Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention= mind blown
To preempt friends and family who would tell me this anyway... Yes, I am a total nerd =)
I snuck into attended two sessions open to the public:
1. "What makes Language Literary?"
This, naturally, turned into a debate on the definition of "literature" and "literary," and most of it was over my head. But, it was good to hear the debate framed by people at the top of their field.
2. "The New Disseration"
This was really fun! It was the presentation by an MLA committee on the need for doctoral dissertations to catch up to new forms of media. Presentors included a senior English professor from Harvard and the English Graduate Chair of University of Michigan as well as a UW English professor. It was so fascinating to hear the new forms dissertations could take, as opposed to the traditional 250-ish page proto-book. If the dream of being a professor ever comes true, I could see myself being involved somewhere in University administration (actually... I think I'm way too opinionated not to be).
All that to say, fascinating stuff. And when you talk about wanting to be on the cutting edge of your field... well, all I have to say is "proximity is power"--and yesterday felt empowering. I even ran into my new Honors professors and chatted with her (earning the kudos points woow woot =)
So after my lovely MLA afternoon, I went to a new friend's house for my first ever "Notions Club."
My friend has been leading this group of Christian writers for a year and half now. Hoping to emulate the "Inklings," the group meets every friday night to discuss their poetry, short stories, and even some longer prose (read in sections over consecutive weeks). The group then critiques and comments on the writing, and shares a lot of laughs while doing so. I so appreciated how courteous but honest they were. They so warmly offered their advice, but were not timid when it came to helping fellow writers reach their full potential. This is such a difficult tension to create with artists--a safe place where one can share and still rely on honest critiques. Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to going back to "Notions Club"--and dragging some of my writing/literary friends along with me [be forewarned =]
What a day... a glorious, academic day!
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