriglia, Seton Hall U
2. “The Human to Posthuman Pipeline (and Vice Versa),” Christopher Breu, Illinois State U
3. “The Human as the Weird,” Jennifer L. Fleissner, U of Chicago
4. “A Posthuman Fanon?,” Zahi Zalloua, Whitman C
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
417. Siglo Latinx: New Perspectives on Spanish Golden Age Theater Performance in the Americas
5:15–6:30 p.m., Canal
A special session
Speakers: Erin Cowling, MacEwan U; Israel Franco Müller, U of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras; Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas, Ohio Wesleyan U; Martha Lorena Rojas Castañeda, Western U of Ontario; Natalia Soracipa, U of Calgary
Siglo Latinx is the study of Latino artists adapting early modern Hispanic plays. Focusing on how Latinx theater practitioners are adapting for contemporary audiences, panelists discuss outcomes of this collaborative project that spans academics, students, and artists, as well as its trajectory since the pandemic, with digital adaptations and postpandemic adaptations that incorporate Latinx questions of identity.
418. Situation Critical
5:15–6:30 p.m., Chart A
A special session. Presiding: Marcie Frank, Concordia U
1. “Situational Imagination and the Dramatic Instinct,” Jason Camlot, Concordia U
2. “Situational Awareness: Stigma and the Dynamics of Identity,” Heather K. Love, U of Pennsylvania
3. “The Situation of the Professional Classes and the Employment Crisis in the Humanities,” John David Guillory, New York U
Respondent: Ned Schantz, McGill U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 5 Jan.
419. (Re)Writing the “New Woman”
5:15–6:30 p.m., Royal
A special session. Presiding: Gianna Bacchetta, Tufts U
1. “Feminism Is for Everybody: The Influence of Pandita Ramabai on American New Womanhood,” Jesse Cordes Selbin, Gettysburg C
2. “Creolizing the New Woman: The Subversion of Feminist Archetypes in Alice Dunbar-Nelson's Early Short Fiction,” Caroline Martin, U of Geneva
3. “‘A Witch Is a Cunjuh Man': Defining Conjuring, Witchcraft, and the New Woman in Charles Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman and Toni Morrison's Beloved,” Andy Bainbridge, Tufts U
For related material, visit newwoman.mla.hcommons.org/.
420. New Citizenship Studies
5:15–6:30 p.m., Camp
A special session. Presiding: Carrie Hyde, U of California, Los Angeles; Derrick R. Spires, U of Delaware, Newark
Speakers: Eve Eure, Lehman C, City U of New York; Florencia Lauria, Syracuse U; Sidonia Serafini, Georgia C and State U; Erin Suzuki, U of California, San Diego; Kathryn Walkiewicz, U of California, San Diego
A special issue of American Literature defines and gives momentum to “new citizenship studies,” which approaches citizenship as a contested and malleable political and aesthetic form that writers and activists have used to critique the existing state of things and to imagine alternatives. Panelists rethink the premises of citizenship from the perspective of those who cannot presume the state's protections.
421. Decolonization and Genealogies of Neoliberalism
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill A2
A special session. Presiding: Paul Nadal, Princeton U
Speakers: Arnav Adhikari, Brown U; Kaagni Harekal, Columbia U; Justin L. Mann, Northwestern U; Jerrine Tan, City U of Hong Kong; Mason Wong, New York U
Respondent: Jini Kim Watson, U of Melbourne
How might we reconsider the formation of neoliberalism by situating it within the histories of global decolonization? How do anticolonial and postcolonial texts grapple with neoliberal logics of race, capital, reproduction, governance, surveillance, automation, and knowledge production?
422. Old News: Twenty Years of Making Historical Newspapers Visible
5:15–6:30 p.m., Compass
A special session. Presiding: Molly Hardy, National Endowment for the Humanities
1. “From Nineteenth-Century Bibliography to Twenty-First-Century Metadata,” Daniel Evans, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2. “We've Got Issues,” Molly Hardy
3. “Unearthing Editorial Legacies: Reading Ethnic Newspapers through MARC Records, Title Essays, and Linked Data,” Joshua Ortiz Baco, U of Tennessee, Knoxville
4. “Chronicling America: Past, Present, and Future,” Robin Pike, Library of Congress
For related material, visit hcommons.org/members/mollyohardy/.
423. Strange New Connections: Exploring the Relationship between Humans and Artificial Machines in the Age of AI
5:15–6:30 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Lucia-Alexandra Tudor, Gheorghe Asachi Technical U of Iasi
1. “Befriending the Bot? Stanislav Belsky, (Iskustv)ennyi Intellekt*, and Russophone Robo-Poetic Conversations,” Anna Ivanov, Harvard U
2. “AI, Affect, and Sensorial Sympoeisis,” Hsuan L. Hsu, U of California, Davis
3. “Remembrance of the Bicameral Mind: Sensory Worlds at the Interface,” Andrew Kettler, U of South Carolina, Union
Respondent: Alina Anton, Alexandru Ioan Cuza U
For related material, visit panelhumansandai.mla.hcommons.org.
424. Edward Said's Legacy Today
5:15–6:30 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Noelle Brada-Williams, San José State U
1. “Edward Said, Generation Z, and the Social Media Revolution,” Linda Mokdad, Saint Olaf C
2. “Said's St. Paul,” Samuel Catlin, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
3. “Said's Orientalism and Representations of China in Twentieth-Century French Letters,” Shijung Kim, Harvard U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 9 Dec.
425. Post-Tanzimat Ottoman Literature Made Visible
5:15–6:30 p.m., Cambridge
A special session. Presiding: Sezen Unluonen, Tel Aviv U
1. “Literary Discourse on Trans Existence in Ottoman-Turkish,” Ipek Sahinler, U of Texas, Austin
2. “Love in Peril: A Comparative Analysis of Halide Edib and Zabel Yaseyan,” Sennur Bakirtas, Ataturk U
3. “Two Ottoman Subjects Turning Orientalist Discourse Upside Down,” Emel Zorluoglu Akbey, Erzurum Technical U
4. “Race in the Ottoman Empire: A Game of Snakes and Ladders,” Sezen Unluonen
Friday, 10 January 7:00 p.m.
426. MLA Awards Ceremony
7:00–8:45 p.m., St. James Ballroom
Presiding: Dana A. Williams, Howard U, MLA President
1. Tina Lu, Yale U, MLA First Vice President, will present the William Riley Parker Prize; James Russell Lowell Prize; MLA Prize for a First Book; Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize; MLA Prize for Contingent Faculty and Independent Scholars; Howard R. Marraro Prize; Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize; Morton N. Cohen Award; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Studies in Germanic Languages and Literatures; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Literary Work; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Publication Award for a Manuscript in Italian Literary Studies; Lois Roth Award; MLA Prize for Bibliographical or Archival Scholarship; William Sanders Scarborough Prize; Fenia and Yaakov Leviant Memorial Prize in Yiddish Studies; MLA Prize for Studies in Native American Literatures, Cultures, and Languages; Matei Calinescu Prize; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for African Studies; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for East Asian Studies; Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Middle Eastern Studies; and Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for South Asian Studies.
2. Paula M. Krebs, MLA, will present certificates to or announce the recipients of the MLA International Bibliography Fellowship Awards, the seal of approval from the Committee on Scholarly Editions, the MLA Pathways Step Grants, the Edward Guiliano Global Fellowship, the MLA-EBSCO Collaboration for Information Literacy Prize and the MLA Public Humanities Incubator Fellows.
3. Maggie Broner, ALD President, will present the ALD Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession to Amy Thompson, Florida State U.
4. Remarks by Amy Thompson.
5. Margaret M. Koehler, ADE President, will present the ADE Francis Andrew March Award to Douglas Hesse, U of Denver.
6. Remarks by Douglas Hesse.
Friday, 10 January 7:15 p.m.
427. A Screening of Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead
7:15–8:30 p.m., Fulton
Presiding: Anita Modak-Truran, Yoknapatawpha Productions
Speakers: Jerry Wayne Carlson, City C, City U of New York; Michael Modak-Truran, Coffee House Films; Judson D. (Jay) Watson, U of Mississippi
Narrated by and starring the Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead immerses viewers in Faulkner’s world by using innovative storytelling techniques that weave together his writing with archival film and photographs, animations, reenactments at Rowan Oak, and interviews with leading Faulkner scholars. A reception with the director follows the screening.
For related material, write to [email protected].
428. A Screening of The Five Demands
7:15–8:30 p.m., Churchill C1
Presiding: Jervette Ward, City C, City U of New York
Speaker: Andrea Weiss, City C, City U of New York
The Five Demands presents a riveting story about the student strike that changed the face of higher education. In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down the City College of New York, an elite public university located in the heart of Harlem. Told through their point of view, the film follows the students’ struggle against institutional racism and proves that a handful of ordinary citizens can take action to effect meaningful change.
429. Reception Arranged by the Forums LLC Medieval Iberian, LLC 16th- and 17th-Century Spanish and Iberian Poetry and Prose, LLC 16th- and 17th-Century Spanish and Iberian Drama, and LLC Colonial Latin American
7:15–8:30 p.m., Canal
430. Reception Arranged by the Forum LLC Irish, Glucksman Ireland House NYU, and the American Conference for Irish Studies
7:15–8:30 p.m., Camp
431. Reception and Cash Bar Arranged by the South Asian Literary Association
7:15–8:30 p.m., Commerce
432. Cash Bar Arranged by the Department of English at Rutgers University, New Brunswick
7:15–8:30 p.m., Jackson
Saturday, 11 January 8:30 a.m.
434. Faulkner's Visible Presence in Asia
8:30–9:45 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the William Faulkner Society. Presiding: Rebecca Nisetich, U of Southern Maine, Portland
1. “Hidden in Plain Sight: Faulkner, the Philippines, and Colonial Histories,” Jenna Sciuto, Massachusetts C of Liberal Arts
2. “Alternative Modernities in Continuum: Spatial and Sexual Otherness in Faulkner and Pai Hsien-yung,” Pei-Wen Kao, National Ilan U
3. “Faulkner's ‘Mississippi' and Its Cold War Afterlife,” Yuko Yamamoto, Chiba U
4. “Comparing William Faulkner and Mo Yan: A Study on Sexual Ethics,” Mengyu Li, Ocean U of China
435. Emergency? What Emergency? The 2024 MLA Emergency Motion on Academic Freedom
8:30–9:45 a.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the Radical Caucus in English and the Modern Languages. Presiding: Dina Al-Kassim, U of British Columbia, Vancouver
1. “A Brief History of Attacks on Palestine Advocacy and Solidarity in the US University,” Karim Mattar, U of Colorado, Boulder
2. “From Palestine to South Texas: Violence, Repression, and Curtailing Academic Freedom,” Kamala Platt, Arizona State U, New C of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
3. “Making an Emergency: The Right-Wing Assault on Academic Freedom,” Heather Steffen, Georgetown U
436. Australasian Literature at the Crossroads: Visible and Invisible
8:30–9:45 a.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the American Association of Australasian Literary Studies. Presiding: Barbara Hoffmann, U of Miami
1. “The Political Life of Colonial Poetry,” Thomas Ford, LaTrobe U
2. “Against Bushbashing: Navigational Notes for a Discipline at a Crossroads,” Julieanne Lamond, Australian National U
3. “Reading for the Climate: Indigenous Fiction in Classrooms,” Sandra Phillips, U of Melbourne
For related material, write to [email protected].
437. Romanticism, the Shelley Circle, and the Spirit of the Age
8:30–9:45 a.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Wordsworth-Coleridge Association and the Keats-Shelley Association of America. Presiding: Brian Rejack, Illinois State U
1. “Wollstonecraft's Spirit: A Contemporary Portrait,” Sonia Hofkosh, Tufts U
2. “‘Mirrors of the Gigantic Shadows': Spirited Away with the Shelleys,” Jennifer M. B. Wallace, U of Cambridge, Peterhouse C
3. “Things as They Are; or, The Spirits of the Age,” Margaret E. Russett, U of Southern California
4. “The ‘Legislator' and the ‘Spirit of the Age' in Shelley's Defence of Poetry,” Pablo San Martín Varela, U of Chile
438. The “Indigenous Critique”: Reverse Ethnography and Enlightenment Thought
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. Presiding: George Boulukos, Southern Illinois U, Carbondale
Speakers: Michael Tavel Clarke, U of Calgary; I. B. Hopkins, U of Texas, Austin; Rachael King, U of California, Santa Barbara; Brett D. Wilson, William and Mary
Panelists explore how the concept of the “indigenous critique,” as developed by David Graeber and David Wengrow, can allow us to rethink what Srinivas Aravamudan calls pseudo-ethnographies or reverse ethnographies. Instead of gazing at the other from a centered position, these ethnographies look at the self through a slanted lens. What new perspectives can this rethinking open for eighteenth-century studies?
439. Vision and (In)Visibility in Dante and Medieval Culture
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the Dante Society of America. Presiding: Anne Leone, Syracuse U
1. “Dante's Tenzone with da Maiano: Visions of Love and Language,” Savannah Cooper-Ramsey, Community C of Philadelphia, PA
2. “‘To Be Blind No Longer': Guinizzelli's Dolce Stil and Dante's Stil Novo,” Leonardo Chiarantini, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “The Invisibility of the Present in Inferno 6 and 10,” Nassime Chida, Duke U
4. “Painting the Human Effigy: Dante's Artistic Transhumanization,” Rookshar Myram, U of Notre Dame
440. A Word after a Word after a Word Is Power
8:30–9:45 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the Margaret Atwood Society. Presiding: Lauren Rule Maxwell, The Citadel
1. “Fictional Reality or Real Fictionality? Crossing the (In)Visible Threshold,” Sandrine Rajaonarivony, U Pennsylvania
2. “All Too (In)Visible: Vulnerability, Precarity, and Resilience in Margaret Atwood's Life before Man,” Gouri Kapoor, Northcap U
3. “‘Don't Ask for the True Story': The Slippery Power Games in Margaret Atwood's Work,” Dunja M. Mohr, U of Erfurt
441. The Seen and the Unseen in the Medieval Romance Epic
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the Société Rencesvals, American-Canadian Branch. Presiding: Norval Bard, North Central C
1. “The Problems of Visibility in Garin de Monglane,” Norval Bard
2. “Now You See Them, Now You Don't: Women in the Medieval French Epic,” Lynn Ramey, Vanderbilt U
3. “The Seen and Unseen in the Saint Gabriel Episode of the Cidian Narrative,” Matthew J. Bailey, Washington and Lee U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/ after 1 Dec.
442. Visions and Revisions of National Identity
8:30–9:45 a.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the Langston Hughes Society
1. “Flatted Fifths: Issues of National Identity in Langston Hughes's Montage of a Dream Deferred,” Timothy Hering, Duquesne U
2. “‘Let America Be America Again' and Other Versions of Our Past,” Richard Hancuff, Misericordia U
3. “‘You Send My Son to Vietnam’: The African American Soldier in Langston Hughes’s Poetry,” Noreen O’Connor, King’s C
4. “Across the Air Waves: Public Memory, Race, and National Belonging in Langston Hughes’s Radio Play Booker T. Washington in Atlanta,” Keturah Nix, Xavier U
443. Avant-Garde Provincialism
8:30–9:45 a.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum LLC Victorian and Early-20th-Century English. Presiding: Dennis Denisoff, U of Tulsa
Speakers: Victoria Baena, Yale U; Jacob Crystal, U of Tulsa; Kate Flint, U of Southern California; Matthew Potolsky, U of Utah; Sam Tett, U of Utah
Although often characterized as conservative and mired in tradition, provincialism disturbed many who identified with the vibrant urban centers associated with modernism. Discussing literature and art that leans into the uncanny, weird, queer, and other kinds of avant-garde estrangement buried in the outskirts, panelists engage the unrecognized and underappreciated innovations found in the seemingly sleepy provinces of modernist culture.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
444. Gender and Sexuality in Japanese Literature before 1900
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LLC Japanese to 1900. Presiding: Edward B. Kamens, Yale U
1. “Double Standard: Reading Femininity in Medieval Japanese Poetic Criticism,” Eric Jose Esteban, Yale U
2. “Examining Queer Soundscapes in Wagami ni Tadoru Himegimi,” Katherine Whatley, Stanford U
3. “(In)Visible Truths: Uncovering Same-Sex Male Love in an Eighteenth-Century Japanese Manuscript,” Angelika Koch-Low, Leiden U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/ after 1 Nov.
445. Machine Translation and the (In)Visibility of the Translator
8:30–9:45 a.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the forum TC Translation Studies. Presiding: Arianne Des Rochers, U de Moncton
1. “The Translator's Game: A Ludic Approach to Machine Translation,” Anna Schewelew, U of California, Santa Barbara
2. “Translation, Imitation, Authorship: After Lorca, after ChatGPT,” Rhiannon Clarke, Johns Hopkins U, MD
3. “Recent Advances in Language-Centric AI and Their Impact on the Audiovisual Industry,” Audrey Canalès, U de Sherbrooke
4. “Bad Translation,” Michael Shea, U of Pennsylvania
446. How to Do Things with Fiction
8:30–9:45 a.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum GS Prose Fiction. Presiding: Autumn Womack, Princeton U
Speakers: Nan Z. Da, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Erin Greer, U of Texas, Dallas; Sam Huber, Yale U; Monica Huerta, Princeton U; Jesse McCarthy, Harvard U
Participants reflect upon the way that their relationship with fiction, as a reader or a writer, informs their practice of experimental criticism. Drawing on their own writing habits, projects, and horizons, they consider the following questions: What critical methods and creative modes can we mobilize beyond autocriticism? What is the relationship between literary style and critical writing? How do we “do” things with fiction?
447. Postcolonial Autotheories
8:30–9:45 a.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum CLCS 20th- and 21st-Century. Presiding: Alex Brostoff, Kenyon C
1. “Decolonization in the First Person,” Vilashini Cooppan, U of California, Santa Cruz
2. “Handover, Voiceovers,” Cheng-Chai Chiang, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Memory, Narrative, and Caribbean Overlays,” Nadia Ellis, U of California, Berkeley
448. Theater's (In)Visible Geographies: Locations, Plays, Performances, and Themes in Contemporary World Theater
8:30–9:45 a.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum GS Drama and Performance. Presiding: Aparna Dharwadker, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Sarah J. Townsend, Penn State U, University Park
1. “Community Ends and Means: Pathways of Repair and Revolution in Yvette Nolan's Reasonable Doubt,” Kristen Holfeuer, New York U
2. “Bowels of the Earth: The Ecodramaturgy of Tatsumi Hijikata's Butoh Theater,” Iván-Daniel Espinosa, U of Colorado, Boulder
3. “Afro-Greek Geographies of Muteness in the Theater of Virgilio Piñera and Agostinho Olavo,” Gustavo Herrera Diaz, Brandeis U
4. “Isango Ensemble: Productions and Consumptions of Post-Post-Apartheid Performance,” Carla Neuss, Baylor U
449. Reframing the Canary Islands within the Humanities
8:30–9:45 a.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Spanish and Iberian. Presiding: María Hernández-Ojeda, Hunter C, City U of New York
1. “Canarian Entanglements in Enrique Nácher’s and José Antonio Rial’s Migration Novels,” José M. Rodríguez García, Duke U
2. “Decolonial Narratives in Canarian Punk: The Case of Guerrilla Urbana,” Alfonso Bartolomé, Virginia State U
3. “Reimagining the Nation: ‘The Voice of Free Canary Islands’ and the Amazigh Cultural Renaissance,” Nayra Ramirez, U of Pittsburgh
4. “From Indigeneity to Blackness: Diasporic Africa in Caribbean and Canary Islands Literature,” Laura García García, Creighton U
450. Édouard Glissant: Still a Caribbean Theorist?
8:30–9:45 a.m., Canal
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Caribbean. Presiding: Nathan H. Dize, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “Tracing the Island's Kin in La terre magnétique,” Erika Serrato, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2. “Relational Identity, Repatriation, and Caribbean Rootedness,” Crystal Payne, Washington U in St. Louis
3. “Lexical Ground: Annotating Édouard Glissant's One World (Tout-monde),” Matt Reeck, U of California, Los Angeles
4. “Les Roches and Tout-Monde in Glissant's Poetic Anthology,” Jeannine Murray-Román, Florida State U
451. Recent Methods and Objects in Queering Early America
8:30–9:45 a.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC Early American. Presiding: Ben Bascom, Ball State U
1. “Third Space: Queering America in Early American Literature,” Leah Thomas, Virginia State U
2. “Of ‘Topeewallahs' and the Zenana: Queering Narrative Subjectivity in Bartholomew Burges's A Series of Indostan Letters,” Rajender Kaur, William Paterson U
3. “‘Arrayed in a White Robe Devoid of Ornament': Early American Virginity and Queer Theoretical Sex,” Nicholas Adler, Boston C
4. “Intimate Interruptions: Fragmentation, Withdrawal, and the Queerness of Privacy in Foster's The Coquette,” Maggie Muehleman, U of Mississippi, Oxford
452. Cognitive Approaches to Unnatural Narrative
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum TC Cognitive and Affect Studies. Presiding: Joshua Landy, Stanford U
Speakers: Marco Caracciolo, U Gent; Divya Dwivedi, Indian Inst. of Tech., Delhi; James Phelan, Ohio State U, Columbus; Brian Richardson, U of Maryland, College Park
Panelists discuss unnatural narratives (e.g., speculative fiction, science fiction, magic realism, afrofuturism, climate futurism) from a cognitive literary angle.
453. (In)Visibility of Writers in English as a Second Language
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC Romanian. Presiding: Ileana Marin, U of Washington, Seattle
1. “Cultural Visibility and Translingual Strategies of Romanian Immigrant Authors,” Oana Popescu-Sandu, U of Southern Indiana
2. “(In)Visibility in the US Literary Field: Romanian-American Writers,” Ioana Luca, National Taiwan Normal U
3. “English as a Language of Cultural Negotiation in Alta Ifland's Prose,” Ileana Marin
454. New Rights and Responsibilities: Transparency and Shared Governance after COVID-19
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Academic Freedom and Professional Rights and Responsibilities. Presiding: Jesús A. Ramos-Kittrell, U of Oregon
Speakers: Austin Anderson, Howard U; Brian Ballentine, West Virginia U, Morgantown; Eva Cherniavsky, U of Washington, Seattle; Thais Rutledge, U of Texas, Austin
In response to legislative and administrative efforts to curtail shared governance since the wake of the pandemic (e.g., in terms of attempts to subvert tenure, dissolve faculty senates, reassess academic programs and curricula without faculty input, and the precarious management of labor), speakers attend to institutional transparency as a condition to model shared governance in acknowledgment of the plurality of stakeholders involved in university initiatives today.
455. Discussion Group for Graduate Students: Articulating Your Skill Sets to Different Audiences
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Ayanni Cooper, MLA; Mai Hunt, MLA
In this discussion group, graduate students will explore different ways to explain their skills to various stakeholders. Topics will include translating academic experiences in and for other professional environments; distilling a dissertation in an elevator pitch; and how professional values can impact a career journey. Students interested in a variety of careers, including the professoriat, are welcome.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=sharing.
456. Collaborative Research: A Surefire Engagement Strategy for Language and Literature Students
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of the Executive Director. Presiding: Elizabeth Franklin Lewis, U of Mary Washington
1. “Discover and ASPIRE Undergraduate Research Programs at LSU,” Carmela V. Mattza, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Collaborative Undergraduate Research and the Material Archive,” Jared S. Richman, Colorado C
3. “Research from Day 1: Using ArcGIS in the Beginner's German Classroom,” Marcel P. Rotter, U of Mary Washington
4. “Bridging STEM and Humanities in Russian Undergraduate Research,” Olga Lyanda-Geller, Purdue U, West Lafayette
Faculty members in languages and literatures discuss their collaborative research projects with undergraduates and invite attendees to share their successes with undergraduate humanities research. Topics include working with research teams and designing effective course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Sample syllabi and assignments and a list of resources will be provided.
457. Invisibilization of Black Children
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Neal A. Lester, Arizona State U
The adultification and erasure of Black children in literature and popular culture center Black children at the nexus of US adult race politics. Using children's picture books, games, toys, news stories, instances of “curriculum violence,” and other material and popular culture, participants demonstrate that the “invisibilization of Black children” mirrors the invisibility of Black adults, fundamentally connecting DEI efforts with humanity with justice.
458. The Cost of Reading
8:30–9:45 a.m., Chart A
A special session. Presiding: Rachel Arteaga, U of Washington, Seattle
Speakers: Rachel Arteaga; Samuel Cohen, U of Missouri, Columbia; Stacey Lee Donohue, Central Oregon Community C; Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Michigan State U; Jené Schoenfeld, Kenyon C
Panelists reflect on a range of professional reading practices undertaken in classrooms, in research, and in editorial and leadership roles. Reading, and the generosity of time and attention it demands, is the core of the profession. Its abdication, however, is often incentivized by institutional reward structures. Reading may not be visible labor, but it repays us far in excess of the cost incurred in time and effort.
For related material, visit thecostofreading.mla.hcommons.org/ after 1 Jan.
459. Local/Global Scales: Provincializing the National
8:30–9:45 a.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Federica Di Blasio, Hamilton C
1. “Sites of Entitlement: British Rural Realism and the Nimby,” Delphine Gatehouse, King's C London
2. “Between the Local and the Cosmopolitan: The Patriotism of Amelia Pincherle Rosselli,” Silvia Guslandi, Kenyon C
3. “Andrea Segre's Cinema: Between the Postcolonial and the Transnational?,” Federica Di Blasio
4. “National and Global Flows in Turco-Westerns,” İlyas Deniz Çınar, Yale U
For related material, visit hcommons.org/docs/local-global-scales-provincializing-the-national-mla-2025/ after 1 Dec.
460. Behind the Obscure: Possessions, Position, and Memories in Orhan Pamuk's Writings
8:30–9:45 a.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Funda Guven, Nazarbayev U
1. “Orhan Pamuk and His Father's Suitcase: Possession and Position,” Meryem Demir, Harvard U
2. “Irony Reproduced in Translations of Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk,” Gunvald Axner Ims, U of South-Eastern Norway
3. “Objects of Trauma and Collective Memory in Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence,” Kamilya Khamitova, Nazarbayev U
4. “The Voice of Invisible Women in Pamuk's Novel The Black Book,” Funda Guven
For related material, write to [email protected].
461. Editing US Women's Nonliterary Writing
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Laura Fisher, Toronto Metropolitan U
Speakers: Kimberly Blockett, U of Delaware, Newark; Mary A. M. Chapman, U of British Columbia; Nneka D. Dennie, Washington and Lee U; Laura Fisher; Cristanne Miller, U at Buffalo, State U of New York; Claudia Stokes, Trinity U
Examining the considerations and challenges of editing US women writers, particularly when editing nonliterary works such as letters, diaries, memoirs, and periodical writings, participants discuss the challenges nonliterary genres pose to editors seeking to reconstruct women's writings and the difficulty of making textual decisions without sufficient archival resources or reliable data.
462. Envisioning Spanish Louisiana
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 6
A special session. Presiding: Leslie Bary, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
1. “Diplomatic Dexterity in Spanish Louisiana: Balancing Miró's Strategies and Indigenous Acumen,” Song No, Purdue U, West Lafayette
2. “Transculturated Spiritual Performance in Eighteenth-Century Louisiana: New Iberia's First Ascension Day,” Ashford King, Princeton U
3. “Archival Identities of Race in Spanish Louisiana,” Benjamin Groth, Tulane U
4. “Spanish Surnames and Gallicized Spanish Surnames in French-Speaking Louisiana: Overlapping Usage,” Richard A. Winters, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
For related material, write to [email protected].
463. The Impact of Generative AI Tools on Language Education
8:30–9:45 a.m., Marlborough A
A special session. Presiding: Teresa Lobalsamo, U of Toronto, Mississauga; Dellannia Segreti, U of Toronto
Speakers: Amanda Dalola, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Craig A. Meyer, Jackson State U; Yu Min Chen Rodan, Defense Language Inst.
Panelists discuss the impact of generative artificial intelligence tools on language teaching, learning, and assessment and, broadly, academic standards and practices, through pivotal scholarly contributions from across academe.
For related material, visit theimpactofgenerativeaitoolsonlanguageeducation2095082520.mla.hcommons.org.
464. Reimagining Place and Displacement in Literary New Orleans across Three Centuries
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 16
A special session
1. “A Legacy of Black Poetry in New Orleans, from the Antebellum to Katrina and Beyond,” T. R. Johnson, Tulane U
2. “Refugee Ecology in the Literature of Vietnamese New Orleans,” Marguerite B. Nguyen, Wesleyan U
3. “Dislocated New Orleans: Losing One's Place in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries,” Matthew Smith, Tulane U
4. “Blackness, Racial Capital, and Atlantic Revolution in European Émigré Literature of Nineteenth-Century New Orleans,” Frederick Staidum, Jr., Loyola U, Chicago
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
465. Rediscovering the Black Radical 1930s
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 7
A special session
1. “Hugh Mulzac's Politics at Sea,” Nadia Nurhussein, Johns Hopkins U, MD
2. “Garvey's Lost Plays,” Yogita Goyal, U of California, Los Angeles
3. “Revolutionary ‘Hokum': Taking George Schuyler's Black Empire Seriously,” Brooks E. Hefner, James Madison U
4. “When Roosevelt Came to Lagos: Novelizing Modern African American History in the 1930s Lagos Press,” Marina Bilbija, Wesleyan U
Respondent: Simon Gikandi, Princeton U
466. Landed Solidarity: The Medieval in Place
8:30–9:45 a.m., Port
A special session. Presiding: Basil Price, U of York
1. “Land Relation, Trans Techniques, and the Queer Matter of England,” Z. Dylan Jackson, U of British Columbia
2. “The Ocean, the Bird, and the Land: Subjectivity and Possession in the Exeter Lyrics,” Emma Hitchcock, Columbia U
3. “Land to Land: Weste-landing the Fens in Guthlac A,” Sarah LaVoy-Brunette, Cornell U
4. “Marbod of Rennes's Lapidary (on the Hill, above the Pond, in the Earth),” Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Inst. for Advanced Study
For related material, visit hcommons.org/core/.
467. Black Feminist Excesses
8:30–9:45 a.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Marlas Yvonne Whitley, New York U
1. “Revisiting ‘In the Mecca': Excessive Labor and the Diminishment of Black Life,” Robert Mendoza, California Lutheran U
2. “Black Feminine Aesthetics and Excess: Beauty and Brains, Grills and Bling,” Paige Chung, Cornell U
3. “Hold(ing) as Black Feminist Excessive Thought,” Courtney Murray, Penn State U, University Park
468. Poetics and Politics in the Early Modern Transatlantic World, 1500–1800
8:30–9:45 a.m., Eglinton Winton
A special session. Presiding: Luis Rodríguez-Rincón, Haverford C
Speakers: Magdalena A. Altamirano, San Diego State U, Imperial Valley; Caroline Egan, Northwestern U; Leah Wood Middlebrook, U of Oregon; Nigel S. Smith, Princeton U; Isabel Torres, Queen's U, Belfast
Respondent: Leonardo Velloso-Lyons, Emory U
How did epic and lyric forms get adapted to political ideas and contexts in the early modern transatlantic world? How did political ideas or discourses, when expressed in verse, produce knowledge about the past and the present? Panelists discuss the historical and literary analysis of early modern poetics texts with the study of political discourses and ideologies past and present.
469. Videre/Veritas: On Visibility and Truth Today
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Patrick E. Dove, Indiana U, Bloomington
Speakers: María del Rosario Acosta López, U of California, Riverside; Ashley Brock, U of Pennsylvania; Patrick E. Dove; Erin D. Graff Zivin, U of Southern California; Jacques Lezra, U of California, Riverside
Respondent: Johannes Türk, Indiana U, Bloomington
Participants reflect on the association of truth and visibility, both as it pertains to the history of the humanities and as it faces new challenges in the context of a world dominated by global capitalism, real-time technology, and crises of political representation.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/ after 16 Dec.
470. African Women's Writing and (In)Visibility
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill A1
A special session. Presiding: Cheryl Toman, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1. “On Opacity: Unsettling the Masculine Canon of Caribbean and African Theory,” Anny-Dominique Curtius, U of Iowa
2. “Women Who Eat Their Own Passports: Defying Invisibility in Warsan Shire's Work,” Joya Uraizee, Saint Louis U
3. “Nafissatou Dia Diouf: A Politics of Invisibility?,” Joëlle F. Vitiello, Macalester C
For related material, write to [email protected].
471. Audio Past and Future
8:30–11:30 a.m., Quarterdeck B
A seminar. Presiding: Elicia A. Clements, York U; Debra Rae Cohen, U of South Carolina, Columbia
Speakers: Lauren Cox, U of Iowa; David Francis, Yale U; Sarah Jensen, U of Toronto, Scarborough; Vincent Kancans, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Karen Leick, U of Illinois, Chicago; Brooke McCallum, U of Southern California; Jake Wilder-Smith, U of California, Los Angeles; Trent Wintermeier, U of Texas, Austin; Xiaoxi Zhang, Habib U
This closed seminar gives participants—working toward the production of a specific project—an opportunity to develop writing focused on audio media and sound studies, including topics such as musical influences in and on literature, translations of literature in and through sound (from music to audioplays), and the relationship of sound and print cultures.
The session is open only to seminar participants.
472. Community-Engaged Pedagogy and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
8:30–11:30 a.m., Quarterdeck A
A seminar. Presiding: Jennifer Maloy, Queensborough Community C, City U of New York
Speakers: Kevin Anzzolin, Christopher Newport U; Nicole Burgoyne, U of Chicago; Lauren Stacey Cardon, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Janae Corrado, Tarrant County C, TX; Laura Hartmann-Villalta, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Jerrica Jordan, Tarrant County C, TX; Kelly Krumrie, U of Denver; Claudia Kunschak, Ritsumeikan U; Anna Maria Nogar, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Danielle Spratt, California State U, Northridge; Anne Stachura, Franklin and Marshall C; Birgit Strotmann, U Pontificia Comillas; Dali Tan, Northern Virginia Community C
This closed seminar gives participants an opportunity to develop writing in the scholarship of teaching and learning, particularly grounded in community-engaged pedagogy. Seminar participants are working toward the production of a specific project in the scholarship of teaching and learning, with a focus on the practices and outcomes of community-engaged pedagogy.
The session is open only to seminar participants.
473. To Mine or Not to Mine: Questioning Extractivism II
8:30–9:45 a.m., Magazine
A working group
Participants: Luke Bowe, New York U; Lisa Burner, U of the South; Huw Edwardes-Evans, Rice U; Eduardo Febres Munoz, U of Notre Dame; Tatjana Gajic, U of Illinois, Chicago; Pedro García-Caro, U of Oregon; Jack Martinez Arias, Hamilton C; Isabelle Rogers, U of Oregon
This working group looks at debates and cultural opposition to extractivism in the realm of literary, photographic, and filmic production, predominantly in the Americas and Southern Europe but open to a wider set of comparisons and cultural interactions. Participants consider the notion of colonial brutalization of the planet and the drive to create sacrifice zones, areas slated for ruination through toxic extractive practices.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/culture-questions-extractivism-to-mine-or-not-to-mine/.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 267 and 737.
474. Building Critical AI Literacies II
8:30–9:45 a.m., Commerce
A working group
Speakers: Leslie Allison, Rowan U; Kathryn A. Conrad, U of Kansas; Tiffany DeRewal, Rowan U; Chloe Kitzinger, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Marit J. MacArthur, U of California, Davis; Teresa Ramoni, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
This working group shares knowledge, strategies, and best practices in response to the ongoing challenge of generative AI and in dialogue with the MLA-CCCC’s Joint Task Force on Writing and AI and with Critical AI’s recent special issue on the topic. Speakers address a broad range of questions, from how generative AI works to strategies for teaching writing and language acquisition with an emphasis on critical AI and design justice perspectives.
For related material, write to [email protected].
For the other meeting of the working group, see 266.
Saturday, 11 January 10:15 a.m.
476. The Origin of Adoption Studies: Betty Jean Lifton Fifty Years Later
10:15–11:30 a.m., Kabacoff
Program arranged by the Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture. Presiding: Marina Fedosik, Princeton U
1. “Betty Jean Lifton's Twice Born: Making Adoptees More Visible,” Marianne L. Novy, U of Pittsburgh
2. “Machine in the Ghost: The Legacy of Lifton's Writing on Visible Silence,” Sayres Rudy, independent scholar
3. “Identity-Building Fantasy Narratives within the Adoptee Experience: A Shift in Adoption Discourse,” Deanna MacNeil, York U
Respondent: Emily Hipchen, Brown U
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/138Ql4hVHpgEv-zZtJ-anob_pFHzgGZ1JY25oG-Af1vM/edit?usp=sharing after 1 Dec.
477. Celebrating the Transatlantic Feminist Legacy: African, American, Caribbean, Iberian, and Indigenous Expressions
10:15–11:30 a.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the Feministas Unidas. Presiding: Angela Acosta, Davidson C
Speakers: Evelyn Autry, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Ana Corbalán, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Tina Escaja, U of Vermont; Vanessa Marie Fernández, San José State U; Luz Ainaí Morales Pino, Pontificia U Catolica de Peru; Ana Simon Alegre, Adelphi U
Panelists examine women's transatlantic contributions in feminism, past and present, focusing on representations, movement involvement, and diverse cultural-political impact.
For related material, visit feministas-unidas.org/.
478. How to Publish Your Book: An Overview for Scholars
10:15–11:30 a.m., Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom
Program arranged by the Association of University Presses. Presiding: Angie Hogan, University of Virginia Press
Speakers: Beth Bouloukos, Amherst University Press; James Long, Louisiana State University Press; Leah Pennywark, University of Minnesota Press
University press editors discuss the book publishing process from proposal to publication, offering detailed, constructive advice on how to select the right press, when to contact an editor, how to write an effective proposal, peer review and revisions, copyediting and production, and audience and promotion. Participants also address current publishing trends, share insider tips, and answer questions to help demystify the life cycle of a university press book.
479. African Language, Literature, and Culture since 1990: Exploring the Dynamic Role of AAVE in Children's Literature
10:15–11:30 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the Children's Literature Association. Presiding: Shakeema Funchess, Southern New Hampshire U
Speakers: Margaret Conn, independent scholar; Christina Dominique-Pierre, Buckingham Browne and Nichols Middle School, MA; Vashalice Kaaba, Florida State U
Panelists delve into the evolving landscape of African language, literature, and culture since 1990, focusing on the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in children's literature and highlighting the importance of AAVE as a distinct linguistic framework. Discussion centers on how the interplay of AAVE and African language provides insight into the unique development of African American linguistic culture.
480. Pathways to the Deanship
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. Presiding: Kyoko Amano, Texas A&M U, Corpus Christi
1. “Entry Strategy: How to Prepare for Your Deanship,” Kyoko Amano
2. “Succeeding outside Your College to Eventually Lead Your College,” Clay Motley, Florida Gulf Coast U
3. “The Discipline of Deaning,” Natalie Katerina Eschenbaum, U of Washington, Tacoma
481. Sense and Sensation
10:15–11:30 a.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum LLC Occitan. Presiding: Terrence Cullen, Vassar C
1. “Mnemonic Birds,” Eliza Zingesser, Columbia U
2. “Pain, Touch, and Reading in Old Occitan Lyric,” Katherine Travers, U of Oxford
3. “Pistoleta's Senses of Self and Sense of Selves,” Daniel E. O'Sullivan, U of Mississippi, Oxford
482. Thing, Text, Human
10:15–11:30 a.m., Royal
Program arranged by the forum LLC Pre-14th-Century Chinese. Presiding: Heng Du, Wellesley C
Speakers: Jack W. Chen, U of Virginia; Heng Du; Karl Steel, Brooklyn C, City U of New York; Megan Ward, Oregon State U
Respondent: Leah DeVun, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
In response to the AI revolution, panelists explore the role of literature in negotiating the boundary of humanity across regions (Europe and China) and time (ancient, medieval, modern).
483. A Path Forward: New Identity and Belonging in Bangladeshi Diasporic Literature
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC South Asian and South Asian Diasporic and the South Asian Literary Association
1. “Weirding National Architecture: Corners, Portals, and Rhizomes in Babu Bangladesh!,” Amit Baishya, U of Oklahoma
2. “‘We Go On, Sisters': Generational Trauma and Identity in Fariha Róisín's How to Cure a Ghost,” Untara Rayeesa, U of Oregon
3. “Border Crossings: Queerness, Freedom, and Race in Contemporary Bangladeshi Immigrant Writings,” Debali Mookerjea-Leonard, James Madison U
484. Building Programmatic Support for Linguistic Justice
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LSL Global English. Presiding: Katherine S. Flowers, U of Massachusetts, Lowell
1. “Leading by Listening: Doing Linguistic Justice Work One Conversation at a Time,” Tara Coleman, LaGuardia Community C, City U of New York
2. “To Dare or Not to Dare? Fostering Linguistic Justice through Community-Engagement Initiatives,” Inés Vañó García, Framingham State U
3. “Supporting Linguistic Justice through Collaborations with Indigenous Organizations,” Monica Good, U of British Columbia, Okanagan; Nora Rivera, Chapman U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 9 Jan.
485. Affect and Allegiance: The Emotions in Performances of Race, Disability, and Empire
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th-Century English. Presiding: Penelope H. Geng, Macalester C
1. “Hateful Jews and Pitiful Christians: Racialized Feelings at Croxton and in The Jew of Malta,” Dennis Britton, U of British Columbia
2. “Racializing Early Modern Malcontent Plays,” Yunah Kae, C of Charleston
3. “Disability, Visibility, and Feeling Seen in the Early Modern History Play,” Katherine Schaap Williams, U of Toronto
486. Rewriting the Multicultural Gothic
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 19
Program arranged by the forum GS Speculative Fiction. Presiding: Cathryn Merla-Watson, U of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
Speakers: Danielle Garcia-Karr, U of Texas, Austin; Ivonne M. García, Williams C; Jesus Montaño, Hope C; Stephanie Schoellman, U of Texas, Austin; Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan U
Panelists explore how BIPOC communities have transformed and redefined the gothic genre.
487. Games and Players in Iberian and Early Modern Theater
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th- and 17th-Century Spanish and Iberian Drama. Presiding: Jose Estrada, Carnegie Mellon U
1. “Linguistic Play, the Carnivalesque, and Comedic Closure in La vida es sueño,” Jeanette Goddard, Trine U
2. “Mercury's Endgame: Cognitive Chess in Lope's Servir a un señor discreto and Alarcón's La cueva de Salamanca,” Liora Ortega, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
3. “The ‘Inspection Game' in Lope de Vega's El Arenal de Sevilla: Seeing and Being Seeing in the Spanish,” Matías Spector, U of Chicago
4. “Sor Juana's Assemblages: Writing Relations in Los empeños de una casa,” Rachel Williams, Johns Hopkins U, MD
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Dec.
488. Making the Translator Visible (Again): Translation as Cultural Change in the World of Galdós
10:15–11:30 a.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the International Association of Galdós Scholars. Presiding: Joyce Tolliver, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
1. “Bellas Artes in the Periodical Press: Translation as a Conceptual Tool in the Fin de Siglo,” Rhi Johnson, Indiana U, Bloomington
2. “Translating and Translation in Narcís Oller,” Nicholas Wolters, Wake Forest U
3. “From Horace to Lo Gayter del Llobregat: Translation and Tradition, Translation as Tradition in Restoration Spain,” Leslie Harkema, Baylor U
489. Enlightening Encounters: Confronting the Invisibility of the Nonhumans in the Long Eighteenth Century
10:15–11:30 a.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the forum CLCS 18th-Century. Presiding: Sarah Benharrech, U of Maryland, College Park
1. “The Talking Oyster: Creaturely Encounters on the Half Shell,” Charlee Bezilla, U of Maryland, College Park
2. “Mother Lover: Planthropic Familial and Sexual Ties,” Kenny Clarke, U of California, Los Angeles
3. “Slave Ship Ecologies and More-Than-Human Abolition,” Taylin Nelson, Rice U
4. “Relationality, Reciprocity, and Resistance in Matthew Lewis's Journal of a West India Proprietor (1834),” Emma Lansdowne, McMaster U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/docs/enlightening-encounters-confronting-the-invisibility-of-the-non-humans-the-less-than-humans-and-the-more-than-humans-in-the-long-18th-century/ after 1 Dec.
490. Keywords, Questions, Concepts: Our Postcolonial Categories
10:15–11:30 a.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum TC Postcolonial Studies. Presiding: Angela Naimou, Clemson U
Speakers: Chandrica Barua, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Leo Dunsker, U of California, Berkeley; Madhumita Lahiri, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Rijuta Mehta, U of Toronto; Janet Neigh, Penn State U, Behrend; Rebecca Oh, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Panelists focus on concepts that have not yet found purchase in postcolonial studies and on commonly circulated keywords transposed into different aesthetic, political, and historical contexts: postcolonial heartbreak, apocalypse, sensation, solidarity, folk, postcolonial formalism, and closures.
491. Indigenous Solidarity and Settler Colonialism, from Turtle Island to Palestine
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum LLC Indigenous Literatures of the United States and Canada. Presiding: Hannah Manshel, U of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa
1. “Circuits of Solidarity from Hawaiʻi to Palestine,” Mahealani Ahia, U of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa; Cynthia Franklin, U of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa
2. “Where Are the Bones and Where Are the Bodies? Palestine Freedom and Indigeneity in the MLA,” Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State U
3. “‘Progress Thrives on Children's Blood': Colonial Space-Times in the Poetry of Lee Maracle,” Lou Cornum, New York U
492. Mediterranean Sexualities
10:15–11:30 a.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Mediterranean. Presiding: Paul Michael Johnson, Johns Hopkins U, MD
1. “The Queer Myth of Hippolytus: Reading for Asexuality in Ancient Mediterranean Drama,” Anna Maria Broussard, Nicholls State U
2. “Hadrian and Antinous Rewritten: The Queer Female Gaze on Roman History in Mémoires d'Hadrien,” Eylül Zeynep Belden, U of California, Santa Barbara
3. “Silence and Alterity in Maryam Touzani's Le bleu du caftan,” Don Joseph, U of Missouri, Columbia
Respondent: Abdulhamit Arvas, U of Pennsylvania
493. Louisiana in Graphic Narratives
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum GS Comics and Graphic Narratives. Presiding: Rachel Kunert-Graf, Antioch U, WA
1. “Toxic Babies and Cajun Zombies: The Abject Louisiana Wetlands of Swamp Thing,” Brannon Costello, Lousiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Post-Katrina Visual Narratives in Johnson's Dark Rain and Lafitte's Kingpin of the Antpin,” Dana Cypress, Colgate U
3. “Vodou, Littoral Space, and Queer Potentiality in House of Whispers,” Paul Humphrey, Colgate U
For related material, visit graphicnarratives.org/.
494. John Milton: A General Session
10:15–11:30 a.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the Milton Society of America. Presiding: Amrita Dhar, Ohio State U, Columbus
1. “On Two Kinds of Blind Standing: Samson Agonistes and Paradise Regained,” Amrita Dhar
2. “Milton, Marlowe, and Empire,” Su Fang Ng, Virginia Tech
495. The New Negro at One Hundred
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LLC African American and the College Language Association. Presiding: McKinley Melton, Rhodes C
Speakers: Barbra Chin, Howard U; Angel Dye, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Carlyn Ferrari, Seattle U; Trent Masiki, Suffolk U
Speakers commemorate one hundred years since the publication of Alaine Locke's The New Negro: An Interpretation, considering the impact and import of this seminal text of the New Negro Renaissance.
496. Scots on Screen
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC Scottish
1. “Auteurship as Appropriation in Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Callar,” Zoe Bursztajn-Illingworth, U of Texas, Austin
2. “The Dark Side of the Drive-Through Window: Capitalism and Evil in William Morrissette's Scotland, PA,” Colin Bishoff, U of Georgia
3. “Veils of Mist and Tartan: Navigating the Mystical and Mythical Landscapes of Scotland in Film,” Jarvis Curry, U of the Cumberlands
For related material, write to [email protected].
497. Beyond Promotion: Creating Holistic Career Pathways for Contingent Faculty Members
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Academic Program Services. Presiding: Jason Rhody, MLA
Speakers: KC Culver, U of Alabama, Birmingham; Sonja Rae Fritzsche, Michigan State U; Kelly Hanson, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Miranda Rodak, Indiana U, Bloomington
Promotion opportunities for contingent faculty members are essential for equity in the academic workplace. But what comes with promotion? This panel presents ways for department leaders and faculty members to create transformative career pathways.
498. The Role of Standard English Grammar Instruction at Community Colleges
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Community Colleges. Presiding: William Christopher Brown, Midland C
1. “A Balm in Grammar's Gilead: A New Role for Grammar in the Composition Classroom,” Geoffrey Layton, U of Oklahoma
2. “Inclusive Grammar Instruction: Empowering Students to Find Their Voices and Enter the Conversation,” Sean Ruday, Longwood U; Sharon Saylors, Prince George's Community C, MD
3. “An Antiracist Approach to Teaching American English Grammar and Usage,” Heather Harris, Community C of Baltimore County, MD
4. “Enhancing Pedagogy with AI Tools: Second-Language Learners in the Composition Classroom,” Amee Schmidt, Marshalltown Community C, IA
499. Alt-Text, Alt-Image: Multimodal Scholarship
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Information Technology. Presiding: Élika Ortega, U of Colorado, Boulder
1. “Audible Distortions: Listening for Authority, Agency, and Identity in Digital Audio Archives,” Tanya E. Clement, U of Texas, Austin
2. “The Ghosts of Clip Art: Flash Fiction, Alt Text, and Steganographic Narrative,” Mark Sample, Davidson C
3. “Hearing Latina Life Writing: Latina Podcasts and Invisibility of Multimodal Latina Literary Cultures,” Jennifer Lozano, U of North Carolina, Wilmington
4. “Beyond Visualization: Listening to Images through Alt-Text Compositional Practice,” Marguerite Adams, Emory U; Tanvi Sharma, Emory U
500. Today's Challenges in Language Classrooms
10:15–11:30 a.m., Jackson
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on K–16 Alliances. Presiding: Christian Rubio, Bentley U
1. “Transforming the University into a Language Classroom,” Araceli Hernández-Laroche, U of South Carolina, Upstate
2. “Addressing EDI Concerns in the Language Classroom through OER Initiatives,” Megwen Loveless, Tulane U
3. “Making It Personal: Generative AI for Equity-Focused Language Teaching and Learning,” Meghan Dabkowski, U of Delaware, Newark
501. Saving Literary History
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the Association of Departments of English. Presiding: Samuel Cohen, U of Missouri, Columbia
Speakers: Evan Brier, U of Minnesota, Duluth; Alexander Manshel, McGill U; Patricia A. Matthew, Montclair State U; David Shumway, Carnegie Mellon U; John Sitter, U of Notre Dame; Karin E. Westman, Kansas State U
What is the place of literary history in our curricula as departments shrink? As faculty losses and enrollment declines make it difficult to retain historical survey courses and period distribution requirements, and trends in literary study deemphasize attention to literary history in favor of other modes and objects of study, should we continue to teach literary history? If so, how?
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tx8vUnTMxFXlQbnFB4Fv_nH8uOOk7vWs?usp=drive_link after 2 Jan.
502. Discussion Group on When Leaving Academia Might Be the Right Move
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Janine M. Utell, MLA
An increasing number of academics on and off the tenure track are talking more openly about what it would mean professionally and personally to leave academia. Why leave? What would be next? How has work in an academic position prepared academics to find new opportunities and meet the challenges of a job change? This discussion group offers participants a chance for reflection on these questions, as well as a forum for sharing personal experiences.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=drive_link.
503. The Problems of the US Job Market for Humanities International Graduate Students
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Humanities. Presiding: Jahidul Alam, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
1. “Will You, Now or in the Future, Require Visa Sponsorship?,” Lidia Tripiccione, Princeton U
2. “Optional Practical Training (OPT): The Fear of International Students,” Anamika Das, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
3. “OPT Policies: Another Form of Discrimination,” Mohammad Akbar Hosain, Illinois State U
4. “From Job Search to Sponsorship: The Emotional Labor of an English PhD,” Muhammad Farooq, Seton Hall U
504. Global NOLA
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on the Literatures of People of Color in the United States and Canada. Presiding: Lynn Itagaki, U of Missouri, Columbia; Rajender Kaur, William Paterson U
1. “Global Trajectories of Fantasy: Lafcadio Hearn in New Orleans and Japan,” Pedro Bassoe, Purdue U, West Lafayette
2. “Ecologies of Refuge: Vietnamese Diaspora in New Orleans,” Marguerite B. Nguyen, Wesleyan U
3. “Plant Grammar and Colonial Erasure: From Kew Gardens to Canal Street,” Hee-Jung Joo, U of Manitoba
4. “‘Okay, Ladies, Now Let's Get in Formation': Louisiana Hauntings in Beyoncé's Lemonade,” Cristina Rodriguez, Providence C
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
505. Decolonizing Cuban Visualities: Intersections of Race, Queerness, and Feminism in Contemporary Art and Media
10:15–11:30 a.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Anastasia Valecce, Spelman C
1. “Visual Expression as Decolonial Feminist Practice in the Paintings of Harmonia Rosales,” Rosita Scerbo, Georgia State U
2. “Racial and Queer Representations in the Contemporary Cuban Short Documentary Films Batería and ¿Grandes Ligas?,” Anastasia Valecce
3. “Amando en negra lesbiana: Música, visualidad y denuncia en ‘Krudxs Cubensi' y ‘Okán,'” Mabel Cuesta, U of Houston
4. “Female Monstrosity, Trauma, and Memory in the Comic The Low, Low Woods, by Carmen Maria Machado,” Mariana Ruiz-González, Whitman C
506. Legal Fictions: Property, Persons, and the Imagination in the Long Nineteenth Century
10:15–11:30 a.m., Chart C
A special session. Presiding: John Funchion, U of Miami
1. “Respectability, History, and Horror in the Early Black Atlantic,” Erin Forbes, U of Bristol; Cameron Seglias, Goethe U Frankfurt
2. “‘A Modern Anecdote': Enslavement, Capitalism, and Transgressive Circulation,” Duncan F. Faherty, Graduate Center, City U of New York
3. “Undoing Coverture in the Early Republic,” Daniel Couch, United States Air Force Acad.
507. The Writing of the Disaster: How Literature Faces the Ongoing Catastrophe in Palestine
10:15–11:30 a.m., Fulton
A special session. Presiding: Jeffrey Sacks, U of California, Riverside
1. “During and through the Genocide in Fady Joudah's […],” Cindy Juyoung Ok, U of California, Davis
2. “Disrupting the (Un)Sayable: Mohammed El-Kurd's Poetry after Gaza,” Stefano Bellin, U of Warwick
3. “Fady Joudah and the Problem of Naming,” Christian Wessels, U of Rochester
4. “Resistance Translation: On Translating Poetry in an Age of Televised Genocide,” Ibrahim Badshah, U of Houston, Downtown Campus
508. Family and Other Relationships: Exploring Confucian Relationships in Texts from Early Modern East Asia
10:15–11:30 a.m., Port
A special session. Presiding: Ihor Pidhainy, Georgia Gwinnett C
1. “Asserting the Native, Critiquing the Foreign: Parent-Child Relationships in the Ryukyuan Royal History,” Mark McNally, U of Hawai'i, Mānoa
2. “Brothers and Cousins and Brothers-in-Law: Noting Distortions in Sixteenth-Century Chinese Family Dynamic,” Ihor Pidhainy
3. “Fascination and Containment: Friendships in Record of Precious Sword and Righteous Hero,” Kuan Liu, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
4. “The Problem of Loyalty and Friendship; or, Finding Social Ethics in Familial Virtue,” Young Kyun Oh, Arizona State U, Tempe
Respondent: Ann Waltner, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
509. Guerrilla Aesthetics: Invisibility, Anti-Imperialism, and Militant Regeneration
10:15–11:30 a.m., Marlborough A
A special session. Presiding: John Maerhofer, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
1. “Palestinian Sumud: No Aesthetic outside My Freedom,” Tahrir Hamdi, Arab Open U
2. “Losing Nothing: Kuwasi Balagoon's Insurgent Aesthetics,” James Bliss, Tulane U
3. “Jayne Cortez's Aesthetic of Fanonian Counterviolence,” Benjamin Papsun, Tufts U
510. Old Texts, New Questions: Critical Approaches to Medieval Italian Literature II
10:15–11:30 a.m., Magazine
A working group. Presiding: Alejandro Cuadrado, Bowdoin C; Alberto Gelmi, Vassar C; Akash Kumar, U of California, Berkeley
Participants: Laura Banella, U of Notre Dame; Catherine Bloomer, Brandeis U; Danielle Callegari, Dartmouth C; Grace Delmolino, U of California, Davis; Alyssa Granacki, U of Kentucky; Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Brown U; Ori Kinberg, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
This working group features emerging scholars in medieval Italian studies whose work showcases new approaches and trends in the field, drawing on critical methodologies such as disability theory, feminist philosophy, and transnational orientations to ask new questions of texts by both canonical and noncanonical authors, from Dante to Ahitub of Palermo. The results of this working group will be published in the 2026 Italian issue of MLN.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/mla-2025-old-texts-new-questions-critical-approaches-to-medieval-italian-literature/.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 223 and 707.
511. The Future of Nineteenth-Century Author-Based Societies II
10:15–11:30 a.m., Commerce
A working group. Presiding: Kate Singer, Mount Holyoke C
Participants: Stephanie P. Browner, New School; Mary A. Carney, U of Georgia; Dawn D. Coleman, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Melissa Gniadek, U of Toronto; Sean Grass, Rochester Inst. of Tech.; John Gruesser, Sam Houston State U; Keri Holt, Utah State U; Charles W. Mahoney, U of Connecticut, Storrs; James McKusick, U of Missouri, Kansas City; Kaila Rose, Byron Soc. of America
What challenges, best practices, and projects can help create broad communities of readers for nineteenth-century authors within the academy and the wider public? Members and leaders of author societies consider which new infrastructures and collaborations can best support scholarship, fundraising, public humanities, DEI, and future lives of small humanities organizations.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/19th-century-british-and-us-author-societies/ after 1 Jan.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 224 and 708.
512. What the Humanities Owe Democracy
10:15–11:30 a.m., St. James Ballroom
A linked session arranged in conjunction with the Presidential Plenary: Visibility, Place, and Displacement: Louisiana’s Expressive Culture and the Changing Same (228). Presiding: Dana A. Williams, Howard U
Speakers: Judith Butler, U of California, Berkeley; Frieda Ekotto, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Simon Gikandi, Princeton U; Sidonie Ann Smith, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
In What Universities Owe Democracy, Ronald J. Daniels (with Grant Shreve and Phillip Spector) challenges American colleges and universities to lean into the critical role they have played historically in modern democracies. A similar challenge can be put to the humanities, which can be seen as the heart of both the university and democracy. The humanities interrogate contested ideas related to democratic ideals—ideas like history, freedom, justice, and liberation. Key humanities values like inquiry, collaboration, culturally informed creativity, and indigeneity help preserve and enact egalitarianism. Through a series of close readings of selected texts, this session reminds us of the special role literature and language play in justice-oriented ideals of democracy.
Saturday, 11 January 11:00 a.m.
512A. Chat with an Editor II
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Churchill C2
Presiding: Susan Tomlinson, U of Massachusetts, Boston
This one-on-one mentoring session offers practical advice for early career scholars who are interested in publishing in scholarly journals. Members of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals serve as table moderators for authors who sign up in advance or attend on a walk-in basis. Topics of discussion include understanding author guidelines, submission processes, and queries.
For related material, visit celj.org/chat after 1 Dec.
Saturday, 11 January 12:00 noon
513. Africa(s) in History and Imagination: Visible
12:00 noon–1:45 p.m., St. James Ballroom
Presiding: Surya Parekh, Binghamton U, State U of New York; Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia U
Speakers: Hosam Mohamed Aboul-Ela, U of Houston; Emily Apter, New York U; Surya Parekh; Hortense Jeanette Spillers, Vanderbilt U; Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak; Luis Tapia Mealla, U Mayor de San Andres; Helen Yitah, U of Ghana
Speakers make visible the plurality of Africa, considering, among other topics, Africa in contemporaneity, the absurdity of colonial borders, postcolonial education, and the preparation of an African American readership, using Mamadou Diouf’s L'Afrique dans le temps du monde, A. Adu Boahen's African Perspectives on Colonialism, V. Y. Mudimbe's Invention of Africa, Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth, W. E. B. Du Bois's Black Flame trilogy, and Helen Yitah's study of the feminist transformation of traditional songs in southern Burkina Faso and northern Ghana.
514. Making Visible: Conrad, Nation, and World Literature
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the Joseph Conrad Society of America. Presiding: Ellen Burton Harrington, U of South Alabama
1. “Conrad's Cultural Elusiveness (Polishness?),” Joanna Skolik, U Opolski
2. “Negotiating Nostos: (Re)Visions of Home in A Personal Record,” Sylwia Janina Wojciechowska, Ignatianum U
3. “Invisible yet Present: A Modernist Transformation of the Polish Female Romantic Protagonist in Conrad's Victory,” Anna M. Szczepan-Wojnarska, Cardinal Wyszynski U
515. Harlem, Mecca of the New Negro in a Global Context: The Survey Graphic Special Issue and The New Negro Anthology at One Hundred
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the Modernist Studies Association
1. “Art and the Editorial Plateaus in the Mexican and Harlem Editions of the Survey Graphic,” Jeffrey Belnap, Texas Tech U
2. “What Is Africa? Recontextualizing Countee Cullen's Poem ‘Heritage,'” Whit Frazier Peterson, U of Stuttgart
For related material, visit www.sunnystalterpace.com/mla-2025-panel-abstracts.
516. Romanticism, Hazlitt, and the Spirit of the Age
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Wordsworth-Coleridge Association. Presiding: Ian Balfour, York U
1. “The Spirits of the Law: The Trials of Hazlitt's ‘Contemporary Portraits,'” Mark Schoenfield, Vanderbilt U
2. “Hue and Cry: Hazlitt's Chromophobia and the Color of Romanticism,” Betsy Winakur Tontiplaphol, Trinity U
3. “The Spirit of the Postcolonial Age: Hazlitt, the Popular Arts, and West Indian Independence,” Nasser Mufti, U of Illinois, Chicago
517. Visible and Invisible Folklife in South Louisiana
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the American Folklore Society. Presiding: James Deutsch, Smithsonian Inst.
1. “Beyond Tcãtcuba: The Cultural Ripple Effect of Language Reclamation,” Colleen Billiot, Houma Language Project
2. “‘Slow Blues, Alley Blues, Old Straight Blues': The (In)Visible History of Early Blues in New Orleans,” Nicholas Gorrell, U of Memphis
3. “Notes on Deconstructing ‘The Folk' in New Orleans Music,” Matt Sakakeeny, Tulane U
4. “Reading between the Lines: Indigenous Histories and Delta Realities in the So-Called Gulf South,” Monique Verdin, independent Houma filmmaker
518. Into the Spotlight: Staging Visibility in the Americas
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the American Theatre and Drama Society. Presiding: Khalid Long, Howard U
1. “Telling Our Own Stories: Representation and the Contemporary Broadway Musical,” Kelly Aliano, Long Island U, Post Campus
2. “Claiming Our Space: Visibility of Black Women Playwrights and Intertextuality as Dramaturgical Strat,” Khalid Long
3. “Visible Neurodiversity 2.0—or Maybe 3.0,” Dorothy Chansky, Texas Tech U
4. “What We Can't Stomach: Ambivalence and Freakshows in the US Commercial Circus, 1900–40,” Stephen Cedars, Graduate Center, City U of New York
520. Exploring AI Literacy in Business Communication
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the Association for Business Communication. Presiding: William Christopher Brown, Midland C
1. “Ethical Engagement: AI Literacy and Student-Author Empowerment,” Dana Gavin, Dutchess Community C, NY
2. “Notes from the Field: Leveraging AI Tools in Business Communication Courses,” Jessica Sheffield, U of Florida
3. “Demystifying Generative AI Tools: Experience from a Large Writing Program,” Jeanine Aune, Iowa State U
522. Global and Transnational Dutch
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LLC Dutch. Presiding: Marrigje Paijmans, U van Amsterdam
1. “The Mauritiados of Franciscus Plante and the Dutch Global Empire,” James A. Parente, Jr., U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
2. “Encounters between Europeans, Euro-Africans, and Africans in the Gold Coast and Its Hinterland,” Marco Prandoni, U of Bologna
3. “Getting Hold of Aeolus: Imagineering Wind in the Dutch Republic,” Frans-Willem Korsten, Leiden U
523. New Currents in Medieval Iberian Studies
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Medieval Iberian. Presiding: Simone Pinet, Cornell U
1. “Finding the Feminine Flavor of Medieval Medicine in the Sefer Ahavat Nashim,” Sara Gardner, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
2. “The ‘Infantina encantada' and Bayad wa Ryad: Visualizing Comparativism,” Juan Harari, Cornell U
3. “Hide and Seek with Arabic in Medieval Castilian Manuscripts,” Anita Savo, Boston U
4. “Confessing Coita with Alfonso X and the Spanish Inquisition,” Kathryn Phipps, Bryn Mawr C
524. AI Literature and Media in the Age of Posthuman Agents
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LLC Korean. Presiding: Ivanna Yi, Cornell U
1. “A (Post)Human Family: Technology of Asian American Racialization in After Yang and On Such a Full Sea,” Sang Eun Eunice Lee, Indiana U, Bloomington
2. “‘Wanting to Be Chinese, Not Human': The Racialization of the Turing Test in Kogonada's After Yang,” Sang-Keun Yoo, Marist C
3. “Phantom Pens and Invisible Hand: AI-Generated Books and Free Market Dynamics in South Korea,” Benoit Berthelier, U of Sydney
4. “The Magical Agency of Parameters as Intent and Meaning: Translation Application in Decision to Leave,” Haerin Shin, Korea U
525. The (In)Visibility of Editing
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the forum TM Bibliography and Scholarly Editing. Presiding: Marissa Nicosia, Penn State U, Abington
1. “Analyzing Nineteenth-Century Editorship at Scale,” Ryan Cordell, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2. “Jean Ingelow's Letters and the Ethic of Editorial Visibility,” Maura Carey Ives, Texas A&M U, College Station
3. “Posthumous Editing: A Strategic Intervention,” Alec Pollak, Cornell U
526. Literary Alliances, Networks, and Solidarities across Minoritized Communities: Aesthetics and Politics
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century German. Presiding: Lynn L. Wolff, Michigan State U
1. “Thomas Mann and Hannah Arendt: An Abyss in German-Jewish Solidarity against National Socialism,” David Kim, U of California, Los Angeles
2. “War on Silence: Bruno Vogel's Alf and the Struggle for Queer Visibility in Interwar Germany,” Maria Tudosescu, U of Tübingen
3. “Literary Allotropy as Literary Solidarity: The Example of Aras Ören,” Duncan Gullick Lien, Freie U Berlin
4. “Staging Solidarity: The Collaborative and Transformative Potential of Postmigrant Theater,” Karolina Hicke, Swarthmore C
527. Teaching Adolescent Identity on and off the Page
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the forum TC Age Studies. Presiding: Laura Soderberg, U of Pennsylvania
1. “Reading Identities across Difference: Mapping a Broader Framework for Teaching Identity-Based Narratives,” Jamiee Cook, California State U, Stanislaus
2. “Adolescence in Verse: Adolescent Identities and the YA Novel,” Wendy Tronrud, Graduate Center, City U of New York
3. “Echoes of Adolescence: Navigating Personal Narratives by Diverse Authors in a First-Year Seminar,” Astrid Lorena Ochoa Campo, U of Wisconsin, La Crosse
528. Kate Chopin's Louisiana
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC Late-19th- and Early-20th-Century American. Presiding: Rafael Walker, Baruch C, City U of New York
1. “‘I Have Forgotten Nothing at Grand Isle': Chopin as Local-Outsider,” Margaret Jay Jessee, U of Alabama, Birmingham
2. “Kate Chopin's Bayou St. John Stories,” Heather E. Ostman, Westchester Community C, NY
3. “Chopin and Chênière: A ‘Novel' Coastal Restoration Effort,” John Doucet, Nicholls State U
4. “‘Burnt beyond Recognition': Beach Leisure in Kate Chopin and Alice Dunbar-Nelson,” Sari Edelstein, U of Massachusetts, Boston
529. Who Are the Publics for Early Modern Studies?
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-Century French. Presiding: Laura Burch, Wooster C
Speakers: Ann C. Christensen, U of Houston; Chad Córdova, Emory U; Ellen McClure, U of Illinois, Chicago; Jeffrey N. Peters, U of Kentucky; Anna Rosensweig, U of Rochester
Given the political and economic challenges facing languages and literatures today, how could early modernists address a broader public? What media might scholars use to reach a nonacademic audience and promote the field?
530. The South in Contemporary Children's Literature
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum GS Children's and Young Adult Literature and the forum CLCS 20th- and 21st-Century. Presiding: Carl F. Miller, Palm Beach Atlantic U
1. “Slavery's Ghosts: Gothic Encounters in American Middle-Grade Readers,” Maude Hines, Portland State U
2. “Floricuban and Floribbean Kid Lit,” Kenneth Kidd, U of Florida
3. “‘We'll Be Invisible': Black and Indigenous Agency in Crossing Bok Chitto and My Name Is Sally Little Song,” Karen Chandler, U of Louisville
4. “Prizing the South: Regional Prestige and Identity in Children's Book Awards,” Carl F. Miller
531. Queer Groundings: Unsettling the Global Anglophone
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global Anglophone. Presiding: Nijah Cunningham, Hunter C, City U of New York
1. “The Tawaif as a Figure of Precolonial ‘Queer Modernity' in Ruth Vanita's Memory of Light,” Apoorv Pandey, U of Rochester
2. “Toward Queer Diasporic Futurities: Queer Techne, Diasporic Intimacies, and Transnational Imaginaries,” Wai-Chi Wong, Western U
3. “Hijra, Not Trans: Locality and Polyphony in Myself Mona Ahmed,” Angad Singh, Northwestern U
532. The Class Politics of Cultural Production during and Inspired by Socialism
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC Slavic and East European. Presiding: Djordje Popovic, U of California, Berkeley
1. “The Work of Art and Other Kinds of Work,” Jacob Emery, Indiana U, Bloomington
2. “Far from Poland: Proletarian Content and New Left Film Form at the End of History,” Marla Zubel, Western Kentucky U
3. “Formalism for Dummies,” Semyon Leonenko, U of California, Berkeley
4. “Gerard's Notebook: A Generation of Art Workers Splits the Bill,” Eliza Rose, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
For related material, write to [email protected].
533. The Poetics and Politics of Visibility in Old English Literature
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum LLC Old English. Presiding: Jennifer Lorden, William and Mary
1. “Dream Paralysis: The Horror of Perspectival Depth in The Dream of the Rood,” Emily V. Thornbury, Yale U
2. “Þa wundorlican swyftnysse þære sawle: Positive Aesthetic Emotions and the Role of the Senses in Ælfric's Lives of Saints,” Francisco Javier Minaya Gómez, U de Castilla‒La Mancha
3. “Hidden Animals: The Aesthetics of Concealment in The Phoenix, The Panther, and The Whale,” Hunter Phillips, Cornell U
4. “Sight Lines and Crossed Bodies: Votive Reading and the Northumbrian Name-Stones,” Jill Clements, U of Alabama, Birmingham
534. Caribbean Restorations
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum LLC Restoration and Early-18th-Century English. Presiding: Cassander Smith, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1. “Recentering the Caribbean within Restoration and Early-Eighteenth-Century British Literature,” Leah Thomas, Virginia State U
2. “In the Doorway of No Return: Africa, the Black Atlantic, and the Royal African Company Correspondence,” Rebekah Mitsein, Boston C
3. “How Black African Slavery in the English Caribbean Shapes the Restoration Era in Behn's Oroonoko,” Amanda Louise Johnson, Pitzer C
535. The Language Requirement and General Education: Conceptualizing and Strategizing Creative Reforms
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the forum LSL Second-Language Teaching and Learning. Presiding: Hae-Young Kim, Duke U
1. “Empowering College Students to Learn and Maintain Languages for Life through a General Education Course,” Peter Ecke, U of Arizona, Tucson
2. “Investment in Studying Spanish at a US University: Linguistic Identities and Discourses about Language,” Carlo Cinaglia, Michigan State U
3. “Strengthening Enrollment in Language Courses: A Social Justice Approach,” Hunter Langenhorst, Arizona State U, Tempe; Marta Tecedor, Arizona State U, Tempe
536. Italian Studies in the Age of Generative AI
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-Century Italian. Presiding: Bradford A. Masoni, independent scholar
Speakers: Andrea Capra, Princeton U; Clorinda Donato, California State U, Long Beach; Crystal Hall, Bowdoin C; Lisa Sarti, Borough of Manhattan Community C, City U of New York; Michael Subialka, U of California, Davis
Panelists examine the impact of AI platforms such as ChatGPT, NotionAI, and QuillBot on research and teaching in Italian studies, focusing on material from the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.
537. Queer Theory from the South: Knowledge, Being, and Method
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the forum TC Sexuality Studies and the forum CLCS Global South. Presiding: E. K. Tan, Stony Brook U, State U of New York
Speakers: Sriyanka Basak, West Virginia U, Morgantown; Rajorshi Das, U of Iowa; Ava Kim, U of California, Davis; Ricardo Quintana-Vallejo, Rhode Island C; Alvin K. Wong, U of Hong Kong
Participants examine questions of theory, methodology, historicity, and practice of queer South-South comparisons, exploring the valences and promises of a global South approach to queer theory. Why is making visible queer theory from the South exigent?
For related material, write to [email protected] after 13 Dec.
538. Inscribing Bodies in Ming-Qing China
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Ming and Qing Chinese. Presiding: Tobias Zürn, Reed C
1. “Revealing and Concealing: Spectacularizing the Female Body in Qing Biographies,” Xu Ma, Lafayette C
2. “Cutting Open My Body: An Early Modern Chinese Surgical Narrative,” Wenfei Wang, Harvard U
3. “Dissection of Bodies in Hanshan Deqing's (1546–1623) Buddhist Commentary on the ‘Zhuangzi,'” Tobias Zürn
4. “Engaging the Extracorporeal Body in Jin Shengtan's Commentary Edition of Water Margin,” Alia Goehr, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
For related material, write to [email protected].
540. Teaching Palestine
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the forum LLC Arabic. Presiding: Dima Ayoub, Middlebury C
Speakers: Mahealani Ahia, U of Hawai‘i, Mānoa; Jala Alarja, U of California, Davis; Anna Bernard, King's C London; Amal Eqeiq, Williams C; Susan Jacobowitz, Queensborough Community C, City U of New York; Yasmine Ramadan, U of Iowa; Ankita Rathour, Georgia Inst. of Tech.
Panelists reflect on teaching, syllabi, curricula, pedagogy, translation, sources, archives, history, culture, periods, texts, censorship, silencing, and suppression in the academy and then address new methods and the possibilities and limits of dialogue.
541. “I Just Need Twenty Minutes to Myself!”: Motherhood and Academia
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill B1
Program arranged by the forum HEP Part-Time and Contingent Faculty Issues. Presiding: Nicole Hagstrom Schmidt, Texas A&M U, College Station
1. “Care Thought Care: Balancing the Important Work,” Holly Osborn, U of Kentucky
2. “‘What Should I Say?': Reflections on Motherhood, Disability, and Disclosure as a #gradmom,” Allison Estrada-Carpenter, Texas A&M U, College Station
3. “Aspectos de la maternidad conflictiva en la película española Cinco Lobitos,” Victoria Calmes, U of Wisconsin, La Crosse
542. Discussion Group for Graduate Students: Managing Time and Expectations
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Ayanni Cooper, MLA; Mai Hunt, MLA
Graduate students explore various aspects of managing workload: tips for organizing time; defining expectations with advisers, colleagues, and students; methods for establishing lines of communication; managing difficult conversations; peer mentorship; and strategies for finding resources throughout graduate school and professional development journeys.
543. Right All Along: Irish Truth Tellers
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the American Conference for Irish Studies. Presiding: Abby S. Bender, Sacred Heart U
Speakers: LeeAnn Derdeyn, U of North Texas; Bridget English, U of Illinois, Chicago; Michael Moir, Georgia Southwestern State U; Anna Teekell, Christopher Newport U; Aran Ward Sell, U of Notre Dame
Panelists examine the work of Irish truth tellers from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries who make visible repressed Irish realities—mental illness, institutionalization, abuse, trauma for the Irish abroad, national and international dystopian futures. Discussion focuses on the novelists John McGahern, Mike McCormack, and Paul Lynch; the poet Leontia Flynn; and the musicians Shane McGowan and Sinéad O'Connor.
For related material, write to [email protected].
544. Demystifying Dual Enrollment (aka Dual Credit) in English
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the ADE Executive Committee. Presiding: Wendy Elle, Austin Community C, Rio Grande, TX
Speakers: Kari Conness, Austin Community C, Rio Grande, TX; Christine Denecker, Findlay U; Chris Gardner, Austin Community C, Rio Grande, TX; Reid Sagara, C of the Desert; Andrew Smyth, Southern Connecticut State U
Experienced coordinators, advisers, and instructors discuss dual enrollment in English—and why it matters—and address different instructional agreements, pipelines from high school into undergraduate education, equity issues raised by dual enrollment, concerns about best practices, and successful strategies for creating partnerships with dual-enrollment stakeholders.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tx8vUnTMxFXlQbnFB4Fv_nH8uOOk7vWs?usp=drive_link after 2 Jan.
545. Shining a Light on Invisible Labor
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the Advisory Committee on the MLA International Bibliography
1. “Tracing Invisible Women's Labor in the Bristol Book Trades,” Sara Penn, New York U
2. “The Grading Contract and Faculty Labor Equity,” Jessica Kent, Boston U
3. “Invisible Labor, Preservation, and Born-Digital Archives,” Nina Mamikunian, U of California, San Diego
546. La (in)visibilidad de la maternidad
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Starboard
A special session. Presiding: Catherine Bourland Ross, Southwestern U
1. “Mothers against Maduro: Migration, Motherhood, and Civilization,” Julia Barnes, Berry C
2. “(In)Visible Mothering Decisions in Leña menuda,” Catherine Bourland Ross
3. “The Invisibilities of Queer Motherhood in Equatorial Guinea Revealed by Trifonia Melibea Obono,” Heather Jeronimo, U of Northern Iowa
4. “Violencia obstétrica (in)visible en el proyecto fotográfico ‘Vulnerables' de Silvia Marte,” Edurne Beltran de Heredia, Coastal Carolina U
For related material, visit hcommons.org/core/.
547. Indigenous Genre Fiction: Interpretive Methods and Ethics
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 7
A special session. Presiding: Shannon Toll, U of Dayton
Speakers: Kirby Brown, U of Oregon; Jeremy Carnes, U of Central Florida; John Gamber, U of California, Irvine; Steven Sexton, U of Nevada, Las Vegas; Kali Simmons, U of Connecticut, Storrs
The recent growth of Indigenous genre texts poses exciting questions for the field of Indigenous literary studies. Panelists survey methodological and pedagogical approaches to Indigenous works of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and beyond, discussing the shifting conventions of Indigenous literature, how to teach and design Indigenous genre literature courses, and the relations among realism, the fantastic, and literary sovereignty.
For related material, write to [email protected]
548. Strategies for Teaching the Literature of Climate Change
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Kabacoff
A special session. Presiding: Debby Rosenthal, John Carroll U
Speakers: Thomas Hallock, U of South Florida, Saint Petersburg; Barbara Leckie, Carleton U; Magdalena Maczynska, Drexel U; Jason de Lara Molesky, Saint Louis U; Ben Jamieson Stanley, U of Delaware, Newark; Orchid Tierney, Kenyon C; Cynthia Williams, Wentworth Inst. of Tech.
Panelists address pedagogical strategies for teaching literature that deeply engages our carbon economy and global heating, share ideas about how to organize a course around a rapidly emerging and still-developing genre, and discuss how to energize students to cultivate the capacities they will need to face the climate crisis.
549. Creolizing Intersections: Gender and Race in Nineteenth-Century Francophone Louisiana
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Dana Kress, Centenary C of Louisiana
1. “Trifling Matters: Small Clues and Grand Narratives in Sidonie de La Houssaye's Octavia,” Robin White, Nicholls State U
2. “Black and White Knots: Forbidden Passion in Nineteenth-Century Louisiana Creole Literature,” Andia Augustin-Billy, Centenary C of Louisiana
3. “Hearing Manon; or, The Enslaved Voice in a White Autobiography from Reconstruction-Era Louisiana,” Clint Bruce, U Sainte-Anne
For related material, write to [email protected].
550. Black Ecofeminism(s): Literature, Theory, and Praxis
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Alex Alston, Bryn Mawr C
1. “‘Right Here in Macon County': Climate Optimism at Tuskegee,” Mia Alafaireet, U of Texas, Austin
2. “‘Tell That Woman to Put Beginnings and Ends to Her Poems': Form and Fragment in Anne Spencer's Ecopoetics,” Rachael Uwada Clifford, Princeton U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/panel-black-ecofeminisms-literature-theory-praxis/.
551. Temporality, Landscape, and Ecology in Contemporary Latin American Aesthetics
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Nicolas Campisi, Georgetown U
1. “Landscape Photography as Resistance: Indigeneity, Rurality, and Peru's Internal Armed Conflict,” Tess Renker, U of Oklahoma
2. “Slowness Unthought: Narrative Distortion and the Animal Gaze in It is Night in America,” Irene Rihuete Varea, Brown U
3. “Evanescence and Fluid Memory in Cecilia Vicuña's Early Precarios,” Haley Stewart, U of California, Berkeley
4. “Rewritings of the Pampean ‘Desert' in Contemporary Argentine Literature and Theater,” María Victoria Taborelli, Brown U
552. Teaching Marx's Capital
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Camp
A special session. Presiding: Paul Reitter, Ohio State U, Columbus
1. “The Working Day,” Simon Horn, Brown U
2. “Original Accumulation,” Ever E. Osorio, Yale U
3. “(Political) Economy,” Gabriel Wartinger, University C London
4. “Value Form, Natural Form,” Matthew Shafer, Florida International U
5. “Industrial Agriculture,” Aida Feng, Yale U
6. “Commodity,” Oliver Arellano Padilla, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
7. “Necessities of Nature, Necessities of Production,” Christian Schlenker, Tübingen U
8. “Capitalist Accumulation, Accumulation of Surplus Populations,” Peter Raccuglia, Shanghai Tech U
Respondents: Paul North, Yale U; Paul Reitter
Marx's Capital informs the understanding of literature and culture, but has Capital been understood? Participants refer to the new Princeton translation to teach attendees how to teach a new Capital, whose categories have been unearthed from under the weight of Marxisms and sharpened by feminists and scholars of race. And new philological insights have produced new theoretical insights about value, history, and the power of text and context.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/1IrLj_ExgEg_uuF-VfB9ZxEdl3VAVk68neVgdUncHibo/edit?usp=drive_link.
553. Sick, Sad Girls: Experiences of Chronic Illness in Women's Poetry
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Maria Rovito, Albany C of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
1. “Survival as an Act of Protest in Contemporary Women's Poetry,” Ronnie Stephens, Tarrant County C, TX
2. “Backwashes and Eddies: ‘The Rest,'” Jane Huffman, U of Denver
3. “Blood, Verse, and Liberation: Sylvia Plath's Poetic Exploration of Menstruation,” Maria Rovito
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
Saturday, 11 January 12:30 p.m.
555. MLA Delegate Assembly
12:30–5:00 p.m., St. Charles Ballroom
Presiding: Tina Lu, Yale U
This meeting is only open to MLA members.
For related material, visit www.mla.org/DA-Agenda-2025 after 11 Dec.
Saturday, 11 January 1:45 p.m.
556. Reading (Pre)Posterously: Modern Greek Literature through Queer, Weird, and Ecocritical Lenses
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the Modern Greek Studies Association
1. “Weirding Island Utopias: From M. Karagatsis's The Lost Island to Judith Schalansky's ‘Tuanaki,'” Maria Boletsi, Leiden U
2. “Ilias Venezis's Serenity and the Longue Durée of Displacement,” Karen Emmerich, Princeton U
3. “Reading against Belatedness in the Queer Mediterranean,” Nikolas Kakkoufa, Columbia U
557. Edith Wharton and the Politics of Visibility
1:45–3:00 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the Edith Wharton Society
1. “Detailing Plants and Reading Ecological History in Edith Wharton's Summer,” Jennifer Haytock, State U of New York, Brockport
2. “Invisible Desires, Uncanny Marriages,” Melanie V. Dawson, William and Mary
3. “Edith Wharton's Politics of Invisibility,” Cynthia J. Davis, U of South Carolina, Columbia
4. “What Adaptations Make Visible: The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome on Broadway,” Meredith Lynn Goldsmith, Ursinus C
558. Dante and Science
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the Dante Society of America. Presiding: Anne Leone, Syracuse U
1. “Smelling Purgatorio,” Katherine McKee, U of Oxford
2. “Dante, Transhumanism, and Personal Immortality,” Olivia Holmes, Binghamton U, State U of New York
3. “Reason and Observation: An Analysis of Beatrice's Cosmological Methodologies in Paradiso II,” Charles East, Columbia U
4. “Time, Space, and the Hypersphere: A (Re)Proposal for Dante's Stars,” Louis Moffa, Columbia U
559. William Morris and Collaboration
1:45–3:00 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the William Morris Society. Presiding: Florence S. Boos, U of Iowa
1. “Morris's Legacy in J. M. Dent and Letchworth's Publishing Industries,” Caterina Domeneghini, Oxford U
2. “Artistic Collaboration in the Kelmscott Chaucer and Future Possibilities,” Xinyuan Qiu, Binghamton U, State U of New York
3. “Stained Glass in the Sacred Heart Chapel at Roehampton: Burne-Jones, Morris, and Angela B. Coutts,” Jude V. Nixon, Salem State U
4. “William Morris, T. S. Eliot, and the Proposed Demolition of Nineteenth-Century Churches,” Robert Fishman, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
For related material, write to [email protected].
560. Thinking beyond Brecht: Collective and Artificial Intelligence
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the International Brecht Society. Presiding: Stephen Matthew Brockmann, Carnegie Mellon U
1. “Ui and AI in Toronto: An Irresistible Pairing?,” Joerg Esleben, U of Ottawa
2. “Brecht's Historical Anthropology of Technology,” Hans-Christian von Herrmann, Technische U Berlin
3. “Blind Leading the Blind: The Johannas of Schiller and Brecht—Corruptibility of Collective Thought,” Luke Beller, Johns Hopkins U, MD
Respondent: Marc David Silberman, U of Wisconsin, Madison
562. Revising the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity for Program Growth
1:45–3:00 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Presiding: Meg Malone, ACTFL
1. “Using the Guidelines in Language Programs,” Fernando Rubio, U of Utah
2. “Proficiency Considerations for Undergraduate Programs,” Cori Crane, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
563. Literary Name Games: Onomastic Indexes, Icons, and Symbols
1:45–3:00 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the American Name Society. Presiding: Anne W. Anderson, American Name Soc.
1. “The Onomastic Mystery of Chaucer's Maius,” David Sharp, Carleton U Library
2. “‘Who Knowes Not Arlo-hill?': Indexing Toponyms in Spenser's Poetic Ireland,” Claire Eager, C of Wooster
3. “Reluctant Onomatologists in Verse Satire,” Michael Edson, U of Wyoming
564. Global African (In)Visible Archives
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum LLC African since 1990. Presiding: Matthew Omelsky, U of Rochester
1. “The Plantation Matrix in the Caribbean Rim: A Diasporic Perspective from Cable to Condé,” Supriya M. Nair, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2. “Recipes Unwritten: African American Cooking in the Culinary Archive,” Kayci Merritte, Brown U
3. “Grassroots Organizations and University Archives: Community Writing Magazines at the University of Zambia,” Susanna Sacks, Howard U
565. Psychoanalysis for Nonfascist Life
1:45–3:00 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum TC Psychology, Psychoanalysis, and Literature. Presiding: Jay Garcia, New York U
Speakers: Dina Al-Kassim, U of British Columbia; Elizabeth Berman, Brown U; Jess Cotton, U of Cambridge; Adam Koutajian, Harvard U; Klaus Mladek, Dartmouth C; Mikko Tuhkanen, Texas A&M U, College Station; Xinyu H. Zhang, Cornell U
Which strands of psychoanalytic thinking might be activated today to both interpret contemporary forms of fascism and offer avenues of thought and practice toward nonfascist formations? Panelists consider several literatures of psychoanalysis, broadly construed, emphasizing recuperations of psychoanalytic thought that could further projects of what Michel Foucault called “non-fascist life.”
566. Comedy and Horror
1:45–3:00 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum MS Screen Arts and Culture. Presiding: Danielle Fuentes Morgan, Santa Clara U
1. “Black Dramaturgy, Stereotype, and Comedic Timing: A Bone of Contention,” Delarys Ramos Estrada, U of California, Berkeley
2. “Gaslighting the Damsel in Distress: Horror Parodies as Critiques of the Francoist Dictatorship,” Diana Jorza, Saint Mary's C, IN
3. “Sound Bites: The Undead Threat of Percival Everett's The Trees and Gayl Jones's Corregidora,” Marguerite Adams, Emory U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/screen-arts-and-culture/.
567. Are Victorian Studies and Modernism Obsolete? On Teaching beyond Traditional Fields
1:45–3:00 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forum LLC Victorian and Early-20th-Century English. Presiding: Amy R. Wong, Dominican U of California
Speakers: Will Clark, San Francisco State U; Donal Harris, U of Memphis; Cherrie Kwok, U of Virginia; Oishani Sengupta, U of Texas, El Paso; Lorenzo Servitje, Lehigh U
Discussing effective teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels amid the increasing obsolescence of Victorian studies and modernism, participants explore new avenues for interdisciplinary teaching and training, skills-based mentoring in research and archival work, connecting historical texts to present panics, addressing the global and transnational turn(s), and undisciplining generative AI.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/victorian-and-early-20th-century-english/ after 8 Nov.
568. Representing East Asian Indigenous Identities, Minority Nationalities, and Marginal Ethnicities
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the forums LLC East Asian and LLC Modern and Contemporary Chinese. Presiding: Christopher M. Lupke, U of Alberta
Speakers: Mario De Grandis, Ohio State U, Columbus; Dorothee Hou, Moravian U; Banu Kaygusuz Tezel, U of Toronto; Eason Lu, Columbia U; Nayoung Seo, George Washington U; Irit Weinberg, Hebrew U
Speakers discuss an array of experiences featuring those on the margins of East Asian societies in which Indigenous peoples, minority nationalities, and aboriginal groups abound, focusing on representations of the non-Han peoples of China, Indigenous people of northern Japan, migrants in Japan, and North Korean refugees in South Korea.
For related material, write to [email protected].
569. Literary Institutions
1:45–3:00 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the forum LLC Late-19th- and Early-20th-Century American. Presiding: Nathan Wolff, Tufts U
1. “Solidarity through the Pen: Women's Press Associations as Literary Institutions,” Ena Ozaki, Boston U
2. “The Fetish of the Archive,” Michelle Taylor, U of Cambridge
3. “Black Women and the Birth Control Review,” Alex M. Anderson, Purdue U, West Lafayette
4. “Authorial Designs: Daniel Berkeley Updike, Edith Wharton, and the Craft of US Literature circa 1900,” Sheila Liming, Champlain C
570. Vast Black Atlantics
1:45–3:00 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LLC Early American
1. “Obour Tanner's Grief,” Tara Bynum, U of Iowa
2. “Black Manhood as an Ethic of Care: Resisting Rape in Colonial Brazil,” Matthew Pettway, U of South Alabama
3. “The Transatlantic Slave Ad: Examining the Legibility of the Enslaved from Restoration England to Revolutionary America,” Alyssa Smith, U of Iowa
4. “Maria Stewart's Prophetic Imagination: The Emergence of a Heterodox Black Prophetic Tradition,” Jarvis Young, U of Arkansas, Fayetteville
571. Recovery and Cultures of Care in Middle English Literature
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum LLC Middle English. Presiding: Ruen-chuan Ma, Utah Valley U
1. “Re(Dis)covering Will, Failure, and Piers Plowman,” Richard H. Godden, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Deep Care and Pregnancy Recovery in ‘The Pregnant Abbess and the Virgin Mary,'” Carissa Harris, Temple U, Philadelphia
3. “Overheard Prognoses and Middle English Epistemologies of Recovery,” Yea Jung Park, Saint Louis U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/middle-english/.
572. Repositioning Iberian Studies in Language and Culture Teaching
1:45–3:00 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Spanish and Iberian and the ALCESXXI: Asociación Internacional de Literatura y Cine Españoles Siglo XXI. Presiding: Lennie Amores, Albright C
Speakers: Felipe Gutierrez, Northwestern U; Ana León-Távora, Salem C; Ian Russell, Yale U; Steven Torres, U of Nebraska, Omaha; Anna Tybinko, Vanderbilt U; Ana Zapata-Calle, U of West Georgia
Through critiquing whiteness abroad, decolonizing museums, teaching antiracism, diversifying curricula with music, employing autoethnography, and fostering community engagement, participants share innovative strategies for repositioning Iberian studies. These inclusive practices create transformative learning experiences that validate identities, challenge biases, and empower students as critical, globally competent agents of change.
For related material, visit lennieamores.mla.hcommons.org/ after 3 Jan.
573. Language Learning with AI: Insights from Research
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LSL Applied Linguistics. Presiding: Richard G. Kern, U of California, Berkeley; Gillian Lord, U of Florida
1. “Is This the Dawn of a New Era? AI's Potential to Revolutionize Language Education,” Kevin Michael Gaugler, Marist C
2. “Corpus-Based Genre Pedagogy Meets Generative AI: Principles, Applications, and New Opportunities,” Xiaofei Lu, Penn State U, University Park
3. “AI-Based Feedback in Language Learning: Exploring the Potential of Chatbots in Enhancing Student Self-Efficacy,” Spyridon Simotas, U of Virginia
574. Spaces and Cultures of the Eighteenth-Century French-Speaking World
1:45–3:00 p.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the forum LLC 18th-Century French. Presiding: Chloe Edmondson, Stanford U
1. “Spaces of Violence and Intimacy in the Theater of the French Terror,” Logan Connors, U of Miami
2. “The Other in French Enlightenment Mythologies of Origin and Identity,” Hanna Roman, Dickinson C
3. “Colonial Spaces in Eighteenth-Century Epistolary Novels,” Angela Gatto, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
4. “North America and China in Eighteenth-Century France,” Robert Twiss, U of Toronto
576. Beyond Land Acknowledgments: The (In)Visibility of Indigenous Literary Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum LLC Indigenous Literatures of the United States and Canada. Presiding: Francisco Delgado, Borough of Manhattan Community C, City U of New York
Speakers: Francisco Delgado; Amanda Hardy, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge; Helen Makhdoumian, Vanderbilt U; Matthew Mosher, Montclair State U
What strategies can we use to make Indigenous literary studies more visible in English curricula? How can we welcome Indigenous literatures, literary traditions, and communities more meaningfully into our classrooms? Participants share specific strategies and assignments they have used in their classes.
577. Reading Bodies in Movement: The Politics and Poetics of Migration in Latin American Literature
1:45–3:00 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forums LLC Mexican and LLC 20th- and 21st-Century Latin American. Presiding: Emily Celeste Vazquez Enriquez, U of California, Davis
1. “Masculinidad migrante: Misoginia y homofobia en Paraíso Travel y Nunca entres por Miami,” Javier Ramirez Franco, U of Houston
2. “The Affective Reality of a Working Migrant Body in Central American Literature,” Tijana Cupic, Boston U
3. “Makina the Debtor, Makina the Creditor: Migrant Bodies and Moral Debt in Yuri Herrera's Señales que precederán al fin del mundo,” Angel Diaz-Davalos, Loyola Marymount U
4. “Digital Migration at the United States–Mexico Border in Alex Rivera's Sleep Dealer,” Cara Kinnally, Purdue U, West Lafayette
578. From Sight to Sensibilities: The Limits of Visibility in Composition
1:45–3:00 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum RCWS History and Theory of Composition. Presiding: Rebecca Lorimer Leonard, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
1. “The ‘Normal' Writer Making Sense of (Dis)Ability and Literacy,” Elisabeth Miller, U of Nevada, Reno
2. “‘Nevertheless, They Will Persist in Telling Their Story': Sexual Violence Disclosure and Writing,” Stephanie Larson, Carnegie Mellon U
3. “Historicizing the Sonico-Musical: Music-Based Knowledge Making in Composition Studies,” Steve Lamos, U of Colorado, Boulder
579. Mediating the South
1:45–3:00 p.m., Quarterdeck B
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global South. Presiding: Emilie N. Diouf, Brandeis U; Cherene Monique Sherrard-Johnson, Pomona C
1. “Computing Global South Literary Inc and the China Effect,” Amrita De, Penn State U, University Park
2. “Translating (In)Visible Trans-Global South Imaginaries,” Xiaoxi Zhang, Habib U
3. “Marginal Literacy: (De)Constructing Archive Assemblages in Anil's Ghost,” Qiao Yang Chen, U of Iowa
4. “Voice against Religio-cultural Determinants in the Poetry of Taslima Nasrin,” Subrata Chandra Mozumder, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
580. A Conversation with Hernan Diaz
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the PMLA Editorial Board. Presiding: Brent Hayes Edwards, Columbia U
Speaker: Hernan Diaz, Columbia U
Building on the special feature in the October 2023 issue of PMLA, the editor of the journal talks with Hernan Diaz about his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, Trust, as well as his recently reissued novel, In the Distance.
581. Community Colleges, Artificial Intelligence, and the Multilingual Workplace
1:45–3:00 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Community Colleges. Presiding: Sharon Ahern Fechter, Montgomery C, Takoma Park Silver Spring Campus, MD; Tomonori Nagano, LaGuardia Community C, City U of New York
1. “More than AI: How Today's Community Colleges Prepare Language Students for the Workplace of Tomorrow,” Erika Bucciantini, Montgomery C, MD; Sarah Campbell, Montgomery C, Germantown Campus, MD
2. “Empowering World Language Learners at Community Colleges: Leveraging AI for Career Readiness,” Dali Tan, Northern Virginia Community C
3. “Training Students to Use AI in the World Language Classroom,” Erika Stevens, Walters State Community C, TN
4. “‘I'm Sorry, Dave. I'm Afraid I Can't Do That': AI, Panic, and Fear in the Community College,” Jaime Weida, Borough of Manhattan Community C, City U of New York
582. (In)Visibility of Adjuncts
1:45–3:00 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Contingent Labor in the Profession. Presiding: Stacey Amo, U of Wisconsin, Superior; Amee Schmidt, Marshalltown Community C, IA
1. “If an Adjunct Isn't Offered a Section, Does It Make a Sound?,” Shilo Morlang, U of Wisconsin, Superior
2. “Invisible Adjunct, Indispensable Labor,” Nathan Nikolic, Baruch C, City U of New York
3. “Adjuncting in the Rural West: An Academic, Economic, and Ethical Crisis,” Lindsay Stephens, Oglala Lakota C, SD
583. Building Coalitions: Advocating for Graduate Labor Needs across Institutions
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Humanities. Presiding: Kate Ostrom, Wayne State U
1. “Devil's Bargain: Unionizing in the Right-to-Work South,” Madeleine Collier, Duke U; Jaeyeon Yoo, Duke U
2. “Labor Unions and Race Work,” Shruti Jain, Binghamton U, State U of New York
3. “Philly Is a Union Town: Reflections on the 2023 TUGSA Strike,” Albert Hahn, Temple U
4. “Practicing a Slow Resistance in Building a New Union,” Kathleen Dillon, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
584. Rereading Generative AI
1:45–3:00 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Convention and Events. Presiding: Matthew Kirschenbaum, U of Maryland, College Park; Rita Raley, U of California, Santa Barbara
Speakers: Katherine Elkins, Kenyon C; Meredith Martin, Princeton U; Seth Perlow, Georgetown U; Aarthi Vadde, Duke U
Panelists assess the state of the disciplinary (and public) conversation around generative AI technologies a year after the MLA convention session “Reading Generative AI.” Topics include new developments in the technical state of the art, the profession's responses, and the shifting landscape for reading, writing, and textuality; discussion focuses on new avenues for theory, practice, and critique.
585. Futures of the Medical Humanities
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Convention and Events. Presiding: James Phelan, Ohio State U, Columbus
Speakers: Eleni Eva Coundouriotis, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Martha Cutter, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Roxana Delbene, C of New Jersey; Jess Libow, Haverford C; Sarah Nance, United States Air Force Acad.; Sowon S. Park, U of California, Santa Barbara; Claire Seiler, Dickinson C; Christin Zurbach, Cedar Sinai / Huntington Library
Participants in last year’s convention seminar “Medical Humanities: A Pandemic State of the Field” continue to examine shifts in medical humanities during and since the COVID-19 pandemic.
586. The Academic Workforce in Languages and Literatures: Research and Advocacy
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Research. Presiding: Gayle Rogers, U of Pittsburgh
Speakers: Sherry Johnson, Grand Valley State U; Kyra A. Kietrys, Davidson C; Margie Nelson Rodriguez, El Paso Community C, TX; Katherine Weiss, California State U, Los Angeles
The ADE-ALD Ad Hoc Committee on the Academic Workforce in Languages and Literatures is studying workforce, workload, and working conditions in languages and literatures over the course of two years. Panelists offer preliminary findings and share their experiences and models.
587. Transphobia Past and Present
1:45–3:00 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Jessy Nyiri, U of California, Berkeley
1. “A Few Dos of Antitransphobic Criticism,” Grace Lavery, U of California, Berkeley
2. “How to Be a Woman Though Male: On Uncertainty and Trans Pedagogy,” RL Goldberg, Princeton U
3. “Trans Tone,” Colby W. Gordon, Bryn Mawr C
Respondent: Alexis Ferguson, Princeton U
588. Queer Urban and Rural Studies Now
1:45–3:00 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Philip Longo, U of California, Santa Cruz
Speakers: Drew Kiser, U of California, Berkeley; Philip Longo; Mary Rose Manspeaker, West Virginia U, Morgantown; Brandon Menke, U of Notre Dame; Byron Miller, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
Respondent: Jack Jen Gieseking, Mount Holyoke C
Considering new literary and cultural approaches to queer rural and urban studies, presenters model queer literary and cultural methods beyond a focus on gay districts in large cities to more complexly represent how race, gender, and sexuality shape space, community, and history.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Nov.
589. What Is Palestinian American Literature?
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A2
A special session. Presiding: Danny Luzon, U of Haifa
1. “Palestine as a Metaphor: The Case of Randa Jarrar and Susan Abulhawa,” Rand Khalil, U of Houston
2. “An Anatomy of Palestinian American Literature,” Benjamin Schreier, Penn State U, University Park
3. “The Translator as Storyteller: Restorying in Anton Shammas's Late Style,” Danny Luzon
590. Indigenous (In)Visibilities in Brazil
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 22
A special session. Presiding: Xana Furtado, U of California, Los Angeles
1. “Unearthing Female Indigenous Characters in Maria Firmina dos Reis's Gupeva,” Xana Furtado
2. “Claude Lévi-Strauss Drawings: (In)Visible Monuments to the Brazilian Kinship of Structures,” Ginevra Bria, Rice U
3. “The Toxic Desecration of Indigenous Territories in Oré Awé Roiru´a Ma, by Kaká Werá Jecupé,” Christian Elguera, Saint Mary's U, TX
591. Genres of Justice
1:45–3:00 p.m., Kabacoff
A special session. Presiding: Torsa Ghosal, California State U, Sacramento
1. “Indigenizing Modernity: U. R. Ananthamurthy's Samskara as Postcolonial Bildungsroman,” Arnab Dutta Roy, Florida Gulf Coast U
2. “The Social Impact of the Novella in Literature from Northeast India,” Aruni Kashyap, U of Georgia
3. “Fictionality and Affect in Generative AI-Authored Immigration Narratives,” Torsa Ghosal
For related material, write to [email protected].
592. Legacies of 1975 in Southeast Asia and Its Diasporas: Fifty Years Afterward
1:45–3:00 p.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Leslie Barnes, Australian National U; Howie Tam, Brandeis U
Speakers: Karl Ashoka Britto, U of California, Berkeley; Elizabeth Collins, U of Pennsylvania; Caroline D. Laurent, American U of Paris; Catherine Nguyen, Emerson C; Giang Huong Nguyen, Bibliotheque nationale de France; Maika Nguyen, University C Dublin; Alan Yeh, U of California, Berkeley
Focusing on francophone cultural productions, panelists revisit the year 1975 as a nodal point to illuminate the trajectories of imperialism and migration that link France, Southeast Asia, and the United States—including in New Orleans, where the Vietnamese represent the second largest immigrant community.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Dec.
593. Neoliberalism and the Persistence of the Collective in Latin American Literature and Cinema
1:45–3:00 p.m., Quarterdeck A
A special session. Presiding: Oriele Benavides, Princeton U
1. “Multihispanic Utopianism? Ethos, Aesthetics, and Politics of the ‘Las Yubartas' Literary Award,” Alan Mendoza Sosa, Yale U
2. “Pulling the Strings: Feminist Friendship and the Revista de la Universidad de México,” Isabella Vergara, Northwestern U
3. “Writing the Antiauthoritarian Body: A Conference on Feminine Literature (Chile, 1987),” Oriele Benavides
4. “Popular Representation at the Ends of Latin American Cinema,” Thomas Matusiak, SWPS U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/neoliberalism-and-the-persistence-of-the-collective-in-latin-american-literature-and-cinema/.
594. Literary and Sonic Ecologies of Black New Orleans
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Carter Mathes, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Speakers: Courtney Bryan, Tulane U; Helen Ganiy, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Karisma Price, Tulane U; Kim Vaz, Xavier U, LA; Melissa Weber, Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz
How have Black musicians and composers (re-)created the sounds of New Orleans in their music, and how have Black writers translated these musical soundscapes into the aesthetics of their poetry and prose? Creative artists and scholars from within and outside New Orleans consider the rich histories of tradition and innovation distinguishing music and writing in Black New Orleans.
595. How Applied Language Programs Attract Students and Shore Up Support for Departments
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill B1
A special session
Speakers: John Putman, San Diego State U, San Diego; Christian Rubio, Bentley U; Natalia Santamaria Laorden, Ramapo C of New Jersey
Panelists highlight successful initiatives from language departments and cover the nuts and bolts of how to build and promote programs.
Saturday, 11 January 3:30 p.m.
596. Unveiling Layers: Sensory Experiences and Visible Narratives in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish and Iberian Literature
3:30–5:15 p.m., St. James Ballroom
Presiding: Carmela V. Mattza, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
1. “Past Vision: Noise and Other Frequencies,” Simone Pinet, Cornell U
2. “Games Warriors and Lovers Play: Deceit, Power, and Death,” A. Robert Lauer, U of Oklahoma
3. “Journalism, Literature, and the Senses in Early Modern Iberia,” Marina Brownlee, Princeton U
4. “Sensing Spaces, Invisible Architectures in Don Quixote,” Frederick A. De Armas, U of Chicago
5. “From Transatlantic to Global Spanish: The Pacific Turn in Hispanic and Latin American Studies,” Ricardo Padrón, U of Virginia
Speakers dig into the rich literary tapestry of the Iberian Peninsula in the dynamic years from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, dissecting the intricate interplay between sensory perception and storytelling and examining how writers evoke sights, sounds, and emotions in their narratives. Speakers present innovative methodologies, encouraging participants to look deeper into both established and lesser-known texts.
597. Think like a Reviewer: How to Write an Effective Research Grant Proposal
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Presiding: Elizabeth Berkowitz, American Trust for the British Library
Speakers: Ashley Buchanan, Folger Shakespeare Library; Paul Erickson, William L. Clements Library; William P. Stoneman, Harvard U
Join the American Trust for the British Library and distinguished fellowship program managers for a virtual workshop aimed at helping students and faculty members alike effectively present their research for special collections grant applications. Using anonymous templates and examples from applications, panelists break down the mind-set of a reviewer and answer questions regarding best practices, tips, and tricks.
598. Nabokov, Blackness, and Whiteness
3:30–4:45 p.m., Marlborough A
Program arranged by the International Vladimir Nabokov Society. Presiding: Christopher A. Link, State U of New York, New Paltz
1. “Ada in Black and White,” Ana Bumber, Paul Sabatier U
2. “The ‘Wandering Jew' and the ‘Magical Negro': Vladimir Nabokov's Other,” Anoushka Alexander-Rose, U of Southampton
3. “A Revolution of Values: Reading Lolita with bell hooks,” Agnès Edel-Roy, U of Paris-Est Créteil
4. “‘Shadows of Leaves / Roundlets of Live Light': Nabokov in Black and White and the Harmony of Opposites,” Leopold Reigner, U de Rouen-Normandie
For related material, visit thenabokovian.org after 1 Dec.
599. Textual Futures and Generative AI
3:30–4:45 p.m., Canal
Program arranged by the Electronic Literature Organization. Presiding: Lai-Tze Fan, U of Waterloo
Speakers: Kathi Inman Berens, Portland State U; Kavi Duvvoori, U of Waterloo; Dana Gavin, Dutchess Community C, NY; Alexandre Gefen, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Anna Ivanov, Harvard U; Anastasia Salter, U of Central Florida; Paul Shovlin, Ohio U, Athens
As generative AI is becoming more integrated into our word processors and design tools, the lines between computational and human text are blurrier than ever. Speakers explore the future of software-driven composition, considering the implications for authorship, publishing, editing, and scholarly identity. What does it mean to develop critical AI literacy for scholarship? What does this changing digital landscape both make possible and conceal?
For related material, visit anastasiasalter.net/FutureTexts/.
600. Collaborations: Editing, Publishing, and Recovering Texts
3:30–4:45 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Grand Ballroom
Program arranged by the Association for Documentary Editing. Presiding: Nikolaus Wasmoen, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
1. “Margaret Fuller's Periodical Publications,” Brigitte G. Bailey, U of New Hampshire, Durham
2. “Margaret Fuller's Life in Letters,” Megan Marshall, Emerson C
3. “Margaret Fuller's Unpublished Journal Fragments,” Noelle A. Baker, independent scholar
4. “Foundling Futures: Revisiting Petitions from Thomas Coram's Foundling Hospital,” Corey Risinger, New York U
601. John Clare and Change
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the John Clare Society of North America. Presiding: Erica McAlpine, U of Oxford, St Edmund Hall
1. “Unreturning Seasons: The Lyric Present after Habitat Loss,” Cassandra Falke, UiT Norges arktiske U
2. “Settled Science and ‘Unsettled Homes': On John Clare's Swallows,” Olivia Rosane, independent scholar
3. “John Clare and the Fens,” Francesca Mackenney, Library of Congress
4. “How Should We Edit John Clare? Copyright, the Politics of Language, and Textual Criticism,” Simon Kovesi, U of Glasgow
602. Latinx Visions: Latinx Speculative Literature
3:30–4:45 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the American Literature Society. Presiding: Cathryn Merla-Watson, U of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
Speakers: Danielle Garcia-Karr, U of Texas, Austin; Katherine Gillen, Texas A&M U, San Antonio; Matthew Goodwin, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Robb Hernandez, Fordham U; Isabel Millan, U of Oregon; Taryne Jade Taylor, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Karina Vado, Florida Atlantic U
Coeditors of and contributors to the forthcoming edited volume Latinx Visions, which includes scholarship theorizing recent Latinx speculative literature and cultural productions, discuss the new theoretical frameworks and genres of this rapidly growing subfield.
603. See and Be Seen: Les enjeux de la visibilité dans l'oeuvre de George Sand
3:30–4:45 p.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the George Sand Association. Presiding: Kate M. Bonin, Arcadia U
1. “The Aesthetic View in ‘Teverino,’” Amy Parker, independent researcher
2. “Allegories of Sound: Myth and Mystery in George Sand's Les maîtres sonneurs,” Kate Rose, Northern Arizona U
3. “The Efficacy of Invisibility in Two Novels by George Sand,” Derek Berghuis, Graduate Center, City U of New York
4. “‘Cela ne vaut pas la peine d'être regardé': Visible and Invisible Women in Sand's Césarine Dietrich,” Kate M. Bonin
604. Sounding Hawthorne: Silence, Acoustics, and Aurality
3:30–4:45 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society. Presiding: Charles Eaton Baraw, Southern Connecticut State U
1. “‘Let Me Listen to the Murmur of the Sea': Hawthorne's Shipwrecked Soundscape in ‘Footprints on the Sea-Shore,'” Sonia Di Loreto, U of Turin
2. “The Silent Aesthetics of Nature: Symmetry in Hawthorne and Thoreau's Aural Tropes,” Michael Martin, Nicholls State U
3. “Dubious Transcripts and the Sound of Speech in Hawthorne's Theory of Romance,” Charlotte Lindemann, Stanford U
For related material, visit michaelsmartin-hawthorne.mla.hcommons.org.
605. Confinement and Freedom in Doris Lessing and Other Twentieth-Century World Writers
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the Doris Lessing Society. Presiding: Seda Arikan, Firat U
1. “Quandaries of Femininity and Darkness Unspoken in The Summer before the Dark,” Xuan Yao, Beijing Foreign Studies U
2. “Comrade Tigger: Navigating Visible Identity under Colonial Confinement in Doris Lessing's Archive,” Anna Devereux, U of East Anglia
3. “Dealing with the Colonial Baggage: Doris Lessing's and Janet Frame's Southern Life Writing,” Emma Parker, U of Bristol
4. “Reading the Past, Seeing the Future: Prescience and Prisons We Choose to Live Inside,” Terry Reilly, U of Alaska, Fairbanks
606. Roots and Routes: Multimodal Representations of New Orleans in Black Thought and Culture
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the College Language Association
Speakers: Elizabeth Brown-Guillory, Texas Southern U; Amina Gautier, College Language Assn.; Tara Green, U of Houston; Ima Hicks, Virginia Union U; Charles I. Nero, Bates C; Christel Woods, Washington State U, Pullman
Panelists examine topics from New Orleans–related print media to representation by authors (Charles Chesnutt and Alice Dunbar-Nelson) to revolutionary thought and literature.
607. New Normal, New Urgency: Invisible and Emotional Labor in Language Program Advocacy
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill B1
Program arranged by the American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators
1. “Applying Systems Thinking to Address Invisible and Emotional Labor in Language Programs,” Megan M. Ferry, Union C
2. “‘Are You Okay?': Language Instructors' Health and Well-Being in Program Leadership and Administration,” Julia Goetze, U of Wisconsin, Madison
3. “Reach Out, Research, and Reform: Strengthening World Language Education in Wisconsin,” Kimberly Morris, U of Wisconsin, La Crosse
Respondent: Senta Goertler, Michigan State U
For related material, write to [email protected].
609. Trends in the New African Diasporic Literature
3:30–4:45 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC African to 1990. Presiding: Lokangaka Losambe, U of Vermont; Tanure Ojaide, U of North Carolina, Charlotte
Speakers: Ahmed Idrissi Alami, Purdue U, West Lafayette; Juliana Nfah-Abbenyi, North Carolina State U; Cristovao Nwachukwu, U of Florida; Christopher Ouma, Duke U; Brian Valente-Quinn, U of Colorado, Boulder
Participants discuss the transnational, multivocal writings of immigrant African authors produced in Europe, North America, and elsewhere in the world in three major aesthetic paradigms, as identified in The Routledge Handbook of the New African Diasporic Literature: the Sankofan wave (late 1960s to early 1990s), the Janusian wave (1990s to 2020s), and the “offshoots of the new arrivants” (those born or having grown up outside Africa).
610. Visible and Invisible Cities in Medieval and Early Modern Italy
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC Medieval and Renaissance Italian. Presiding: Silvia Raimondi, Johns Hopkins U, MD
1. “In Search of a Hometown: Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, and the Myth of Stability in Early Modern Italy,” Zoe Burgard, Yale U
2. “Utopia incognita: Tasso and the Decolonial Imagination,” Kate Driscoll, Duke U
3. “Between Labor and Miracle: The (In)Visible Foundations of Venice,” Toni Veneri, Colby C
611. The Animal in the Portuguese-Speaking World
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum LLC Luso-Brazilian. Presiding: Pedro Craveiro, U of California, Santa Barbara
1. “Animals in Contemporary Amazonian Art,” Patrícia Vieira, U of Coimbra
2. “Animality and Defiant Geographies in ‘Crônicas de São Paulo,’ by Daniel Munduruku,” Christian Elguera, Saint Mary's U, TX
3. “Animal Intelligence and Glissantian Relation in João Guimarães Rosa's ‘O burrinho pedrês,'” Rex Nielson, Brigham Young U, UT
4. “Ulisses Lispector: The Dog of Clarice Lispector,” Pedro Craveiro
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/luso-brazilian/.
612. The Latinx Gothic
3:30–4:45 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the forum LLC Chicana and Chicano. Presiding: Amanda Ellis, U of Houston
1. “Gothic All Along: The Inter-American Haunting of Latinx Literature,” Erin L. Murrah-Mandril, U of Texas, Arlington
2. “Mythology and Horror: The Representation of Gender Violence in Out of Aztlan,” Ana Cervantes, Arizona State U, Tempe
3. “Sound, Silence, and Strange Weather in Myriam Gurba's Chicanx Gothic Memoir,” Wanda Alarcón, U of Arizona, Tucson
613. Jerks Revisited
3:30–4:45 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century English and Anglophone. Presiding: Kaneesha Parsard, U of Chicago
Speakers: Nasser Mufti, U of Illinois, Chicago; Jess Rafalko, Penn State U, University Park; Rahul Sen, Tufts U; Anna Thomas, U of Toronto; Ameeth Vijay, U of California, San Diego
Building on the theories of antisociality, severity, rudeness, self-absorption, and ugly feelings first presented at “Jerks,” a session at the 2024 MLA convention, panelists ask what purchase these types of negativity might have for criticism today.
614. South Asian Translations
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum TC Translation Studies. Presiding: Srimati Mukherjee, Temple U, Philadelphia
1. “‘Vocabularies of Desire': The Queer Subject in Ramswarup Dubey's Translation of Oscar Wilde,” Swarnika Ahuja, Vivekananda Inst. of Professional Studies
2. “Conflict, Memory, and Translation: The Birangona Narratives from Bangladesh,” Masrufa Nusrat, U of Texas, Dallas
3. “Exploring Multilingualism and Cultural Translation: A Comparative Analysis,” Sushil Jha, Washington U in St. Louis
4. “Translating Drama through a Critical Disability Study Lens: Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug,” Anandi Rao, SOAS, U of London
615. Papermaking, Indigeneity, and Colonialism
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the forum TM Book History, Print Cultures, Lexicography. Presiding: Leila Walker, Queens C, City U of New York
1. “Tapa, Amate, and Birchbark: Indigenous Paper and Papermaking,” Amy Gore, North Dakota State U
2. “Paper among the Trees: British Books and Nuu-chah-nulth Media History,” Miranda Burgess, U of British Columbia
3. “Paper Herbarium of Léorier-Delisle: Arboreal Politics in the Eighteenth-Century Pacific Plant Paper Trade,” Javiera Barrientos, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
4. “Papermaking and Book Arts among the Cao Lan Ethnic Group in Northeastern Vietnam,” James Ojascastro, independent scholar
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/book-history-print-cultures-lexicography/documents/ after 2 Jan.
616. Teaching and the Gig Economy
3:30–4:45 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum HEP Teaching as a Profession. Presiding: Anna Gudauskas, independent scholar
Speakers: Yara Lopez, PROBEM; Ivan Alberto Sanchís Pedregosa, U Autónoma de Baja California; Heather Steffen, Georgetown U; Svetlana Tyutina, California State U, Northridge; Kimberly Wells, California State U, Northridge
Respondent: Melissa Favara, Clark C
Panelists explore the intersection of teaching and the gig economy, sharing insights on evolving educational models, workforce dynamics, and impact on educators.
617. Representation of Cultural Otherness in the Teaching of Literature
3:30–4:45 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the forum TM The Teaching of Literature. Presiding: A. Mia Elise Adjoumani, Felix Houphouet-Boigny U
1. “Reading Amiri Baraka in Haifa,” Andrew Gorin, New York U; Rima Khavekina, U of Haifa
2. “Holocaust Literature's Other Cultural Others,” Simon Abramowitsch, Chabot C
3. “Intersecting Narratives: Navigating Otherness in Literary Pedagogy,” Ridita Mizan, Illinois State U
4. “Contribution of Learners' Mythological Knowledge to the Unveiling of Cultural Otherness,” A. Mia Elise Adjoumani; Léontine Troh Gueyes, Felix Houphouet-Boigny U
Respondent: Jessica DeSpain, Southern Illinois U, Edwardsville
619. Crip Technoscience
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum TC Disability Studies. Presiding: M. Remi Yergeau, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1. “The Cruel Optimism of Universal Design: Crip Futures in Higher Education,” Philip Bonanno, Penn State U, University Park
2. “Disability, Doping, and Girlhood on Ice,” Danielle Nelson, U of Wisconsin, Madison
3. “Toxic Times, Crip Futures: The Story of DES in Ruth Ozeki's My Year of Meats,” Jae-Min Yoo, U of California, Berkeley
620. Multilingual Solidarities in and against Settler Colonial Regimes: Algeria, Palestine, and Beyond
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the forum TC Memory Studies. Presiding: Jill Jarvis, Yale U
Speakers: Refqa Abu-Remaileh, Freie U Berlin; Sakiru Adebayo, U of British Columbia; Amal Eqeiq, Williams C; Olivia C. Harrison, U of Southern California; Maru Pabón, Brown U
Scholars think together through the interconnected problems of memory, archive, and aesthetics in situations of settler colonialism, with particular—but not exclusive—attention to points of contact between Algeria and Palestine.
621. Japanese Horror Literature in Global Contexts: From New Orleans to Tokyo
3:30–4:45 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Japanese since 1900. Presiding: Pedro Bassoe, Purdue U, West Lafayette
1. “Water Margins: Ethnographic Gazes and Archipelagic Thought in the Horror Writing of Lafcadio Hearn,” Peter Bernard, Keio U
2. “Tokyo Sonata: Horror Aesthetics, Japan's Economic Recession, and the Nuclear Family,” Hannah Airriess, Indiana U, Bloomington
3. “Ear Flips the Script: Surrealism, Intermediality, and Resensing Horror in A Page of Madness,” Chelsea Ward, Wellesley C
4. “Folk, Capital, and Colony: Toward a Typological Reading of Zombies in Japanese Popular Culture,” Charles Exley, U of Pittsburgh
622. Blood and Ice: Circuits of Textuality, Performativity, and Ecocriticism in the Medieval North
3:30–4:45 p.m., Starboard
Program arranged by the forum LLC Old Norse. Presiding: Sarah M. Anderson, Princeton U
1. “Material Philology and the Intersection of Orality and Literacy in Old Norse Literature,” Eric Bryan, Missouri U of Science and Tech.
2. “What Is in the Depths of the Wound-Sea? Kennings for Blood in Old Norse Skaldic Encomium,” Kate Heslop, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Flowing toward the End of the World: Acoustic and Glacial Palimpsests in Old Norse Mythology,” Timothy Liam Waters, U of California, Berkeley
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/old-norse/ after 1 Jan.
623. Let's Collab!
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Late-18th-Century English. Presiding: Sarah Tindal Kareem, U of California, Los Angeles; Amit Yahav, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
1. “Collaborative Authorship and Abolition: Belinda Sutton's Petition,” David Diamond, U of Georgia; James Reeves, Texas State U
2. “Clubbing Together: Swift, Pope, and Collaborative Authorship,” Judith Hawley, Royal Holloway, U of London
3. “Collaborative Fiction(s) and Common Property,” S. Cailey Hall, U of California, Los Angeles
624. Public Humanities Incubator Showcase
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Academic Program Services. Presiding: Janine M. Utell, MLA
Speakers: Sarah Buchmeier, Lowell National Historical Park; Adam Capitanio, Humanities NY; Bridget Kelly, Washington U in St. Louis; Stacie McCormick, Texas Christian U; Katharine G. Trostel, Ursuline C
Throughout the fall, graduate students interested in public humanities scholarship have been working closely with mentors from both humanities higher education and the nonprofit sector to develop new work. Join the 2024 cohort of the Public Humanities Incubator as students present the products of their collaboration with their mentors, and learn more about how the MLA is supporting public humanities scholarship and practice.
For related material, visit publichumanitiesincubator.mla.hcommons.org/.
625. K–16 ELA Classroom Concerns
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on K–16 Alliances. Presiding: Heather Smith, Dedham Public Schools, MA
1. “Closing Reading Achievement Gaps in the Science of Reading Era,” Heather Smith
2. “Generative AI in High School AP Language and Composition,” Rachel Heffner-Burns, Kingswood Oxford School, CT
3. “Rural Literacies,” Maggie Morris Davis, Illinois State U
4. “Capacitating Knowledge: Toward a New Paradigm of Literature Instruction,” Shelby Knighten, U of Oxford
626. Is the Language Requirement Vanishing? Findings from the 2021 MLA Requirements Census and from the Field
3:30–4:45 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Research
1. “How Much Has Changed? Analysis of the 2021 MLA Requirements Census and the Historical Data,” Natalia Lusin, MLA
2. “The Risks and Rewards of the Language Requirement,” Gillian Lord, U of Florida
3. “Issues with Language Requirements at a University Famous for Languages,” Scott Alvord, Brigham Young U, UT
627. Poetry after Gaza
3:30–4:45 p.m., Marlborough B
A special session. Presiding: Huda Fakhreddine, U of Pennsylvania
1. “The Question of Poetry after Gaza,” Nouri Gana, U of California, Los Angeles
2. “‘Fuck Your Lecture on Craft': Gaza, Criticism, and All that Remains,” Anthony Alessandrini, Kingsborough Community C, City U of New York
3. “Literary Temporality and the Time of Genocide,” Jeffrey Sacks, U of California, Riverside
4. “Gaza Reads the Arabic Poetic Tradition,” Huda Fakhreddine
628. After the Myth's End: Genres of the Borderlands/Frontier
3:30–4:45 p.m., Kabacoff
A special session. Presiding: Kristian Ayala, Stanford U
1. “Pictures and Parables of Place: Fray Angélico Chávez's New Mexico Triptych,” Melina Vizcaino-Alemán, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2. “Borderlands as ‘Enlightening Education': The Folk Pedagogy of Jovita González,” Alexandria Ramos, U of Washington, Seattle
3. “Willa Cather in the ‘Country . . . Still Waiting to Be Made into a Landscape,'” Carlos Alonso Nugent, Columbia U
629. Queer Historical Poetics
3:30–4:45 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: James Mulholland, North Carolina State U
1. “Whiteness, Masochism, and Swinburne's Galliambics,” Benjamin Kahan, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Sex and Cybernetic Slapstick,” Cliff Mak, Queens C, City U of New York
3. “Queer Form, Queer Feminism: The Verse Novel,” Lisa L. Moore, U of Texas, Austin
4. “Jos Charles: Riddling the Lyric Body,” Nikki Skillman, Indiana U, Bloomington
For related material, visit queerhistoricalpoetics.mla.hcommons.org/.
630. Afro-Latina Voices Unveiled: Intersections of Feminism, Activism, and Cultural Identity
3:30–4:45 p.m., Quarterdeck B
A special session
Speakers: Alice Balestrino, U of Roma Tre; Aned Ladino, Georgetown U; Ana Marques Garcia, U of California, Santa Barbara; Anaridia Molina, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Maria Victoria Muñoz Cortizo, U of Florida; Rosita Scerbo, Georgia State U; Ariadna Tenorio, U of Florida
Respondent: Jeanne Rosine Abomo Edou, Washington U in St. Louis
Uncovering Afro-Latina narratives, feminism, and activism across the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula, panelists explore transatlantic tales, Afro-Indigenous voices, decolonial art, and Iberian feminist legacies and highlight the role of smaller conferences in Caribbean women's writing and environmental activism in Colombia, aiming to amplify marginalized voices and foster intersectional dialogue.
For related material, visit feministas-unidas.org/.
631. Not the Main Point: On Neurodivergent Tactical Tangentiality
3:30–4:45 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Douglas Kearney, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Speakers: Jessica Horvath Williams, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Douglas Kearney; Diana R. Paulin, Trinity C, CT; Khadijah Queen, Virginia Tech; Julia Miele Rodas, Bronx Community C, City U of New York; Rua M. Williams, Purdue U, West Lafayette; Sean A. Yeager, independent scholar
Both performance and praxis, this Ignite Talk brings together disability scholars and poets to reject ableist notions of digression as failure. Contrasting neurotypical topicality with neurodivergent associative thinking, participants theorize and model digressive forms (e.g., apostrophe, TMI, perseveration) as generative, flattening information hierarchies and proliferating new epistemologies designed for the data abundance that defines the contemporary moment.
For related material, visit z.umn.edu/MLA2025-digression after 2 Jan.
632. Afterlife and Afterlives: Forms of (Un)Making in the Wake of Disasters
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Collin Wingate, U of California, Davis
Speakers: Rajorshi Das, U of Iowa; Rahsaan Mahadeo, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Emily Mitamura, Brown U; Dima Nasser, Brown U; Naimah Petigny, Rhode Island School of Design; Ana Claudia Sao Bernardo, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Panelists examine the relationship between being and form as seen in cultural artifacts (literature, music, film, performance), considering the remedy of repair and the possibility of living that can bloom among the concentric and compounding disasters of chattel slavery, (settler) colonialism, and capitalism.
For related material, write to [email protected].
633. Archive, Seriality, Form: Visibilizing the Methods (and Messes) of Periodical Studies Twenty Years On
3:30–4:45 p.m., Royal
A special session. Presiding: Adam McKible, John Jay C of Criminal Justice, City U of New York
Speakers: Shawn A. Christian, Florida International U; Adam McKible; Sarah Salter, Emory U; Jesse W. Schwartz, LaGuardia Community C, City U of New York
With a focus on how and why we encounter periodicals as singular, complex, and even “messy” objects, panelists engage the intertwining of form and content in periodical analysis alongside the varieties and vagaries of reading practices and multimodal affordances. Panelists also explore questions of accessibility, seriality, and interpretation that emerge when engaging these objects and their archives.
634. Unperformable Theater
3:30–4:45 p.m., Salon 15
A special session. Presiding: Netta Sovinsky, Yale U
1. “The Philosopher's Shoe: Unperformability and the Phenomenology of Disappearance,” Netta Sovinsky
2. “Tieck's Unstageable Dramaturgy: Illusion beyond the Fourth Wall,” Laura Tedford, Columbia U
3. “Brecht's Unstageable Politics: Aesthetic Dogmas in The Measures Taken,” Leonie Ettinger, New York U
4. “Anthropocentrism of the Stage: Hölderlin's Empedocles and the Conditions of Action,” Saurabh Pal, Yale U
635. New Perspectives on Mrs. Dalloway at One Hundred
3:30–4:45 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the International Virginia Woolf Society. Presiding: Ben Leubner, Montana State U
1. “‘It Is Clarissa, He Said': The Anthropology of the Self in Mrs. Dalloway,” Aliya Ram, Princeton U
2. “Clarissa's Theory Realized: The Intimacy of the City in Mrs. Dalloway,” Victoria Bik, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
3. “Two Birds Perched: Victorian and Modern Ideologies, Disability, and Mrs. Dalloway,” Lila Robinett Tindall, U of Southern Mississippi
4. “Millennial Dalloway: Queering the Quivering Rhythm,” Laura Cernat, KU Leuven
Saturday, 11 January 5:15 p.m.
636. The Self-Reflexive Ethics of Post-Postmodernist Fictions of the Digital
5:15–6:30 p.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the International Society for the Study of Narrative. Presiding: Jan Alber, Justus Liebig U Giessen
1. “Toward a Typology of Post-Postmodernist Fictions of the Digital,” Denise Wong, Justus Liebig U Giessen
2. “The Uses and Effects of Digital Media in Transmedial Post-Postmodernist Fictions of the Digital,” Nadia Georgiou, Sheffield Hallam U
3. “Literature on Slack: Readerly Experience and Digital Labor,” Karl Manis, U of Toronto
4. “The Ethical Ramifications of Multimodal and Transmedial Novels of the Twenty-First Century,” Jan Alber
637. Gender in Lusophone Literatures
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the American Portuguese Studies Association. Presiding: Krista Brune, Penn State U, University Park
1. “Women and Housing in Brazilian Literature,” Sophia Beal, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
2. “Gender Is a Battlefield: Juxtaposing War Narratives in Mozambique,” Lidiana de Moraes, Vanderbilt U
3. “‘Mulheres da Vazante e abismos da beleza': Quilombo e ecowomanism em Mata doce,” Cecília Rodrigues, U of Georgia
638. Japan's Ezra Pound: Increasing the Visibility of Japanese Responses to Ezra Pound's Poetry and Poetics
5:15–6:30 p.m., Chart C
Program arranged by the Ezra Pound Society. Presiding: Demetres Tryphonopoulos, U of Alberta
1. “Refracted Images: Poundian Poetics in Japanese Modernist Poetry,” Andrew Houwen, Tokyo Woman's Christian U
2. “Translation and Transliteration: Pound and Japanese Contemporary Poets,” Miho Takahashi, Kansai U
3. “Haruyama Yukio's Ezra Pound,” Akitoshi Nagahata, Nagoya U of Foreign Studies
4. “Poundian and Yeatsian Occultism in Tami Koumé's Vorticism, Reitherism/Etherism, and Beyond,” Akiko Manabe, Shiga U
Respondents: Anderson Araujo, U of British Columbia, Okanagan; Mark Stephen Byron, U of Sydney
For related material, write to [email protected].
639. Thoreau and the (In)Visible
5:15–6:30 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the Thoreau Society. Presiding: Kathleen Coyne Kelly, Northeastern U
1. “A Theology of Insects: Rethinking Thoreau and Unitarianism,” Lydia Willsky-Ciollo, Fairfield U
2. “Thoreau's Wood: Understanding Humans' (In)Visibility in Nature,” Sofia Lago, New York U, Shanghai; Susan Lago, Queensborough Community C, City U of New York
3. “Rubbish, Trash, Waste, and Seeing the Anthropocene in the Works of Henry David Thoreau,” Michael Weisenburg, U of South Carolina, Columbia
4. “The Visible and the Invisible: Thoreau and Merleau-Ponty,” Michael Jonik, U of Sussex
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/.
640. Indigenous Literatures and Christianity
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the Conference on Christianity and Literature. Presiding: Chad Schrock, Lee U
1. “Converting Land: Samson Occom, Joseph Johnson, and Eleazar Wheelock's Christian Conceptions of Land,” Kyle Keeler, Lafayette C
2. “Burial Grounds as Sites of Dissension, Citizenhood, and Zitkala-Ša's Use of Christian Rhetoric,” Makayla Jenkins, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
3. “Indigenous and Christian Transcendence in Louise Erdrich's Future Home of a Living God,” Lauren Sim, U of Saint Thomas, MN
641. Twenty-First-Century Eliot
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the International T. S. Eliot Society. Presiding: John D. McIntyre, U of Prince Edward Island
1. “T. S. Eliot and Emily Hale: Visibility and Invisibility,” Sara Fitzgerald, independent scholar
2. “Echoing Eliot: The Waste Land Online,” Galen Bunting, Northeastern U
3. “Birth Control, Eugenics, and The Waste Land,” Kimberly VanEsveld Adams, Elizabethtown C
642. Strategies for Positive Visibility in Student and Community Engagement
5:15–6:30 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the Association of Departments and Programs of Comparative Literature. Presiding: Sheera Talpaz, Oberlin C
Speakers: Viola Ardeni, California State U, Sacramento; Bernadine Hernandez, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Giovanna Montenegro, Binghamton U, State U of New York; David L. Porter, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Arne Romanowski, U of Dayton
Respondent: Azadeh Yamini-Hamedani, Simon Fraser U
Educators from programs and departments in comparative literature and other related disciplines discuss public-facing or student-oriented practices and initiatives.
643. Marlowe and Writing
5:15–6:30 p.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the Marlowe Society of America. Presiding: Lucy Munro, King's C London
1. “Stateliness: On Christopher Marlowe and Aesthetic Elitism,” Adhaar Noor Desai, Bard C
2. “Queering Dido: Virgilian Echoes in Marlowe's Edward II,” Bailey Sincox, Princeton U
3. “Marlowe and Writing the Face,” Heather Hirschfeld, U of Tennessee, Knoxville
For related material, visit www.marlowesocietyofamerica.org after 1 Dec.
644. Wreaths and Risings: Literary Responses to the Deaths of Black Children
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the Children's Literature Association and the forum CLCS Global Anglophone. Presiding: Karen Sands-O'Connor, Newcastle U
1. “Crossing Over: Literary Activism and the New Cross Fire,” Karen Sands-O'Connor
2. “‘Mama, I Am Gold': Absence and Presence in the Emmett Till Poem,” Jennifer Ryan-Bryant, Buffalo State C, State U of New York
3. “The Politics of Literary Black Representation in Angela Thomas's The Hate U Give,” Elicie Edmond, New York U
4. “Echoes of Resistance: Black Childhood and Literary Activism in Latin American and Caribbean Literature,” Stacy Creech de Castro, McMaster U
645. Religion, Literature, and Climate
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the forum TC Religion and Literature. Presiding: Christina Lambert, Hillsdale C
1. “Wild Woman Whispers: Ecofeminism, Christianity, and the Occult,” Kennedy Dragt, U Catholique de Louvain
2. “From Destruction to Renewal: Refigured Religion and Ecological Hope in Timothy Findley's Not Wanted on the Voyage,” Denae Dyck, Texas State U
3. “Horticultural Practice and Religious Devotion in St. Teresa of Ávila and Zeb-un-Nissa,” Kitty Edgerley, U of Bristol
646. Rhetorics of (In)Visibility and the Law: Intersectional Perspectives from the Local to the National
5:15–6:30 p.m., Quarterdeck A
Program arranged by the forum RCWS History and Theory of Rhetoric. Presiding: Jennifer Sano Franchini, West Virginia U, Morgantown
1. “The Afro-Techno Jeremiad as a Challenge to Technological Progress Narratives,” Earl Brooks, U of Maryland Baltimore County
2. “New Research Methods for Studying a New Generation of Policy Writers: Insights from Moms for Liberty,” Katherine S. Flowers, U of Massachusetts, Lowell
3. “Incarceration, Illness, and Rhetorical Resistance,” Manu Sundaresan, U of Chicago
647. Entomological Turns
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century French. Presiding: Hannah Freed-Thall, New York U
1. “Buzzing, Swarming, Flitting: Sensing with Insects in Proust's Recherche,” Etienne Miqueu, New York U
2. “Entomology and the Popular Genres of French Scientific Discourse,” Matthew Trumbo-Tual, Roanoke C
3. “Bees and Black Hornets: Ecological Threats and Metaphorical Networks in a Tunisian Fable,” Sara Buekens, Ghent U
4. “Entomological Peace,” Ben Beitler, U of California, Berkeley
648. Race and Representation in Chinese and Sinophone Literature and Culture
5:15–6:30 p.m., Chart A
Program arranged by the forum LLC Modern and Contemporary Chinese. Presiding: Clara Iwasaki, U of Alberta
1. “Unruly Comparison: On the Racial Formation of Queer Sinophone Hong Kong Diasporas,” Alvin K. Wong, U of Hong Kong
2. “Cinematic Representation of Ethnic Minorities and Nation Building in Socialist China,” Chuanhui Meng, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
3. “Manchu/Han Racial Ambiguity in Jin Yong's Novels,” Vanessa Yee-kwan Wong, U of California, Irvine
4. “Writing Tibetans into China: Internal Orientalism and Literary State Building in Ma Jian's Fiction,” Christopher Peacock, Dickinson C
649. Soundscapes of Latin America's Long Nineteenth Century
5:15–6:30 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century Latin American. Presiding: Maria Alejandra Aguilar, Florida Atlantic U
1. “Dismembered Sounds: Eloy Alfaro and the Public Spectacle of Liberalism,” Juan G. Ramos, C of the Holy Cross
2. “Labor Songs,” Thomaz Amâncio, U of Chicago
3. “Sounds of Sugar: Mapping Nineteenth-Century Havana's Soundscapes,” Roseli Rojo, State U of New York, Oswego
4. “Nature's Riddles and Singing Birds in La cautiva and María,” Carlos Abreu Mendoza, Texas State U
650. Black Psychoanalyses?
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the forum TC Psychology, Psychoanalysis, and Literature. Presiding: Linette Park, Emory U
1. “Blackness N'Est Pas and Lacan's Joyce,” Dylan Lackey, Virginia Commonwealth U
2. “Black Textuality and the Force of Desire,” Jordan Taliha McDonald, Harvard U
3. “Blackness, Repetition, and Nonphilosophy,” Anthony Farley, Albany Law School
650A. Female Agency in the Caribbean Afterlives of Slavery
5:15–6:30 p.m., Eglinton Winton
A special session. Presiding: Cristina Esteves-Wolff, U of Chicago; Gabriela Lomba Guzman, U of Chicago
1. “‘I Gave My Blood for Your Freedom’: Gender, Sovereignty, and the Revolution in Haitian Fictions,” Lucy Swanson, U of Arizona, Tucson
2. “Better Dead Than Wed: Visible Agency and Afterlife in Francophone Caribbean Fiction,” Mark Deggan, Simon Fraser U
3. “‘Ou libéré? Are You Free, My Daughter?’: The Abject Maternal in Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory,” Nasanin Rosado DeRodes, Duke U
651. Latinx Carceralities
5:15–6:30 p.m., Quarterdeck C
Program arranged by the forum LLC Latina and Latino. Presiding: Renee Hudson, Chapman U
Speakers: Mariana Gutierrez-Lowe, Northwestern U; Salvador Herrera, U of California, Los Angeles; Ali Kulez, Boston C; Ricardo L. Ortiz, Georgetown U; Jessica Ramirez, Northwestern U
Panelists consider representations of Latinx carcerality as well as the effect of carcerality on Latinx communities, imaginaries, and futures.
652. Desire without Objects
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum LLC English Romantic. Presiding: Yoon Sun Lee, Wellesley C
Speakers: Nina Farizova, Kalamazoo C; Renee Fox, U of California, Santa Cruz; Burcu Gursel, Kirklareli U; Sonia Hofkosh, Tufts U; James Metcalf, U of Manchester; John Park, New C of Florida
Panelists explore Romanticism's fragmented, disorienting objects and the contrary desires, aversions, and inversions they provoke in contexts ranging from Wordsworth and Hemans to the Ottoman poet Abdülhaman Hamid Tarhan, Freud, and Benjamin.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/english-romantic/ after 1 Nov.
653. Gender and Embodiment: Trans Studies Approaches
5:15–6:30 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum LLC Restoration and Early-18th-Century English. Presiding: Sal Nicolazzo, U of California, Davis
1. “Why Are We So Shy about Calling Trans History Trans?,” Jessy Nyiri, U of California, Berkeley
2. “Thinking Intersex with the Early Moderns,” Madison Wolfert, Princeton U
3. “Meanwhile, Drunk in Love: Locating Trans Futurity in Sufi Sainthood,” M. A. Miller, Washington State U, Pullman
4. “Trans Character,” Kathleen Lubey, Saint John's U, NY
654. Between Land and Sea: Literatures in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the forum LLC West Asian. Presiding: Mona Kareem, Washington U in St. Louis
1. “Translation across the Arabian Sea: Kerala-Arab Relations and the Arabic Translation of Aadujeevitham (Goat Days),” Ibrahim Badshah, U of Houston
2. “Sand and Sounds of the Arabian Sea: A Musical Voyage into the Letter Songs of Mappila Women,” Mohamed Haseeb, U of Mangalore
3. “Mythmaking with Land and Water in Moniro Ravanipour's Ahl-e Gharq (The Drowned),” Hanan Al-Alawi, Penn State U, University Park
4. “Poetry Contests in the Arab Gulf: The Influence of Culture, Audience, and Social Media on Performative Utterances,” Anwar Alsaad, Kuwait U
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/west-asian/.
655. Working Hands: Tracing the Visibility of Labor in Premodern Iberian Worlds
5:15–6:30 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th- and 17th-Century Spanish and Iberian Poetry and Prose. Presiding: Juan Vitulli, U of Notre Dame
1. “Vernacular Humanism and Editorial Work: Alonso de Proaza,” Noel Blanco Mourelle, U of Chicago
2. “Enslaved Workers in Spanish and Spanish American Print Shops,” Rachel Stein, Tulane U
3. “Customary Solidarities,” Jesús R. Velasco, Yale U
4. “Edible Labor: Decentering Food in Early Modern Hispanic Culture,” Daniela Gutierrez-Flores, U of California, Davis
656. Black Women's Travel (Auto)Biography
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the forum GS Life Writing. Presiding: Nicole Morris Johnson, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
Speakers: Haylee Harrell, U of Houston; Tyler T. Schmidt, Lehman C, City U of New York; Melanie Sherazi, California Inst. of Tech.; Vallaire Wallace, U of Virginia
Respondent: Angela Hooks, independent scholar
Panelists consider twentieth- and twenty-first-century Black women's representations of race, place, misogynoir, fugitivity, and movement in travel narratives and other life writing forms. How does place affect content? How does migration incite memory?
For related material, write to [email protected] after 23 Dec.
657. Encounters with the Unseen in Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Myth
5:15–6:30 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum GS Folklore, Myth, and Fairy Tale. Presiding: Abigail Heiniger, Lincoln Memorial U
1. “Spirit Zombies: The Overlooked Component,” Alyssa Anders, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
2. “Seeing through the Invisible: Garlon's Revelation of the Fairy Roots of the Fisher King,” Randy P. Schiff, U at Buffalo, State U of New York
3. “Encounters with the Inapprehensible: Norse Mythology in A. S. Byatt's Ragnarok,” Carola Daffner, U of Dayton
4. “Echoes of Innocence: Pamela Colman Smith, J. M. Barrie, and the Tarot Card ‘The Fool,'” Yumiko Sumitani, Kobe International U
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/encounters-with-the-unseen-in-fairy-tales-folklore-and-myth/.
658. Sights and Sites of Laughter: (In)Visibilities of Humor in Modern Korean Culture
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forum LLC Korean. Presiding: I Jonathan Kief, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1. “Offbeat Awakening: Surreal Black Humor in Choi Inhun's A Christmas Carol,” Jaewuk Kim, U of Southern California
2. “The Restorative Power of Inappropriate Laughter,” Kelly Y. Jeong, U of California, Riverside
3. “Rebranding North Korean Sitcoms: Changes in Visual Media for a Global Audience,” Immanuel Kim, George Washington U
659. Teaching Generation Z
5:15–6:30 p.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum LSL Second-Language Teaching and Learning. Presiding: Nicole Mills, Harvard U
1. “Gamifying Generation Z's Language Learning: Why, When, How?,” Alexis Finet, Vanderbilt U
660. Engaged Activism, Arts, Public Humanities, and Scholarship at Community Colleges
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill B1
Program arranged by the forum HEP Community Colleges. Presiding: Simon Abramowitsch, Chabot C, CA
1. “Activist Engagement and ‘Problem-Posing Education' in the Community College Classroom,” Aliza Atik, Queensborough Community C, City U of New York
2. “Opening More Than the Textbook: Reimagining the Literature Survey with Open Educational Resources,” Shawn Casey, Columbus State Community C, OH
3. “Fail Better: A Challenge to Traditional Education,” Anelise Haukaas, Laramie County Community C, WY
4. “Engaged Activism and the Public Humanities: Public-Facing Scholarship and Learning Communities,” Addison Palacios, Mount San Jacinto C, CA; Kacie Wills, Allan Hancock C, CA
661. Anthropology and Literature Now: Global South Methodologies
5:15–6:30 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the forum TC Anthropology and Literature. Presiding: Anke Birkenmaier, Indiana U, Bloomington
Speakers: Magali Armillas-Tiseyra, Penn State U, University Park; Anke Birkenmaier; Sophie Esch, Rice U; Lanie Millar, U of Oregon; Sarah Quesada, Duke U
Panelists examine the research process when building connections between Global South poles and the role of translation when working in languages not of European origin.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/anthropology-and-literature/.
662. General Business Meeting: CLCS Celtic
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Celtic. Presiding: Hannah Zdansky, Belmont Abbey C
663. What Is a Scholarly Edition?
5:15–6:30 p.m., Port
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Scholarly Editions. Presiding: Suyoung Son, Cornell U
Speakers: Jamie Kramer, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Alexandra LaGrand, Texas A&M U, College Station; Andrew Schonebaum, U of Maryland, College Park; Alexis Siemon, Cornell University Press
The definition of a scholarly edition can vary depending on its purposes, intended audiences, or disciplines. Presenters from diverse backgrounds and holding various ranks discuss the criteria that ensure the reliability of text, as well as the elements necessary for creating a scholarly edition suitable for teaching and research purposes.
664. Discussion Group on the (In)Visibility of Contingency
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill D
Program arranged by the MLA Professional Development. Presiding: Hatem N. Akil, Valencia C; Géraldine Fiss, U of Southern California; Pamela A. Lim-McAlister, U of California, Berkeley
(In)visibility takes many forms: absence of part-time and term or adjunct faculty members on department websites and at meetings, inaccessible offices, and lack of representation on committees and at conferences. This discussion group focuses on (in)visibility of contingency in professional spaces and on practices for supporting the work of contingent faculty members and rendering it visible.
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/14GWL_qu-lFUEWAqORmJ4NSE6SMTMxWdLLbTxHAWN9G0/edit?usp=drive_link.
665. Inclusive Generative AI? Disability, Culture, and Artificial Intelligence
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession. Presiding: Eduardo Ledesma, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
1. “Aesthetic Kinship: Autistic Readers Finding Familiarity with Fictional AIs,” Sean A. Yeager, independent scholar
2. “Creative Companions: The Relationship between Generative AI Models and Liberatory Access in Writing Pedagogy,” Elizabeth Wayson, U of Georgia
3. “Translating Blind Subjectivity into AI-Generated Cinema in The Blind Canvas P roject,” Eduardo Ledesma
For related material, visit diabilityandai.hcommons.org/ after 15 Dec.
666. Advocating for World Languages: Connecting with Communities on Campus and Beyond
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the Association of Language Departments. Presiding: Luciana Fellin, Duke U
Speakers: Edurne Beltran de Heredia, Coastal Carolina U; Joan Clifford, Duke U; Betty Facer, Old Dominion U; Christine Garst-Santos, South Dakota State U; Wilma Doris Loayza, U of Colorado, Boulder; Dali Tan, Northern Virginia Community C
Panelists discuss the benefits of tentacularity as an advocacy strategy. Topics include building alliances across the university; fostering sustainable collaborations with local and virtual community partners, including language communities; and increasing the visibility and impact of the humanities through community engagement, grant opportunities, and the strategic use of social media.
667. How to Be the Change: Using Your Voice in a Climate of Censorship
5:15–6:30 p.m., Churchill B2
Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Academic Freedom and Professional Rights and Responsibilities. Presiding: Nicole B. Wallack, Columbia U
1. “Painting by Numbers: Flipping the Script on Turning Point USA's Free Speech Narrative,” Alex Young, Arizona State U, Phoenix
2. “Assisting Underrepresented Students with Personal Statements in an Increasingly Anti-DEI Climate,” Jessica Hindman, Northern Kentucky U
3. “Dear White Literature/Rhetoric/Writing Teachers: A Look Backward and a Move Ahead,” Carmen Kynard, Texas Christian U
4. “Solos and Choruses: Amplifying Faculty Voices to ‘Reverse the Ideological Capture’ in Florida,” Amy Reid, New C of Florida
668. Campus Presidents Talk about How to Fight for Higher Education
5:15–6:30 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the MLA Office of the Executive Director. Presiding: Paula M. Krebs, MLA
Speakers: Alison Byerley, Lafayette C; Nancy Cantor, Hunter C, City U of New York; William Serrata, El Paso Community C, TX; Antonio Tillis, Rutgers U, Camden
Campus presidents and chancellors from public and private two-year and four-year institutions in blue states and red states talk about their experience with legislative encroachment, funding cutbacks, and other contexts for our work in humanities education. Come with your questions about how they and we can advocate more effectively for academic freedom and the humanities.
669. Affect and Twenty-First-Century Feminist Manifestos
5:15–6:30 p.m., Jackson
A special session. Presiding: Karolina Krasuska, U of Warsaw
1. “Affective Legacy of the Combahee River Collective: Circulation of Justified Anger across Generations,” Aleksandra Malinowska, U of Warsaw
2. “Manifesting the ‘We': Affective Collaboration between Practices of Sharing and Traitorous Cooperations,” Carsten Junker, Dresden U of Tech.
3. “Embracing the Low Road? Hating ‘Men' in Manifestos,” Laura Handl, Dresden U of Tech.
670. Partition and Diaspora
5:15–6:30 p.m., Marlborough A
A special session. Presiding: Tanya Agathocleous, Hunter C, City U of New York; Maria Hadjipolycarpou, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
1. “Virtual Reality to the Rescue? Partition, Memory, and Diaspora Distance,” Aparajita De, U of the District of Columbia
2. “Crossing Borders in Diasporic and Transnational Vietnamese Literature,” Alan Yeh, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Splitting Sides: Jokes, Form, and Affect during Partition,” Siddharth Bhogra, Oregon State U
4. “Great Secrets: The Work of Genre in Korean Division Films,” Eunjin Choi, Dongguk U
671. Reimagining the American West
5:15–6:30 p.m., Kabacoff
A special session. Presiding: Nate Mickelson, New York U
1. “Sheriff, Bandit, Gunslinger, Outlaw: Chantal Peñalosa's Atlas Western,” Amy Sara Carroll, U of California, San Diego
2. “Be the Cowboy: Asian American and Diasporic Poets Rewrite the West,” Christopher Spaide, U of Southern Mississippi
3. “The Swedish American West,” Heleana Bakopoulos, Johns Hopkins U, MD
4. “Exploring a Reimagined Feminist West in HBO's Westworld,” Kristin J. Jacobson, Stockton U
672. Show Your Work: Foregrounding the Literature and Labor of Black Digital Humanities Projects
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 18
A special session
Speakers: Summer Hamilton, Penn State U, University Park; Kenton Rambsy, Howard U; Tyechia Thompson, Virginia Tech
Panelists go behind the scenes to explore three distinct Black DH projects, delving into each project's inception, the shared methodologies shaping their work, and the ways in which maintaining the visibility of African American literature enriches and fortifies their digital work.
673. Literature and the Brain
5:15–6:30 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Radhika Koul, Claremont McKenna C
Speakers: Lucile Duperron, Dickinson C; Rosamaria Duran Pardo, Cornell U; Patrick Colm Hogan, U of Connecticut, Storrs; Thomas W. Howard, Bilkent U; Elizabeth Oldfather, U of Louisiana, Monroe
Respondent: Joshua Landy, Stanford U
Panelists explore new possibilities for research and collaboration at the intersection of literary studies and neuroscience. Two key questions will guide the discussion: How should emerging research in neuroscience inform our understanding of the nature and function of literary texts? And how does literature itself illuminate the functioning of the human brain?
673A. Picturing Political Power in Comics
5:15–6:30 p.m., Salon 9
Program arranged by the forum GS Comics and Graphic Narratives. Presiding: Maite Urcaregui, San José State U
1. “Cartoons and Colonial Modernity: Subversion and Expression in Nineteenth-Century India,” Anu Sugathan, U of Oregon
2. “Politics as Vocation and Absolution in Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, and March,” Marc Singer, Howard U
3. “‘Oh, I See?!’: Comics Telling Trans and Queer Stories,” Liz Schoppelrei, Cornell U
4. “The Unwanted Tooth: Feminine Power and Reproductive Control in Amanda Miranda’s Juízo,” Catalina Joseph, Stony Brook U, State U of New York
For related material, visit graphicnarratives.org after 1 Nov.
Saturday, 11 January 7:00 p.m.
674. The Presidential Address
7:00–8:15 p.m., St. James Ballroom
Presiding: Paula M. Krebs, MLA
1. “What Does Humanities Leadership Look Like? The Report of the Executive Director,” Paula M. Krebs
2. The Presidential Address, “‘The Price of the Ticket’: The Future of the Humanities and the Art of Global Learning,” Dana A. Williams, Howard U, MLA President. In its effort to distinguish the humanities as an academic discipline from universal humanistic inquiry and concerns, the humanities rooted itself in a lament of the collapse of the cultural coherence of Greek and Roman civilization. The implications of this misstep are still being felt today. Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Resolutionaries offers a critique of the ways Western colonialism inhibits innovation and a mediation on the liberating potential of creativity.
Saturday, 11 January 7:15 p.m.
675. Cash Bar Sponsored by The Minnesota Review, Mediations, and the Forum TC Marxism, Literature, and Society
7:15–8:30 p.m., Canal
676. Reception Arranged by Feministas Unidas and Ámitos Feministas
7:15–8:30 p.m., Camp
677. ALCESXXI Meet and Greet
7:15–8:30 p.m., Commerce
Sunday, 12 January 8:30 a.m.
678. Indigenous Visibilities in Brazil
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the American Portuguese Studies Association. Presiding: Krista Brune, Penn State U, University Park
1. “Babenco's Appropriation of At Play in the Fields of the Lord and Paradoxes of Amazonian Indigeneity,” Frans Weiser, U of Georgia
2. “Tybyra, by Juão Nyn: The Performativity of the Historical Document by a Queer Indigenous View,” Adriana da Silva, Dickinson C
3. “Territorializing The Territory: Posthumanism and Documentary Film in the Amazon,” Jessica Carey-Webb, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
4. “Joseca Yanomami's ‘Our Forest-Land': Some Words on (In)Visible Worlds,” Jane Kassavin, U of Southern California
679. Bodies without Labels in the Theater of Early Modern Spain
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 7
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th- and 17th-Century Spanish and Iberian Drama. Presiding: Frederick A. De Armas, U of Chicago
1. “Queer Reinterpretations of El curioso impertinente in Middleton’s The Second Maiden’s Tragedy,” Daniel Holcombe, Georgia C and State U
2. “Questioning Religious Morality in Claramonte’s La ciudad sin Dios,” Felipe Rojas, West Liberty U
3. “Narcissus and Echo in Miguel de Cervantes’s El laberinto de amor,” Medardo Gabriel Rosario, Florida International U
4. “(Lack of) Love and Care in Two Entremeses,” Emmy Herland, U of Colorado, Boulder
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Dec.
680. 24/7: Exhaustion, Involution
8:30–9:45 a.m., Virtual
Program arranged by the forum TC Marxism, Literature, and Society. Presiding: Nattie L. Golubov, U Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Speakers: Joseph Darda, Michigan State U; Joshua Gooch, D'Youville U; Yizhou Sun, Free U of Berlin; Hang Tu, National U of Singapore; Xinyi Yin, Kings C London
In response to readings by David Graeber and Biao Xiang, panelists discuss the conditions and afflictions of over- and underwork. What is meaningful and meaningless work in a postdisciplinary environment? The session addresses the conceptual limits of Marxist vocabulary in relation to contemporary conditions of labor in China, the United States, and Singapore.
681. Cold War Afterlives
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Hemispheric American. Presiding: Guadalupe Escobar, U of Nevada, Reno
1. “After Life: Cuban Science Fiction and the Cold War,” Alexandra Brown, Skidmore C
2. “Decentralizing Authority: Polyphony and Perspectivism in Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies,” Aristides Dimitriou, Gettysburg C
3. “Blockading the Future: Jennifer Harbury, Geopolitical Transition, and Solidarity Aesthetics,” Eric Vazquez, U of Iowa
4. “The Guatemalan Uncanny in Jayro Bustamante's La Llorona,” Guadalupe Escobar
Respondent: Patricia Stuelke, Dartmouth C
682. Literary Alliances, Networks, and Solidarities across Minoritized Communities: Resistance and Radical Diversity
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century German. Presiding: Ela Gezen, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
1. “Anthologies of Resistance: Changing Memory Culture, Forging Antiracist Solidarities,” Jeannette Oholi, Dartmouth C
2. “Offene Prozesse: Artistic Engagements with Racialized Violence in Postunification Germany,” Maria Roca Lizarazu, U of Cambridge
3. “Your Homeland Is Still Our Nightmare: Translating Radical Diversity,” Jon Cho-Polizzi, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
4. “Postmigrant Literary Alliances and Radical Diversity in Delfi: Magazin für neue Literatur,” Lucas Riddle, U of Pittsburgh
683. Narrativizing the Storm: Global Perspectives on Hurricane Narratives in Children's Youth Literature and Media
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 12
Program arranged by the forum GS Children's and Young Adult Literature. Presiding: Edcel J. Cintron-Gonzalez, Illinois State U; Sayanti Mondal, Ithaca C
1. “Florida, the Magical Hurricane State: Exploring Narratives of Absence and Race,” Noah Mullens, U of Florida
2. “Voices of Resilience and Authorial Ambiguity in A Place Where Hurricanes Happen,” Amartya Mitra, Illinois State U
3. “The Brewing Storm of Adolescence: Hurricane as Metaphor in Asha Bromfield's Hurricane Summer,” Heather O'Leary, U of Illinois, Chicago
4. “Hurricane Childhoods: Discovering Narratives of Self, Culture, and Caribbean Heritage,” Edcel J. Cintron-Gonzalez
684. Migrations and Diasporas
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century French. Presiding: Masha Belenky, George Washington U
Speakers: Maria Beliaeva Solomon, U of Maryland, College Park; Heidi Brevik-Zender, U of California, Riverside; Bastien Craipain, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge; Maïté Rebecca Noémie Marciano, Center C; Fabienne Moore, U of Oregon; Chelsea Stieber, Tulane U
Focusing on the nineteenth-century francophone world, panelists discuss Marseille's journey from a Mediterranean to a global diasporic city; enslaved Blacks and Amerindians in Chateaubriand's Les Natchez; the short fiction of New Orleans, Haiti, and the Black Atlantic; Victor Séjour as a figure of Black Atlantic modernity; and Alice Dunbar-Nelson's New Orleans writings.
685. Invisible Violence and Archival Erasure
8:30–9:45 a.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Old English. Presiding: Benjamin Saltzman, U of Chicago
1. “‘I Will Surely Hide My Face': Ælfric's Esther and the Tragedy of Heterosexuality,” Mo Pareles, U of British Columbia
2. “Alfredian Disability, Erased,” Leah Parker, U of Southern Mississippi
3. “Color, Identity, and Speech in Welsh and Old English,” Coral Lumbley, Macalester C
686. Global South Ecologies: Extinction, Extraction, or Empowerment?
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 19
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Global South
1. “Ecologies of Urbanism: Environmental Displacements and Climate Migration in India's Uttarakhand,” Sayantika Chakraborty, U of Florida
2. “George Lamming's Liquids: Aqueous Ecologies and the Colonial Past in In the Castle of My Skin,” Kyle McAuley, Seton Hall U
3. “Toward a Nonextractive Gaze in the Global South Novel,” Nienke Boer, U of Sydney
4. “Negative ‘Tidalectics': Oceanic Selfhoods and the Trash Vortex in The Man with the Compound Eyes,” Stephen Levin, Clark U
For related material, write to [email protected] after 29 Dec.
687. Anthropology and Literature Now: Archives, Repatriations, Restitutions
8:30–9:45 a.m., Royal
Program arranged by the forum TC Anthropology and Literature. Presiding: Meryl Winick, Virginia Commonwealth U
Speakers: Rhiannon Clarke, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Robert Gunn, U of Texas, El Paso; Christen Mucher, Smith C; Iana Robitaille, U of Texas, Austin
Panelists revisit the relationship of anthropology and literature vis-à-vis the dismantling of colonial archives. How do exhibitions, literary reimaginations, and historical restitutions change how people critically or creatively engage this relationship?
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/anthropology-and-literature/.
690. Visible Value: Developing Career Readiness Initiatives
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill B2
A special session. Presiding: Heidi Lawrence, George Mason U
Speakers: Kimberly Hall, Wofford C; Heather Hayton, Guilford C; Melissa Jenkins, Wake Forest U; Jennifer Maloy, Queensborough Community C, City U of New York; Alison Shonkwiler, Rhode Island C
Panelists explore strategies for incorporating career awareness and readiness into undergraduate literature and writing curricula and programming based on experience at their institutions and offer concrete advice about developing career readiness initiatives.
691. 404 File Not Found: Deleted, Discarded, and Defunct Projects in the Digital and Data Humanities
8:30–9:45 a.m., Fulton
A special session. Presiding: Edward Whitley, Lehigh U
Speakers: Mallen Clifton, Stanford U; Lauren Coats, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge; Jessica DeSpain, Southern Illinois U, Edwardsville; Maura Carey Ives, Texas A&M U, College Station; Tess McNulty, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Em Nordling, Emory U
Respondent: Amy Earhart, Texas A&M U, College Station
Panelists discuss digital projects and datasets rendered invisible (e.g., due to neglect or lack of funding) and the institutional, political, and methodological responses to this lack of visibility.
692. Monuments and Racial Knowledge in Nineteenth-Century American Poetry
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 22
A special session. Presiding: Elissa Zellinger, Texas Tech U
1. “‘I Ask No Monument, Proud and High': Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's Commemorative Poetry,” Colleen Glenney Boggs, Dartmouth C
2. “‘A Sphinx of Liberty': The Frederick Douglass Monument as Poetic Battleground,” Robert Arbour, Spring Hill C
For related material, visit texastechuniversity-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/elissa_zellinger_ttu_edu/ErhSVBAdDJdFjWOdAaWgptEBQa19teJT656i04ocjzQDEQ?e=zAzSvC after 31 Dec.
693. Evidence of Things Not Seen: James Baldwin, History, and Visibility
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Justin A. Joyce, Washington U in St. Louis; Magdalena J. Zaborowska, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Speakers: Herb Boyd, James Baldwin Review; Michele Elam, Stanford U; D. Quentin Miller, Suffolk U; Joshua Leon Miller, U of Virginia; Claudine Raynaud, Paul-Valéry U of Montpellier; Robert Reid-Pharr, New York U
James Baldwin's The Evidence of Things Not Seen is a searing indictment of America's racial mythologies, history's impact on the present, and invisible structural inequities. Panelists take inspiration from Evidence to explore visual idioms of race, the consciousness of invisible histories, and the ways Baldwin is rendered in our present moment both as a prophet and as a hypervisual representation of politics.
694. Two “Ghost Town” Campuses: Navigating Louisiana's Man-Made and Natural Disasters in Higher Education
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Aaron Duplantier, Nicholls State U
1. “The Shoemaker's Children: Endangered Languages and Endangered Heritage Speakers in Louisiana,” Robin White, Nicholls State U
2. “Speak Up, Don't Shut Up: Teachers Must Continue to Fight for Control of Programs,” Lisbeth Philip, U of New Orleans; Juliana Starr, U of New Orleans
3. “Regional University English Departments and Our Duty to Impress, Even When We Can't or Shouldn't,” Aaron Duplantier
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
695. Postwork Poetry
8:30–9:45 a.m., Port
A special session. Presiding: Kristin Grogan, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
1. “For Best Work,” Kristin Grogan
2. “Unemployed Time,” Margaret Ronda, U of California, Davis
3. “Ceramics, Craft, and Community: Toward an Interdisciplinary Antiwork Poetics,” Sarah Ehlers, U of Houston
4. “Poetry as Sleep, Poetry as Working Through,” Sarah Dowling, U of Toronto
696. The Magic after the Magical Realism in Contemporary Latin American Fiction
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill A2
A special session
1. “Oblation of Ideology: Bloodlines, Violence, and the Magic in Our Share of Night, by Mariana Enriquez,” Ethel Barja Cuyutupa, Salisbury U
2. “Mobilizing Affect: Performances of Care and Sadism in Rosario Ferre's ‘The Youngest Doll,'” Maria Cecilia Azar, Brown U
3. “Death Motley Maps: Geographic Location and Trauma of the Gothic Mode in Latin American Literature,” Suzanne Tabutol, Indiana U of Pennsylvania
For related material, visit https://doi.org/10.17613/fk2t-dt42.
697. World Literature and Visibility
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Robert Tally, Texas State U
Speakers: Philip Broadbent, U of California, Irvine; Mohammad Akbar Hosain, Illinois State U; Shahab Nadimi, U of Alberta; Thais Rutledge, U of Texas, Austin; Büşra Şengül, Boğazıçı U
With the increase of global violence, war, and political divisions, the inclusion or exclusion of voices from literatures that do not conform to the aesthetics of traditional world literature becomes critical. Panelists consider how the invisible appears in world literary texts and how these texts problematize access to the hegemonic institutions and practices to rendering new voices visible.
698. Reconsidering the Politics of Visibility through Sinophone Nonfiction Writings and Film
8:30–9:45 a.m., Marlborough A
A special session. Presiding: Charles Laughlin, U of Virginia
Speakers: Jie Guo, U of South Carolina, Columbia; Li Guo, Utah State U; Dorothee Hou, Moravian U; Steven Riep, Brigham Young U, UT; Louisa Wei, City U of Hong Kong
Participants rethink the politics of visibility in the Sinophone world in a discussion of nonfiction writings and films.
699. Ecoaesthetics: A Reconsideration
8:30–9:45 a.m., Camp
A special session. Presiding: Devin Griffiths, U of Southern California; Jesse Oak Taylor, U of Washington, Seattle
Speakers: Caroliena Cabada, U of Nebraska, Lincoln; Sarah Dimick, Northwestern U; Devin Griffiths; Barbara Leckie, Carleton U; Jesse Oak Taylor; Louise Westling, U of Oregon
How might aesthetics embed and produce natural as well as unnatural histories? How might they participate in, draw us into contact with, modes of experience and entanglement beyond the human and cast the inequities of defining the “human” in fresh relief? How might such an aesthetics not sidestep human history and its mechanisms of difference but instead develop a critical nonhumanism that casts that history into clear contrast?
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/12x4Um0dONJOnY6TVf4eGLJA8pxApsmUO?usp=sharing.
700. Women Walking
8:30–9:45 a.m., Bridge
A special session. Presiding: Corey Risinger, New York U
1. “‘Without Directions Guide': Thinking and Walking with Margaret Cavendish,” Mary Ruth Robinson, U of Virginia
2. “Tantear for Meaning: Theorizing María Lugones's la Callejera / Streetwalker,” Marina Malli, Binghamton U, State U of New York
3. “‘We Decided to Go Out Walking': A Spatial Reading of Cristina Rivera Garza's El invencible verano de Liliana,” Lu Han, Cornell U
701. The Quest for Visibility in Mexican Literature and Culture
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Natalia Villanueva Nieves, Sonoma State U
1. “Of Visibility and Marginality: Adolfo Garnica and Independent Mexican Cinema,” Mónica García Blizzard, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2. “Power and Belonging: The Rise, Fall, and Erasure of José Antonio Martínez,” Alan Malfavon, California State U, San Marcos
3. “(Hyper)Visible Borders: Migration, Visual Narratives, and the Politics of (Hyper)Visibility,” Alejandro Ramirez, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
4. “A Literature of the Commons: Liliana's Invincible Summer as Collective Testimonio and Archive,” Natalia Villanueva Nieves
702. Gender and Sexuality in Early Modern East Asia: A Conversation
8:30–9:45 a.m., Churchill A1
A special session. Presiding: Jisoo Kim, George Washington U
Speakers: Jisoo Kim; Hitomi Tonomura, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Marcia Yonemoto, U of Colorado, Boulder; Paola Zamperini, Northwestern U
Panelists explore new methods of writing and teaching about gender and sexualities in early modern East Asia to make their subjects of shared scholarly trajectories more accessible and inclusive and to create a space of interdisciplinary dialogue and exchange to decolonialize the power dynamics in the study of East Asian genders and sexualities within their research and pedagogical practices.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 15 Dec.
703. War, Literature, and Human Rights
8:30–9:45 a.m., Salon 6
A special session. Presiding: Ted Laros, Open U of the Netherlands
1. “Deferred Extermination: Gulliver's Travels, Drone Warfare, and the Suspension of Human Rights,” Peter DeGabriele, Mississippi State U
2. “Literary Sumud: Rebuilding ‘Home' in Atef Abu Saif's The Drone Eats with Me,” Daniel O'Gorman, U of Leeds
3. “Overcoming ‘Blank Pages and Silence': Concrete Universalism in The Book of Collateral Damage,” Cassandra Falke, Arctic U of Norway
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/law-and-the-humanities/.
704. “They Called Me a Lioness”: Fighting for Visibility and Freedom in Palestinian-American Muslimah Literature
8:30–9:45 a.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Hasnul Djohar, U Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
1. “Visibility, Bildungsroman, and Palestinian-American Muslimah Literature,” Hasnul Djohar
2. “Experimental Spaces and Resistance in Palestinian-American Literature,” Sirene Harb, American U of Beirut
3. “Chronotopic Affects in the Blue between Sky and Water: Palestinian Losses Also Matter,” Doaa Omran, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Nada Tayem, Indiana U of Pennsylvania
4. “Trauma and the Stylization of Violence in Susan Abulhawa's Novel Mornings in Jenin,” Touria Khannous, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
For related material, write to [email protected] after 10 Dec.
706. Accessing Modernism and Modernist Criticism
8:30–9:45 a.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the Modernist Studies Association. Presiding: Kate Schnur, Queens C, City U of New York
1. “Accessible Modernism: Translation and Visuality in Ling Shuhua’s Autobiography,” Jeesoon Hong, Sogang U
2. “Making Modernisms: Access through Experiential Learning and the Book Arts,” Diana Proenza, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “Modernism TL;DR: Inequality, Access, and the Material Conditions of Modernist Studies,” Jack Dudley, Mount Saint Mary’s U
4. “Accessing the Unfinished,” Melanie Micir, Washington U in St. Louis
707. Old Texts, New Questions: Critical Approaches to Medieval Italian Literature III
8:30–9:45 a.m., Magazine
A working group. Presiding: Alejandro Cuadrado, Bowdoin C; Alberto Gelmi, Vassar C; Akash Kumar, U of California, Berkeley
Participants: Laura Banella, U of Notre Dame; Catherine Bloomer, Brandeis U; Danielle Callegari, Dartmouth C; Grace Delmolino, U of California, Davis; Alyssa Granacki, U of Kentucky; Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Brown U; Ori Kinberg, Hebrew U of Jerusalem
This working group features emerging scholars in medieval Italian studies whose work showcases new approaches and trends in the field, drawing on critical methodologies such as disability theory, feminist philosophy, and transnational orientations to ask new questions of texts by both canonical and noncanonical authors, from Dante to Ahitub of Palermo. The results of this working group will be published in the 2026 Italian issue of MLN.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/mla-2025-old-texts-new-questions-critical-approaches-to-medieval-italian-literature/.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 223 and 510.
708. The Future of Nineteenth-Century Author-Based Societies III
8:30–9:45 a.m., Commerce
A working group. Presiding: Kate Singer, Mount Holyoke C
Participants: Stephanie P. Browner, New School; Mary A. Carney, U of Georgia; Dawn D. Coleman, U of Tennessee, Knoxville; Melissa Gniadek, U of Toronto; Sean Grass, Rochester Inst. of Tech.; John Gruesser, Sam Houston State U; Keri Holt, Utah State U; Charles W. Mahoney, U of Connecticut, Storrs; James McKusick, U of Missouri, Kansas City; Kaila Rose, Byron Soc. of America
What challenges, best practices, and projects can help create broad communities of readers for nineteenth-century authors within the academy and the wider public? Members and leaders of author societies consider which new infrastructures and collaborations can best support scholarship, fundraising, public humanities, DEI, and future lives of small humanities organizations.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/19th-century-british-and-us-author-societies/ after 1 Jan.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 224 and 511.
Sunday, 12 January 10:15 a.m.
709. Horizons of Musical Adaptation: Audibility, Visibility, Media, and Performance
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill C1
Program arranged by the forum MS Opera and Musical Performance. Presiding: Cecilia Livingston, Canadian Opera Company
1. “Musical Adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin: On Early African American Musical Theater,” Nico Schuler, Texas State U
2. “Sympathy for the Devil: Musical Adaptations of Bulgakov's Woland,” Olga Haldey, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “Collaborative Piracy: Bellini's Il pirata and Acts of Adaptation,” Jennifer Sheppard, Royal Acad. of Music
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/opera-and-musical-performance/ after 1 Dec.
710. Disability and Visibility in the Lusophone World
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LLC Luso-Brazilian
1. “Temporada and the New Aesthetic Visibility: Black Fat Women in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema,” Letícia Barbosa, U of Wisconsin, Madison
2. “Private or Invisible? Patient Art and Brazilian Diplomacy at a Swiss Ethnographic Museum,” Dylan Blau Edelstein, Princeton U
3. “Art and Disability in Fernando Lemos's Work,” Tania Martuscelli, U of Colorado, Boulder
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/luso-brazilian/.
711. “The Limits of the Dead and Living World”: A Conversation on Shelley's “Mont Blanc”
10:15–11:30 a.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC English Romantic. Presiding: Kevis Goodman, U of California, Berkeley
1. “Shelley's Timefulness,” Margaret Ronda, U of California, Davis
2. “‘Mont Blanc': Shelley's Anthropology of Most of Humanity,” Edgar Garcia, U of Chicago
Respondent: Noah Heringman, U of Missouri, Columbia
For related material, write to [email protected] after 31 Dec.
712. Ecology in Southeast Asian Cultural Production
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 18
Program arranged by the forum CLCS Southeast Asian and Southeast Asian Diasporic. Presiding: Jasmine An, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1. “Ecologies of the Malayan Emergency / Anti-British National Liberation War,” Joanne Leow, Simon Fraser U
2. “Countercartographies of Southeast Asian Disaster Ecology in Typhoon Cinema,” Elmo Gonzaga, Chinese U of Hong Kong
3. “Vietnamese Ecofeminism in Nguyễn-Võ Nghiêm-Minh's 2030,” Karen Siu, Rice U
4. “Archive, Archivist, and Archipelago: Enrico Masi's Shelter,” Trisha Remetir, U of California, Riverside
713. Visualizing Bodies in Medieval and Early Modern Italy: Women as Objects, Women as Agents
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the forum LLC Medieval and Renaissance Italian. Presiding: Toni Veneri, Colby C
1. “Bodies of Knowledge and Knowledge of the Body: Women and Medicine at the Time of the Decameron,” Fara Taddei, U of Chicago
2. “Deviant Bodies: Staging Violence against Women in Early Modern Florence,” Luca Zipoli, Bryn Mawr C
3. “The Naked Female Body between Humiliation and Exhibition,” Silvia Raimondi, Johns Hopkins U, MD
714. Shaping Transfuturism: Identity, Representation, and Agency in Science Fiction Literature
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 21
Program arranged by the forum GS Speculative Fiction. Presiding: Aparajita Nanda, Santa Clara U
1. “Three Narrative Stratagems toward Radical Trans Speculative Futures,” Aaron Hammes, Graduate Center, City U of New York
2. “Trans*-ing Gender: Lilith to Jodahs in Octavia Butler's Dawn and Imago,” Aparajita Nanda
3. “Divinity through Silicon Eyes: Asian Religions, AI, and Transhumanism in Asian American Science Fiction,” Sang-Keun Yoo, Marist C
4. “Skin, Smell, and Snack Packs: Character Resistance through Material and Transcorporeal Agency in Grace Chan and Claire Coleman,” Angela Meyer, RMIT U
715. Literary and Cultural Translation in Premodern East Asia
10:15–11:30 a.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC East Asian. Presiding: William Hedberg, Arizona State U, Tempe
1. “Beyond Routine: Manchu-Language Translations of Prose and Literature in Qing China,” Sarah Bramao-Ramos, U of Hong Kong
2. “The Wondrousness of Writing: The Emergence of Manchu Translation Theory, circa 1708,” Elvin Meng, U of Chicago
3. “Christian Vernaculars: Chosŏn Catholics in Sinographic Asia,” Shalon Park, U Ca' Foscari Venezia
4. “Who Was Han'gŭl For? Hong Taeyong's Bilingual Journeys to Beijing,” Ivana Gubic, U of Zagreb
716. Whiteness in and beyond Early Modern France
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 3
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-Century French. Presiding: Ashley Williard, U of South Carolina, Columbia
Speakers: Therese Banks, Middlebury C; Hall Bjørnstad, Indiana U, Bloomington; Dani Ezor, Kenyon C; Maria Flynn, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Christina Kullberg, Uppsala U; Toby Wikström, U of Iceland
What were the meanings of whiteness in early modern France? in the colonies? How did moral, aesthetic, or philosophical valences inform racial constructions, and vice versa? Thinking with premodern critical race studies, what invisible work did whiteness do? Speakers discuss whiteness in diverse sources—performance, travel literature, philosophy, material culture, history—from a range of contexts—Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean.
717. Paratexts in Drama and Performance
10:15–11:30 a.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum GS Drama and Performance. Presiding: Sarah Balkin, U of Melbourne; Ju Yon Kim, Harvard U
1. “Anonymity between Roles and Names,” Adrian Guo Silver, Columbia U
2. “Exploring Paratexts in Translated Drama,” Anandi Rao, U of London
3. “Paratextual Interpretation and Adaptation in Speechless Drama,” Jennifer Buckley, U of Iowa
4. “Dead Chandeliers: Tone beyond Performance,” Andrew Schlager, Princeton U
718. Early Modern Social Media
10:15–11:30 a.m., Eglinton Winton
Program arranged by the forum LLC 17th-Century English. Presiding: Carmen Nocentelli, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque
1. “To Intimate Intimacy: Margaret Cavendish's Sociable Letters,” Emma Atwood, U of Montevallo
2. “Font of Enlightenment: Letterpress Type as Social Media,” Christopher Warren, Carnegie Mellon U
3. “Fortifications and Festivities: ‘Platforme' Studies in Early Modern England,” Michael Menna, Stanford U
4. “Dark Humor: Misinformation, Ghostly Political Satire, and the Popish Plot,” Savannah Jensen, U of Tampa
719. Portable Concepts for Non-Eurocentric Theory
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 16
Program arranged by the forum LLC Pre-14th-Century Chinese and the forum TM Literary Criticism. Presiding: Eric Hayot, Penn State U, University Park
Speakers: Jack W. Chen, U of Virginia; Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Johns Hopkins U, MD; Annette Lienau, Harvard U; Niloofar Sarlati, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Paula Varsano, U of California, Berkeley
Respondent: Nan Z. Da, Johns Hopkins U, MD
Responding to the widely felt demand to decolonize theory, scholars working in areas and regions outside Europe—in Persian, Chinese, Arabic, and African languages—offer attendees portable concepts that, though beginning their histories outside Europe, can be mobilized for epistemological purposes in the present.
720. Applied Linguistics Perspectives on Language Enrollment Trends
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 6
Program arranged by the forum LSL Applied Linguistics. Presiding: Mahmoud Azaz, U of Arizona, Tucson
1. “The Enrollments and Retention Crisis in Romance Language Programs: Addressing the Decline in the United States,” Federico Fabbri, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2. “Sustaining Postsecondary Language Enrollments: Uses of Program Evaluation,” Meg Malone, ACTFL
3. “Academic Transformation at West Virginia University,” Amy S. Thompson, Florida State U
4. “How Japanese and Korean Language Programs Buck the Decreasing Foreign Language Enrollment Trend,” Vance Schaefer, U of Mississippi, Oxford
721. New Methods in Eighteenth-Century Comparative and Cross-Cultural Reading
10:15–11:30 a.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forum CLCS 18th-Century. Presiding: Eugenia Zuroski, McMaster U
1. “‘The Japanese Shakespeare': Decentering the West in Comparative Readings of Chikamatsu,” Cecilia Feilla, Marymount Manhattan C
2. “Monsters and Intellectuals: Tea Imperial Stimulant Cultures,” Chandrica Barua, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. “Meme-ing in Eighteenth-Century Visual Satire,” Alexander Creighton, U of California, Berkeley
4. “The Hermeneutics of Collectivity,” Melissa M. Mowry, Saint John's U, NY
722. Biopolitics: Means Not Ends
10:15–11:30 a.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the forum TC Philosophy and Literature
1. “Hippolytus (Un)Bound: On Debt and Forgiveness,” Bonnie Honig, Brown U
2. “Toward an Atheological Biopolitics: Completion in Benjamin, Bloch, and the Zhuangzi,” Julia Chi Yan Ng, Goldsmiths U of London
Respondent: Kalpana Seshadri, Boston C
723. Undergraduate Recruitment, Retention, and Career Readiness: 2024 MLA Pathways Step Grant Projects
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Academic Program Services. Presiding: Jason Rhody, MLA
1. “Internships for English Majors at the University of California, Irvine,” Rebecca Davis, U of California, Irvine
2. “Spanish and Environmental Humanities: Improving Recruitment and Retention at the University of California, Merced,” Bristin Jones, U of California, Merced
3. “Mapping Your Journey in Language: From Student to Professional and Citizen,” Sean Barry, Longwood U
4. “Career Readiness and Outreach,” Heidi R. Bean, Bridgewater State U
5. “New Pathways for Students to Enter Eastern Connecticut State University's English Program,” Miriam Chirico, Eastern Connecticut State U
6. “EMERGE Leadership Academy at the University of Houston,” Tara Green, U of Houston
7. “Preinternship Shadowing at Portland State University,” Kathi Inman Berens, Portland State U
8. “Creating a New Story for the English Major at an HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institution),” Shelia Bauer-Gatsos, Dominican U
9. “Davis and Elkins College Outdoor Woods Program,” Sebastian Williams, Davis and Elkins C
10. “Transfer Pathways for Equitable Access to Global Learning,” Vanessa DeGifis, Wayne State U
11. “Collaboratory: Exploring Place through the Liberal Arts,” Janet Badia, Purdue U, Fort Wayne
12. “Educated, Empowered, Employed: Humanities Skills Training on the Gulf Coast,” Amy Smith, Lamar U
13. “Montclair State University World Languages and Cultures Student Career Hub,” Elizabeth N. Emery, Montclair State U
14. “Spanish Medical Interpretation and Healthcare Communication Curriculum Modifications for Future Languages,” Noemi Rodriguez, City U of New York
15. “Increasing Opportunities for E 499 English Internship Students,” Janice L. Hawes, South Carolina State U
16. “Toward a Rust Belt Humanities Ecosystem,” Katharine G. Trostel, Ursuline C
17. “Making Spanish Relevant for Black Students,” Germán Zárate-Sández, Western Michigan U
18. “Emerging Indigenous Writers Series,” David Hobbs, U of Lethbridge
This dynamic poster session features approaches that departments are taking to improve the recruitment, retention, and career readiness of undergraduate students. Attendees will learn about building enrollments, fostering curricular innovation, and growing collaborations across campus units such as admissions, career services, and other departments.
For related material, visit www.mla.org/Resources/Career/MLA-Grants-and-Awards/MLA-Pathways-Step-Grants.
724. Queer-Trans-Feminist Fronteras
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill A1
A special session. Presiding: Marcus Pinto de Faria Valadares, Texas Tech U
1. “Spectral Mediations: Love, Death, and Fantasy in Amber Bemak and Nadia Granados's Lesbian Borderlands,” Mathilda Shepard, Texas Tech U
2. “Contesting Dominican Identity from the Borderlands in Rita Indiana's Nombres y animales,” Elizabeth C. Russ, Southern Methodist U
3. “Forging New Forms of Trans Life: Dismantling Gender, Sexuality, Racial, and Religious Borders in Advento de Maria,” Marcus Pinto de Faria Valadares
4. “Queerizing the Nation: Blurring Bodies and Frontiers in Kimokawaii and Las exploradoras de la luna,” Maria Alexandra Arana Blas, U of Pittsburgh
724A. Morphic Memory
10:15–11:30 a.m., Port
Program arranged by the forum TC Cognitive and Affect Studies. Presiding: Sowon S. Park, U of California, Santa Barbara
1. “The Pulse of Memory,” Matthew Mewhinney, Florida State U
2. “Morphic Resonance: Form as Memory from Bergson to Ruyer,” Edward S. Cutler, Brigham Young U, UT
3. “AI and the Geology of Digital Memory,” Doron Darnov, U of Wisconsin, Madison
725. Bordering Queerness
10:15–11:30 a.m., Starboard
A special session. Presiding: Jack Halberstam, Columbia U
1. “Less and More Than Men: The Queer Life of the Castrato,” Carole-Anne Tyler, U of California, Riverside
2. “Strange Bedfellows: The Queer Possibilities of Reading out of Context,” Ketan Jain, Tufts U
3. “Copies and Originals: The Infidelity of Language in Decision to Leave,” Srija Umapathy, Columbia U
726. Poetry as Activism: Engaging Archival Materials and Born-Digital Publishing
10:15–11:30 a.m., Port
A special session. Presiding: Jeannette Schollaert, U of Delaware, Newark
Speakers: Stephanie Andrea Allen, Indiana U, Bloomington; Briana Barner, U of Maryland, College Park; Julia Oestreich, University of Delaware Press; Jacinta Saffold, U of New Orleans
Poetry as Activism is an open-access, born-digital resource published by the University of Delaware Press. The collection aims to connect the widest possible audiences to the digitized materials from UD's Special Collections. Panelists explore the process of creating a born-digital scholarly collection centering archival materials that most contributors to the collection have never seen in person.
For related material, visit udel.manifoldapp.org/ after 9 Jan.
727. Reframing Louisiana Studies
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Nathan Rabalais, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
1. “Creolizing ‘La Marseillaise': Transatlantic Soundscapes of Love and War,” K. Adele Okoli, U of Central Arkansas
2. “The Decadent Double Dealer: New Orleans's Role in the History of Transatlantic Literary Decadence,” Katie Nunnery, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
3. “Defining Civic Trauma in Late-Twentieth Century New Orleans,” Leslie Harris, Northwestern U
4. “Cultural Protection and Restoration during Coastal Protection and Restoration,” John Doucet, Nicholls State U
For related material, write to [email protected].
728. Transmedial Articulations of Blackness and Afrocyberactivism in Spain
10:15–11:30 a.m., Prince of Wales
A special session. Presiding: Julia Borst, U of Bremen; Jeffrey Coleman, Northwestern U
1. “Digital Archives of Black Knowledge in Spain: Video Interviews on YouTube as Oral History,” Julia Borst
2. “‘Transcestral' Poethics: Tracing a Black Trans Feminist Politics in Rioko Fotabon's Cyberactivism,” Oana Katz, Northwestern U
3. “Digital Griots: Performing Afrospanish Identity in the Vlogs of Desirée Bela-Lobedde,” Alison Posey, Duke U
4. “Decolonial Perspective through Asaari Bibang's Humor in the Digital World,” Alfonso Bartolomé, Virginia State U
729. Making Citation Visible: Merging and Emerging Visions
10:15–11:30 a.m., Fulton
A special session. Presiding: Beth Kramer, Boston U
Speakers: Jodie Childers, U of Virginia; Helen Choi, U of Southern California; Rick Cole, Boston U; Robin Davies, Vancouver Island U; Eric Detweiler, Middle Tennessee State U; V Lundquist, Rice U; John Murray, U of Central Florida
Anonymous websites and AI-generated texts present a citational challenge and highlight the shadowy landscape in which authority is no longer stable. Reenvisioning citation style for the digital world, interdisciplinary scholars illuminate multimodal strategies and pedagogical innovations to make citation visible in theoretical, practical, and transformative ways.
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/making-citation-visible-merging-and-emerging-visions/.
730. Canary Islands Studies: Exploring an (In)Visible Field in the Classroom
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill B2
A special session. Presiding: Nayra Ramirez, U of Pittsburgh
Speakers: Carlo Aguilar-González, Cornell U; María Hernández-Ojeda, Hunter C, City U of New York; Anna Kendrick, New York U, Shanghai; Ada Vilageliu-Diaz, U of the District of Columbia; Ruth Z. Yuste-Alonso, Stetson U
Participants explore the pedagogical possibilities of the Canary Islands as a critical site of inquiry in the college classroom and how its political, historical, literary, and cultural production contest essentialist national narratives. The discussion focuses on the (in)visibility of Canary Islands studies in the US academic curriculum from an intersectional framework.
731. Birth, Desire, and the Divine: Sexuality and the Feminine Figure in the Middle Ages
10:15–11:30 a.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Caitlyn Salinas, Texas A&M U, College Station
1. “‘Lely-wyte, clene with pure virginyté': The N-Town Nativity, the Virgin Mary, and Medieval Trans Misogyny,” Nat Rivkin, U of Pennsylvania
2. “Maternal Desire, Maternal Disruption: The Lyric Dialogues of Jesus and Mary,” Kashaf Qureshi, U of Chicago
3. “Queering Feminine Divinity and Desire in Hrosvitha's Dulcitius,” Alison Pascale, Graduate Center, City U of New York
732. Comparative Visions of Modernity in Middle Eastern Languages
10:15–11:30 a.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Mehtap Ozdemir, Emory U
1. “Persian Pessimism: Hafez Amidst Global Existentialism,” Taymaz Pour Mohammad, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2. “Women and Visibility through Post-Republican Turkish Modernity,” Seda Arikan, Firat U
3. “‘Middleness' against Intolerance in Ziedan's Azazeel: Alternatives to Extremist-Fundamentalist Religion,” Joy Burhan Sulaiman Mazahreh, U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
733. Reading the Invisible in African American and Caribbean Writing
10:15–11:30 a.m., Royal
A special session. Presiding: Andrew Kaplan, Emory U
1. “Just Visiting; or, Reading Sojourner Truth's (In)Visibility,” Biko Gray, Syracuse U
2. “David Walker's (In)Visible Appeal; or, The Fugitive Inhabitation of an American Grammar Book,” Sam Plasencia, Colby C
3. “Abyssal Encounters; or, Corpsing the Reader in Césaire's and Fanon's Négritude Poetics,” Andrew Kaplan
4. “Poetics of Endarkenment: Encountering the Invisible in Haitian Vodou and Maurice Blanchot,” Isabelle Ensass, Emory U
734. Movement and Adaptation in Black Feminist Praxis
10:15–11:30 a.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Korka Sall, MSID-Senegal
Speakers: Casandra Aigbogun, U of Georgia; Judy Colindres, U of Florida; Dasharah Green, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Adena Rivera-Dundas, Utah State U; Korka Sall
Scholars working on Black women from the Harlem Renaissance to the contemporary, with an eye for movement, reinvention, and renaming, address the urgency of these claims, asking not only what we are renaming but how: how fluidity informs our praxis, where we get stuck, and how we are building on the Black feminists who have come before.
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Jan.
735. Spatial Afterlives of the Plantation in the Black Atlantic
10:15–11:30 a.m., Churchill A2
A special session
1. “Linked: Women Plantation Owners on Tour,” Tanya Shields, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2. “Immaterial Repair: Textual Mappings of Place and Knowledge in Jamaica and New Orleans,” Nadia Ellis, U of California, Berkeley
3. “Scenes of Subjection and Sites of Slavery in Louisiana,” Supriya M. Nair, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Respondent: Belinda J. Edmondson, Rutgers U, Newark
736. David Foster Wallace, Cognitive Literary Studies, and the Twenty-First-Century Mind
10:15–11:30 a.m., Kabacoff
A special session. Presiding: Christopher White, Governors State U
1. “Wallace's ‘Oblivion' and the Strange Agency of the Reading Act,” Christopher White
2. “Wallace, Narrating the Default Mode Network,” Aili Pettersson Peeker, U of California, Santa Barbara
3. “Wallace's Mind Style and Why It Matters That Narrative Cognition Is Nonlinear,” Yonina Hoffman, United States Merchant Marine Acad.
737. To Mine or Not to Mine: Questioning Extractivism III
10:15–11:30 a.m., Magazine
A working group
Participants: Luke Bowe, New York U; Lisa Burner, U of the South; Huw Edwardes-Evans, Rice U; Eduardo Febres Munoz, U of Notre Dame; Tatjana Gajic, U of Illinois, Chicago; Pedro García-Caro, U of Oregon; Jack Martinez Arias, Hamilton C; Isabelle Rogers, U of Oregon
This working group looks at debates and cultural opposition to extractivism in the realm of literary, photographic, and filmic production, predominantly in the Americas and Southern Europe but open to a wider set of comparisons and cultural interactions. Participants consider the notion of colonial brutalization of the planet and the drive to create sacrifice zones, areas slated for ruination through toxic extractive practices.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/culture-questions-extractivism-to-mine-or-not-to-mine/.
For the other meetings of the working group, see 267 and 473.
738. Joseph Conrad: Tyranny and Revolution
10:15–11:30 a.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the Joseph Conrad Society of America. Presiding: Jana Maria Giles, U of Louisiana, Monroe
1. “The Restraint of Silence in Heart of Darkness,” Jennifer Cranfill, U of Texas, Dallas
2. “Conrad and the Russians,” Richard Jeffrey Ruppel, Chapman U
3. “Dona Emilia’s Revolution: Whiteness, Gender, and Postcoloniality in Nostromo,” Kyle McAuley, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
For related material, visit jcsa.mla.hcommons.org/.
Sunday, 12 January 12:00 noon
739. Morris, Religion, and Myth
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the William Morris Society. Presiding: Florence S. Boos, U of Iowa
1. “Rest and Resistance: William Morris's Dreamy Utopias,” Nicole Dufoe, U of Toronto
2. “Realism as Myth in William Morris's News from Nowhere,” Lucina Schwartz, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
3. “‘The Coming of the Dark Days': News from Nowhere and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb,” Jude V. Nixon, Salem State U
4. “Revivifying Medieval Mythology: William Morris, ‘King Arthur's Tomb,’ and Paterian Historiography,” Joshua Fagan, U of St Andrews
740. André Gide's Life and Works through the Eyes of Others
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 15
Program arranged by the Association des Amis d'André Gide. Presiding: Christine Armstrong, Denison U
1. “Samuel Beckett Fails Again, Fails Better . . . with André Gide,” Ian Curtis, Kenyon C
2. “André Gide vu par Derais, Brenner et Thomas,” Christine Armstrong
3. “The Ambiguous Eye on Gide from Paul de Man to Queer Studies to More Recent Assessments of His Work,” Pamela Antonia Genova, U of Oklahoma
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Dec.
741. Trans Theologies
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum TC Sexuality Studies. Presiding: Ari Friedlander, U of Mississippi, Oxford
Speakers: Sahin Acikgoz, U of California, Riverside; Leah DeVun, Rutgers U, New Brunswick; Roberto Che Espinoza, Duke U; Colby W. Gordon, Bryn Mawr C; Ann Pellegrini, New York U; Sam Sanchinel, U of Toronto
In the context of the ongoing use of religion to bolster waves of transphobic legislation, the connections among trans theory, literature, and religion seem ripe for reexamination across period divides. What can be learned from undoing the association between religious orthodoxies and the gender binary? How does political theology inform discussions of queer and trans liberation? How can we develop archives for trans theologies appropriate to our troubled times?
For related material, write to [email protected] after 6 Jan.
742. South of Dixie: Latin Americans and US Southerners in the Nineteenth Century
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century Latin American. Presiding: Sarah Moody, U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1. “A Caribbean Empire: Writing, Filibustering, and Annexation,” Daylet Dominguez, U of California, Berkeley
2. “Returning the Gaze: A Colombian Traveler's Sensorial Reading of Southern Segregation,” Mercedes Lopez Rodriguez, U of South Carolina, Columbia
3. “Minerva and Ringwood's: Comparative Histories of Afro-Descending Women in Atlantic World Print Culture,” Sarah Moody
4. “Circulations, Translations, Transpositions: Black Southern Rhythm in Latin America,” Mayra Bottaro, independent scholar
743. The (Im)Possibility of a DH Textbook
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the forums TC Digital Humanities and HEP Teaching as a Profession. Presiding: Brian Croxall, Brigham Young U, UT; Diane Jakacki, Bucknell U
Speakers: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Michigan State U; Katherine D. Harris, San José State U; Lauren Klein, Emory U; Alan Liu, U of California, Santa Barbara; Kenton Rambsy, Howard U; Stephen J. Ramsay, U of Nebraska, Lincoln
Why is there still no textbook for DH? Do we need one? What would it look like? What should it not look like? Who would use it and in what contexts? Speakers offer brief provocative position statements leading to prompt a discussion about the merits and challenges associated with developing and using such a resource in the DH classroom.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/digital-humanists/.
744. Ecologies of Enslavement, Ecologies of Abolition
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill A1
Program arranged by the forums TC Ecocriticism and Environmental Humanities and CLCS Caribbean. Presiding: Raj Chetty, Saint John's U, NY; Carlos Alonso Nugent, Columbia U
1. “Saamaka in the Rainforest: Resistance and Cultural Memory,” Giovanna Montenegro, Binghamton U, State U of New York
2. “Makandal's Ecologies: Collective Practices of Resistance in Contemporary Ayiti,” Carine Schermann, Florida State U
3. “Terrible Gales—Mild Trades: Atmosphere, History, and the Elementality of Race in ‘Benito Cereno,'” Emery Jenson, U of Wisconsin, Madison
4. “Deep-Sea Oceanic Encounters in Esi Edugyan's Washington Black,” Nienke Boer, U of Sydney
745. Age on Screen: Envisioning the Elder Female in International Cinema
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 22
Program arranged by the forum TC Age Studies. Presiding: Susan Bussey, Georgia Gwinnett C
1. “Writing-Filming the Aging Body of Oneself: Agnès Varda, Claire Simon, Hélène Cixous,” Olivier Morel, U of Notre Dame
2. “Shifting Narratives of Age in New Chilean Cinema: Nicol Ruiz Benavides's Forgotten Roads,” Vilma C. Navarro-Daniels, Washington State U, Pullman
3. “Postmenopausal Woman: Screening Italy's Aging Divas,” Lisa Dolasinski, U of Georgia
Respondent: Shawn Lisa Maurer, C of the Holy Cross
For related material, visit mla.hcommons.org/groups/age-studies/ after 6 Jan.
746. (In)Visible Borders in Israel and Palestine and in North and South Korea
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the forums LLC Hebrew and LLC Korean. Presiding: Dafna Zur, Stanford U
Speakers: Shachar Pinsker, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Janet Poole, U of Toronto; Vered Shemtov, Stanford U; Cindi Textor, U of Utah; Dafna Zur
Speakers consider themes of (in)visibility of borders in Israel and Palestine and in North and South Korea, in both scholarship and teaching, thinking about partition, demilitarized zones, imagination of the other side, and the ability and inability to see borders and what lies beyond. Discussion includes literatures and cultural products beyond linguistic and national boundaries to those of diasporic communities.
747. Invisible Labor: Supporting Emerging Technologies in Academic Institutions
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 21
Program arranged by the forum TM Libraries and Research. Presiding: Amanda Licastro, Swarthmore C
Speakers: Sarah Beck, Lafayette C; Emily Norton, U of South Florida; Jaime Simons, Maastricht U; Tyechia Thompson, Virginia Tech; Arnoud Wils, Maastricht U; Sonia Yaco, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
Exploring the initiatives, collaborations, and partnerships that support emerging technologies in academic libraries, panelists discuss topics related to 3D modeling, virtual reality, AI, natural learning processing, and mobile apps.
748. New Approaches to European Anti-Jewish and Anti-Muslim Racism
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Magazine
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th-Century English. Presiding: Ambereen Dadabhoy, Harvey Mudd C
1. “Racializing Jews and Muslims: Infidel Enemies in Othello and Mariam, Fair Queen of Jewry,” M. Lindsay Kaplan, Georgetown U
2. “The Senecan Connection: Stoicism, Moral Philosophy, and European Racial Formations,” Victoria Muñoz, Adelphi U
3. “Blood Brotherhood: A New Critical Perspective to Race, Religion, and Empire in Sixteenth-Century Europe,” Merita Ljubanovic, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
749. The Medieval Today and Tomorrow: Lives That Matter and the Question of Relevance
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Cambridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC Medieval French. Presiding: Charles Samuelson, U of Colorado, Boulder
1. “What Age? What Science? In What Cosmos?,” Helen Solterer, Duke U
2. “The Ethics and Aesthetics of Evocation,” Jason D. Jacobs, Roger Williams U
3. “Mixed Race Studies and the Middle Ages in the Classroom,” Elizabeth Watkins, Loyola U, New Orleans
4. “What Makes Marie de France and Christine de Pizan So Relevant Today?,” Albrecht Classen, U of Arizona, Tucson
750. Japanese Repatriation (Hikiage) Memories and Literature
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Royal
Program arranged by the forum LLC Japanese since 1900. Presiding: Nobuko Yamasaki, Lehigh U
1. “The Incidental Repatriate: Concealed Colonial Pasts in Japanese Fiction,” Nicholas Lambrecht, Osaka U
2. “Remembering Empire: A Search for ‘Intertwined Histories' of Postcolonial Korea and Japan,” Deokhyo Choi, U of Maryland, College Park
3. “Healing after Empire: Japanese Doctors and Nurses in the Chinese PLA and Their Experiences Postrepatriation, 1945–58,” James Stone Lunde, U of San Francisco
751. Making Professional Development Visible to Undergraduate Humanities Majors
12:00 noon–1:45 p.m., Churchill C2
Program arranged by the MLA Office of Academic Program Services. Presiding: Janine M. Utell, MLA
Speakers: Ashley Bender, Texas Woman’s U; Gretchen Busl, Texas Woman’s U
Discover low-labor, high-impact practices that make professional development components of courses more visible to students. Focusing especially on syllabi and assignment instructions, facilitators guide participants through the process of revising or developing materials for their classes that both highlight and add to the existing professional development components.
For related material, visit bit.ly/MLA25student profdev after 1 Dec.
753. Making Age and Aging Studies Visible in the Humanities
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
A special session. Presiding: Yaqian Xu, U of Warwick
1. “A Reflection on Interdisciplinary Language in Age and Aging Studies,” June Young Oh, U of Texas, Tyler
2. “Intergenerational Dialogue in Humanities: Integrating Age Perspectives in Undergraduate Pedagogy,” Roya Liu, Stony Brook U, State U of New York
3. “Aging in Modernism: Late Life, Late Style, and Late Modernism,” Jade French, Loughborough U
4. “Aging Body in Contemporary Media and Narrative Forms,” Yaqian Xu
Respondent: Andrea Charise, U of Toronto, Scarborough
754. Visible Affects, Invisible Violence: A Postcolonial Problem
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 10
A special session. Presiding: Shwetha Chandrashekhar, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
1. “Witnessing as Modernist Practice: Reportage, Photographs, and Formation of Bangladesh,” Moinak Banerjee, McGill U
2. “Unveiling Trauma and Violence through Affect: Marie Ndiaye's ‘Rosie Carpe' and Lazarian Literature,” Maïté Rebecca Noémie Marciano, Center C
3. “Fraught Intimacies and Affects of Encounter,” Adanna Ogbonna-Oluikpe, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
For related material, visit hcommons.org/members/schandrashek/.
755. Reseeing Jane Austen at 250
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 4
A special session. Presiding: Devoney Looser, Arizona State U, Tempe
Speakers: Stephanie Hershinow, Baruch C, City U of New York; Devoney Looser; Patricia A. Matthew, Montclair State U
Jane Austen's sestercentennial will be celebrated in 2025. Panelists set out to make visible (and ask pressing questions about) its global impact and meanings, emphasizing Austen and the public humanities, current work in multimodal formats, and how best to engage with diverse audiences about Austen's era, its history, and her iconicity in this landmark year.
756. Illicit Repertoires: Transgression around the Modern and Contemporary Iberian Archive
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Prince of Wales
A special session. Presiding: Natalia Castro Picon, Princeton U; Alejandra Rosenberg Navarro, Brown U
Speakers: Natalia Castro Picon; Patricia M. Keller, Cornell U; Annabel Martín, Dartmouth U; Jordana Mendelson, New York U; Alejandra Rosenberg Navarro; Noël Valis, Yale U
Opening a debate around the study of ephemeral, clandestine, intimate, and nontextual knowledges and repertoires by women and subaltern or dissident subjects, panelists discuss methodologies to analyze cultural phenomena that problematize concepts such as object, archive, document, or catalog.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Jax7_u3Rw7klYs4wGnbUtFjUrEMIL-iu?usp=sharing.
757. Seeing and Being Seen: Fostering Connection and Engagement in Higher Education
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill B2
A special session
1. “Graduate Survey Course That Surveys Literatures and Publishing Venues,” William Benner, Texas Woman's U
2. “Escrevivências e [r]existências: Developing a Translation Creative Project in the Language and Literature Classroom,” Cristiane Lira, U of Georgia
3. “Musical Connections in Spanish: The Use of Music as a Tool for Learning the Language,” Natali Herrera-Pacheco, U of North Texas
4. “Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Approaches in Undergraduate Latin American Women Writers and Film,” Angela Mooney, Texas Woman's U
758. Twenty Years of the Poe(tics) of Reception
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 16
A special session. Presiding: Kelly Ross, Rider U
Speakers: Rebecka Rutledge Fisher, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Christa Vogelius, U of Southern Denmark; Elissa Zellinger, Texas Tech U
Respondent: Eliza Richards, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Eliza Richards's Gender and the Poetics of Reception in Poe's Circle has proven foundational for scholarship on American women poets in the nineteenth century, but the original focus on Poe has slipped away. A 2025 Poe Studies special feature examines this topic on the twentieth anniversary of Richards's groundbreaking text; panelists discuss Poe, poetics, and print culture with a focus on race, sexuality, and gender.
For related material, visit texastechuniversity-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/elissa_zellinger_ttu_edu/EuXMAzdhmMRAg4KgQ8W4IbsBi1upmQwH9QHnS6mgIJV09w?e=KkMFQW after 31 Dec.
759. Hemispheric Indigeneities: Language, Authenticity, and Representation in an Era of Globalization
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 7
A special session. Presiding: Ever E. Osorio, Amherst C
Speakers: Daniel Carrillo Jara, U of North Texas; Maria Laura Martinelli, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Tiffany D. Creegan Miller, Colby C; Maria Laura Pensa, Brown U; Regina Pieck, Stanford U; Victor Quiroz, Kenyon C; Tess Renker, Georgetown U
Creating a space for dialogue around the study of Indigenous literatures and Indigeneity within the Américas, scholars working across various regions and time periods open comparative possibilities, exchange best practices, and discuss the state of Indigenous literatures within the fields of Hispanic studies, Latin American studies, and comparative literature.
760. The New New Orleans Novel
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Mike Miley, Metairie Park Country Day, LA; Jay Shelat, Ursinus C
1. “The $1.98 American Dream: Game Show Identity in E. M. Tran's Daughters of the New Year,” Mike Miley
2. “Family Matters: The New New Orleans Novel,” Jay Shelat
3. “The Contemporary New Orleans Novel and/as Genre,” Arin Keeble, Edinburgh Napier U
761. Reconsidering Abject Femininity in Early Modern China: Contesting Ideals of Womanhood in Folk Narratives
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Marlborough A
A special session. Presiding: Paola Zamperini, Northwestern U
1. “Maids' Retribution: A Buddhist Approach to Female Jealousy in Medieval China,” Qiaomei Tang, Grinnell C
2. “Visualizing the Erotic and the Uncanny: Illustrations of Humei congtan in East Asian Contexts,” Fumiko Joo, Mississippi State U
3. “Imperial Phasmophobia: Heterodox Femininity on the Edge of Early Qing Sociopolitical Order,” Nellie Yang, Yale U
Respondent: Li Guo, Utah State U
762. Apertures of Access: Black Texts and (In)Visible Grammars of White Supremacy
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 18
A special session
1. “The Signifying Monkey in We Love You, Charlie Freeman,” Norrell Edwards, U of Maryland, College Park
2. “White Critical Grammar: Disabling Richard Wright's Native Son for the Reading Public,” Sophie Ziner, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
3. “Representing Racial Sutures: Black Masculinity in James Baldwin's Another Country,” Keerti Arora, U of Texas, Austin
4. “‘I Got Sandbagged and Sanpakued': ‘White Sight' and Wholeness in Toni Cade Bambara's The Salt Eaters,” Diana Molina, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
For related material, write to [email protected] after 2 Jan.
763. “Don't Look Away”: Visualizing Children in Conflict
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Amber Sweat, U of California, Berkeley
Speakers: Sreeparna Das, U of Cincinnati; Mary Gryctko, Baruch C, City U of New York; Alexis Stanley, U of California, Berkeley; Hayley Stefan, C of the Holy Cross; Joya Uraizee, Saint Louis U
Panelists treat the visibility of children in situations where they are most expected to be absent: conflict. What happens when society's most protected and invisible are thrust into the crosshairs of conflict and its circulated media? Across geographically diverse offerings, panelists discuss how the child image intensifies, incentivizes, and influences global politics in literature, film, and new media from the eighteenth century to the present.
764. Things That Speak: Material Imaginaries in Contemporary Latinx Speculative Fictions
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Isabel Duarte-Gray, Loyola U, New Orleans
1. “Speculative Landscapes, Speculative Latinx,” Maia Gil'Adí, Johns Hopkins U, MD
2. “Endless Forms Most Beautiful: Eugenics and Aesthetics in Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Work,” Renee Hudson, Chapman U
3. “Speak, Friend, and Enter: Doorways and the Failed Quest for Queer Utopias,” Angie Bonilla, Pomona C
765. Samuel Beckett and the Arresting Image
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Virtual
A special session
1. “In Front of Beckett's Eyes of Flesh: The Art Image in His Oeuvre,” Gabriela Vescova, U Estadual de Campinas
2. “‘It's Done I've Done the Image': Beckett's Experiential Thinking-Imaging,” James Martell, Lyon C
3. “Contemporary Politics of the Facial Hermeneutics in Samuel Beckett's Film,” Umar Shehzad, U of Edinburgh
For related material, write to [email protected] after 1 Dec.
766. Black Activism through the Arts: Print Culture, Performance, and Moving Images
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 6
A special session. Presiding: Julius Fleming, Jr., U of Maryland, College Park
1. “Activist Art Making in Amiri Baraka: Stage, Screen, and the Media Between,” Noa Saunders, Tufts U
2. “Film Activism in the Black Press,” Hayley O'Malley, U of Iowa
3. “Experimental Media and Activism during the Civil Rights Movement,” Elizabeth Rodriguez Fielder, U of Iowa
Respondent: Julius Fleming, Jr.
767. Ledgers of Visibility: An Exploration of Liminality in African American Literature
12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Will Mosley, U of Maryland, College Park
1. “Invisible Ink as Opacity: Embracing Incomprehension in Toni Morrison's Tar Baby and Jesmyn Ward's Let Us Descend,” Marshall Smith, Swarthmore C
2. “Seeing Double in Charles Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition,” Ellen Louis, U of California, Irvine
3. “Unveiling Visibility: Exploring Black Girlhood through Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Viral Media,” Jaz Riley, Yale U
Respondent: Will Mosley
For related material, write to [email protected].
Sunday, 12 January 1:45 p.m.
768. Feminist Narratives and Activism: Transatlantic Journeys and Cultural Resistance across Time
1:45–3:00 p.m., Commerce
Program arranged by the Feministas Unidas. Presiding: Emily Hind, U of Florida
1. “Transatlantic Educational Journeys: Conviviality and the Residencia de Señoritas,” Angela Acosta, Davidson C
2. “Feminist Legacy: Latin American Narratives on Suffrage and Local/Global Activism,” Ericka H. Parra, Valdosta State U
3. “#Nosqueremosvivas: Gender Violence and Fear in Contemporary Mainstream Spanish Music,” Esther Alarcon-Arana, Salve Regina U
For related material, visit feministas-unidas.org/.
769. Commonplacing and Commonplace Books: From Book History to Present-Day Pedagogy
1:45–3:00 p.m., Camp
Program arranged by the Keats-Shelley Association of America. Presiding: Christopher Rovee, Louisiana State U, Baton Rouge
Speakers: Jessica Gray, U of California, Davis; Jillian Hess, Bronx Community C, City U of New York; Olivia Loksing Moy, Lehman C, City U of New York; Alina Romo, Allan Hancock C, CA; Kacie Wills, Allan Hancock C, CA; Jessica Yood, Lehman C, City U of New York
Speakers explore eighteenth- and nineteenth-century practices of commonplacing in British literature and in the classroom today, building on the work of nineteenth-century literary scholars on commonplace book traditions and on contemporary pedagogy theories of “commons” spaces.
For related material, visit drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ewgHm5w_erRODcd1kbk6lL6t-FwAcsY0?usp=sharing.
770. Mrs. Dalloway, Postpandemic: Time, Teaching, Illness
1:45–3:00 p.m., Fulton
Program arranged by the forum LLC Victorian and Early-20th-Century English. Presiding: Tanya Agathocleous, Hunter C, City U of New York
1. “Is Modernism ‘Back Then’? Two Temporalities for Reading Modernism Now,” Sarah Schwartz, Barnard C
2. “‘We Are All Mrs. Dalloway Now’: Virginia Woolf’s Trauma-Informed Pedagogy,” Margot Kotler, Dartmouth C
3. “Long Influenza: Mrs. Dalloway, a Postpandemic Novel,” Stefanie E. Sobelle, Gettysburg C
4. “The Prehistory of Presentness: Mrs. Dalloway after Immediacy,” Aidan Watson-Morris, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
771. Keywords in Postcolonial and Global Anglophone Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Marlborough B
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century English and Anglophone. Presiding: Nicole Rizzuto, Georgetown U
Speakers: Alex Brostoff, Kenyon C; Janice Ho, U of British Columbia; Jane Hu, U of Southern California; Alden Sajor Marte-Wood, Rice U; Rebecca Oh, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Namrata Verghese, Stanford U
This session focuses on keywords shaping the field of transnational scholarship, including postcolonial and global anglophone studies broadly construed. Participants focus on a single keyword that orients their scholarship.
772. Gender and the Palestinian Freedom Struggle
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A2
Program arranged by the forum TC Women's and Gender Studies. Presiding: Shazia Rahman, U of Dayton
1. “Exile and Extinction: Figuring Absence in Zaina Alsous's A Theory of Birds,” Haley Eazor, U of Texas, Austin
2. “Sonic Resistance: Palestinian Women and the Art of Encrypted Folk Songs,” Lava Asaad, Auburn U
3. “‘After I Survive Today': Violence and Human Rights Violations in the Fiction of Susan Muaddi Darraj,” Robin E. Field, King's C
4. “The Psychic Life of Evidence: Palestine and the Global Mobilization of Rape,” Zeena Yasmine Fuleihan, Duke U
773. Working under Fire: Precarity, Censorship, and the Nineteenth-Century Studies Classroom
1:45–3:00 p.m., Steering
Program arranged by the forum LLC 19th-Century American. Presiding: Kathryn Walkiewicz, U of California, San Diego
Speakers: Jesse Alemán, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Oliver Baker, Penn State U, University Park; Ben Bascom, Ball State U; Xine Yao, University C London
We are, yet again, living in a historical moment where what we teach and how we teach are flashpoints for larger cultural and political divisions in the United States. This group of nineteenth-century Americanist scholars discusses censorship, repression, employment precarity, burnout, and institutional stress in their professional lives and research.
774. Racial Formation and Literary Form
1:45–3:00 p.m., Bridge
Program arranged by the forum LLC 20th- and 21st-Century American. Presiding: Dean Joseph Franco, Wake Forest U
1. “Passing Literature in the Age of African American Studies,” Aida Levy-Hussen, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2. “Contemporary Latinx Trauma Novels and the Urge toward Racial Form,” Francisco Robles, U of Notre Dame
3. “Dark Aesthetics: The Emergence of the Multifocal Narrative Form as a Decolonizing Genre,” Paula M. L. Moya, Stanford U
775. When Aesthetics Ran Out of Steam
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 13
Program arranged by the forums LLC Early American and TC History and Literature
1. “When Allegory Was Not Enough: Ireland, Spenser, History,” Ali Madani, Emory U
2. “The Value of Aesthetic Judgment to Democratic Life,” Jesse Cordes Selbin, Gettysburg C
3. “The News and the Common Joy,” Ethan Plaue, U of Pennsylvania
4. “1970s Experimental Minimalism and the Literature of Exhaustion,” Karen Steigman, Otterbein U
Respondent: Ana Schwartz, U of Texas, Austin
776. Improvisation and Citation: Experimentation and Creativity in the Arts
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 10
Program arranged by the forum LLC 18th-Century French. Presiding: Scott M. Sanders, Dartmouth C
Speakers: Katharine Hargrave, C of Charleston; Suzanne LaLonde, U of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Nathan Martin, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Andrew Nsirim, New York U; Kristin O'Rourke, Dartmouth C
Participants discuss distinct, interrelated topics, including metaphors in travel literature, improvisatory singing traditions, textual revisions to and improvisatory forms of French Revolutionary theater, as well as pictorial representations of Romantic genius as a form of musical expression.
For related material, write to [email protected].
777. The Work of and in Fiction
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 4
Program arranged by the forum GS Prose Fiction. Presiding: Magali Armillas-Tiseyra, Penn State U, University Park
Speakers: Kimberly Hall, Wofford C; Christina Lupton, Kobenhavns U; Ariel Martino, Colgate U; Sam Samore, U of Pennsylvania; Blevin Shelnutt, Vassar C
Exploring the interplay of work and fiction, scholars from a range of subfields reflect on the following areas of interest: technologies that make literature work, literature and social reproduction, literature and care work and literature as care work, and theories of work in and as literature.
778. Reshaping Gender and Genres: New Directions in Feminist Theorizing
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 21
A special session. Presiding: Pamela Thurschwell, U of Sussex
Speakers: Stephanie Clare, U of Washington, Seattle; Jennifer Cooke, Loughborough U; Molly Geidel, U of Manchester; Aaron Hammes, Graduate Center, City U of New York; Amber Musser, Graduate Center, City U of New York
Authors and editors of the Elements in Feminism and Contemporary Critical Theory series address and analyze new directions in experimental, shorter-form feminist thinking, especially those grounded in queer, trans, antiracist, and intersectional feminist traditions.
For related material, write to [email protected].
779. Global South Waters
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill C1
A special session. Presiding: Cedric Courtois, U of Lille
1. “Irradiated Waterways and the Reweaving of Oceanic Relations,” Anais Maurer, Rutgers U, New Brunswick
2. “Toward a Slow Wit(h)nessing: The Ocean as a Transoceanic Mnemonic Space in The Dragonfly Sea,” Deniz Gündoğan Ibrisim, Sabancı U
3. “Reclaiming Wetlands Lost to ‘Reclamation' in Southern Mauritania,” Richard H. Watts, U of Washington, Seattle
4. “The Poetics and Politics of Waterscapes in Mulgrew and Szczurek's Water and Okri's Tiger Work,” Cedric Courtois
780. Visibility and Invisibility across Time and Space
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill B2
A special session. Presiding: Leah Richards, LaGuardia Community C, City U of New York
Speakers: Amanda Alexander, U of Minnesota, Morris; Alisha Loftin, San Jacinto C, North Campus, TX; Ally Milner, U of Central Florida; Stephanie Pietros, C of Mount Saint Vincent; Heather Ponchetti Daly, U of California, San Diego
Panelists consider visibility, analyzing students' written responses to a common interdisciplinary prompt about their perception of their personal and cultural identity and the visibility thereof within the context of course content as well as society at large.
781. The Short Book: Brevity in Scholarship
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 12
A special session. Presiding: Nicole Lobdell, Northwestern State U of Louisiana
Speakers: Jacquelyn Ardam, U of California, Los Angeles; Lisa Gitelman, New York U; Judith Pascoe, Florida State U; Christopher Schaberg, Washington U in St. Louis; Johanna Winant, West Virginia U, Morgantown
Authors and series editors of short books discuss and reflect on the writing and editing of them. Who writes short books and why? Can short books tackle certain topics better than longer ones? What roles do they fulfill in scholarship? How and why did they become synonymous with public humanities? With their increasing popularity and visibility, are short books the future?
For related material, visit theshortbook.mla.hcommons.org.
782. Language, Visibility, and Female Selfhood in Contemporary Sinophone Film
1:45–3:00 p.m., Cambridge
A special session. Presiding: Jessica Tsui-Yan Li, York U
1. “Evolving Female Consciousness in Father Takes a Bride,” Jessica Tsui-Yan Li
2. “To See or Not to See: Visibility of Motherhood in Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo,” Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, Oberlin C
3. “An Exposed, Failing Self: Female Authorship in Huang Hui-chen's Small Talk,” Chialan Sharon Wang, Middlebury C
Respondent: Lingzhen Wang, Brown U
783. Words and Music
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 9
A special session. Presiding: Charlie Hankin, U of California, Davis
Speakers: Reid Gómez, U of Arizona, Tucson; John Hoffmeyer, Yale U; Saraswati Majumdar, U of Texas, Austin; Sophie Maríñez, Borough of Manhattan Community C, City U of New York; Jonathan Mayhew, U of Kansas; Cana McGhee, Harvard U; Peter Miller, Reed C
From talking drums to improvisational poetry, music and language overlap in sometimes surprising ways. Participants discuss their methodological approaches to music-language relations while considering corresponding political, racial, and epistemological implications, looking at alternative theories of lyric, poetic improvisation, unitary song, diasporic drum languages, ritornello and Spiralism, queer musical performance, and plant musicology.
784. The Life of the Mind in Percival Everett's Fiction
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 18
A special session. Presiding: Joel Rhone, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
1. “ Percival Everett's Protagonists,” Brittney Michelle Edmonds, U of Wisconsin, Madison
2. “Water and Blood: Black Kinship in the Work of Percival Everett,” Irvin Hunt, U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
3. “Black Women Readers in Erasure, a Contrapuntal Reading,” Joel Rhone
For related material, write to [email protected].
785. Unseen Forces: Aesthetic Engagements with the Otherworldly
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 3
A special session. Presiding: Rebekah Sheldon, Indiana U, Bloomington
1. “Possession and Portal: Zora Neale Hurston and Deana Lawson's Esoteric Aesthetics,” Victoria Papa, Massachusetts C of Liberal Arts
2. “Pamela Colman Smith and the (De)Universalization of Tarot,” Theo Joy Campbell, U of Wisconsin, Madison
3. “Contemporary Astrological Media of Minoritarian Self-Making,” Anna Mukamal, Coastal Carolina U
Respondent: Rebekah Sheldon
For related material, write to [email protected].
786. Visualizing Risk in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 15
A special session. Presiding: Elaine Cannell, U of Wisconsin, Madison
1. “The Risks of Self-Deprivation in Han Kang's The Vegetarian,” Ery Shin, U of Southern Mississippi
2. “Asterisked Embodiment in M. NourbeSe Philip's Zong!,” Sally Hansen, U of Notre Dame
3. “Sēcūra: Without Care,” Janet Kong-Chow, U of Rhode Island
4. “Embodying Difference: Subversive Identities in Arab Diasporic Fiction,” Sreeparna Das, U of Cincinnati
For related material, visit docs.google.com/document/d/177BFtd7mepJCj-MM8u1GYWrqQODlnpyw57Us4FLao00/edit?usp=sharing.
787. Teaching the Rust Belt: How Emplaced Humanities Practices Can Reenvision the Rust Belt
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 16
A special session. Presiding: Katharine G. Trostel, Ursuline C
1. “Emplaced Escalation: Helping Creative Writing Students Create Tension within Their Rust Belt Identities,” Patrick McGinty, Slippery Rock U
2. “Teaching Rhetoric and Composition across St. Louis's Gateways and Borderlands,” Marc Blanc, Washington U in St. Louis
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/teaching-the-rust-belt/.
788. Close Playing, Thirteen Years Later
1:45–3:00 p.m., Fulton
A special session. Presiding: Edmond Chang, Ohio U
Speakers: Edmond Chang; John Murray, U of Central Florida; Ashlyn Sparrow, U of Chicago; Timothy Welsh, Loyola U, New Orleans
Respondent: Mark Sample, Davidson C
At the 2012 MLA convention, Mark Sample called a roundtable, “Close Playing: Literary Methods and Videogame Studies,” to explore a range of analytic approaches to games. Now, more than a decade later, panelists update the possibilities of “close playing” to foreground newer theories, perspectives, voices, and games, offering practical demonstrations that engage urgent conversations about AI, virtuality, economics, diversity, representation, agency, community, and play.
789. Stellae Nullius: Outer Space and the (Anti)Colonial Imagination
1:45–3:00 p.m., Starboard
A special session. Presiding: Nicholas Cohn, New York U
1. “An Anishinaabeg Charter of Space Exploration,” Deondre Smiles, U of Victoria
2. “Straight Lines, Martian Canals, and Fin de Siècle Apocalypse: Reading for Extraplanetary Waters,” Nicholas Cohn
3. “The Space Race Redux: Adapting the Imperial Logics of Lunar Exploration from Pre-Apollo to Today,” Frank Tavares, Columbia U
4. “Uses of the Exoplanet in Afrofuturist Fiction,” Smaran Dayal, Stevens Inst. of Tech.
For related material, visit hcommons.org/groups/stellae-nullius-outer-space-and-the-anti-colonial-imagination/.
790. Reconstructing Philippine and Pacific Identities in View of Colonial Archives
1:45–3:00 p.m., Prince of Wales
A special session. Presiding: Carolina Diaz, Wesleyan U
1. “Traversing the Spanish Pacific: Navigation for Agency of a Scandalous Spanish Mestiza,” You-Jin Kim, Princeton U
2. “Reclaiming the Philippines and Rapa Nui through Art and Poetry,” Paula Park, Rice U
3. “The Coloniality of Tarot and the Resurgence of History in Cartas Philippinensis,” Victor Sierra Matute, Baruch C, City U of New York
791. The New Animal Studies
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 6
A special session. Presiding: Sharon Patricia Holland, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1. “How to Take Animal Life Seriously: Thoughts on the New Animal Studies,” Sharon Patricia Holland
2. “The Black Outside: A Poetics of Black Ecological Desire,” Joy Priest, U of Pittsburgh
For related material, write to [email protected].
792. From Nation to Duration: Making Time Visible in East Asian Culture
1:45–3:00 p.m., Churchill A1
A special session. Presiding: Alexander Lin, U of California, Berkeley
1. “Writing for Historical Space in Shin Kyungsook's A Girl Who Wrote Loneliness,” John Park, U of Washington, Seattle
2. “Aesthetics and Devotion: Kamei Katsuichirō's Ekphrasis of the Kudara Kannon Statue,” Alexander Lin
3. “Reproduction and Practice: A Case of the Saruwaka Tea Container in Postmodern Japan,” Ryosuke Ueda, Urasenke Chado
793. Antagonistic Cooperation: Jazz, Collage, and the Shaping of Interdisciplinary Practice
1:45–3:00 p.m., Magazine
A special session. Presiding: Aidan S. Levy, U of Saint Joseph
1. “Live at the Sands: Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and the Jazz Shape of Las Vegas,” Jessica Teague, U of Nevada, Las Vegas
2. “Visual Rhythms: Musical Ekphrasis, Antagonistic Cooperation, and Robert O'Meally's Art Collection,” Courtney Bryan, Tulane U
3. “The Piano Lesson: August Wilson's ‘Four B's,’ Romare Bearden, and Antagonistic Cooperation,” Dwight Andrews, Emory U
Respondent: Robert O'Meally, Columbia U
794. In Progress: Making Research Communities Visible
1:45–3:00 p.m., Prince of Wales
Program arranged by the forum LLC 16th-and 17th-Century Spanish and Iberian Poetry and Prose. Presiding: Juan Vitulli, U of Notre Dame
Speakers: Chloé Brault MacKinnon, Stanford U; Elizabeth Spragins, C of the Holy Cross; Jesús R. Velasco, Yale U
Participants underline their collective efforts to address the crisis in the humanities by making the field of research relevant and visible again.
795. The Archaic in Contemporary Poetry: A Conversation with Poets on the Reprise of Old English, Old Spanish, and Old French
1:45–3:00 p.m., Salon 22
A special session. Presiding: Benjamin Saltzman, U of Chicago
Speakers: Caroline Bergvall, Queen Mary U London; Edgar Garcia, U of Chicago; Maria Dahvana Headley, independent scholar; Lisa Robertson, independent scholar; Rodrigo Toscano, independent scholar
In poetics today, what is the role of the archaic and the medieval? Acclaimed poets share their approaches to engaging with Old English, Old French, and Old Spanish and reflect on modes of experimentation and translation, inspiration and revision, and resistance and discomfort in relation to these early languages.
