This is kind of a big deal: For the first time ever, the Modern Language Association is having their annual conference in Seattle, from Thursday, January 5th to Sunday, January 8th. If you're in the academic or arts fields, you probably know why this matters: the MLA is an organization devoted to the sharing of scholarly research, and their conference is the best opportunity to share and discuss that research in person. (Read more right here.)

Why this matters to you is that the conference makes a number of programs available for free for Seattleites: You can find a list of all the free programs right here, and I've also posted the list after the jump. The talks I'm most excited about include "Democracy, Language, and Literature;" "A Creative Conversation with the Chinese Poet Xi Chuan;" "The Lost Years: African American Literature and Culture, 1940–60;" and "The New Dissertation: Thinking outside the (Proto-)Book." Other discussions include a conversation with David Shields, a reappraisal of Charlie Chan, and a talk about Northwest poetry. Admission to the conference is pretty expensive, but these free talks are a great way to get a taste of all the intellectual stimulation Seattle will be hosting that week.

These two events should also be on your radar: The New York Review of Books is having a meetup party in the beautiful Fireside Room of the Sorrento Hotel on the night of Thursday the 5th. This is a great opportunity to meet literary minded folks who don't often make it out to Seattle. And! Town Hall is hosting a MLA-themed reading, in which 60 authors, many of whom are in town for the MLA Conference, read for three minutes each. Both of those events are free.

Usually, the first couple months of a new year in Seattle are slow-going as far as intellectual pursuits go. But the MLA Conference is kicking off a year that feels unusually packed with exciting new books from Seattleites that should gain national attention. Let's start 2012 out right, by showing the MLA folks that Seattle can throw down brainy conversation with the best of them.

69. The Future of Higher Education
Thursday, 5 January, 3:30–5:15 p.m., Grand C, Sheraton

135A. The Future of Learning
Thursday, 5 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., Grand C, Sheraton

467. The Future of Teaching
Saturday, 7 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Grand C, Sheraton

202. The Presidential Forum: Language, Literature, Learning
Friday, 6 January, 10:15 a.m.–12:00 noon, Metropolitan A, Sheraton

283. What Makes Language Literary?
Friday, 6 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton

431. Language and Learning
Saturday, 7 January, 10:15–11:30 a.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton

527. Democracy, Language, and Literature
Saturday, 7 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton

Creative Conversations

143. A Creative Conversation: Ruth Ozeki with Susan Squier
Thursday, 5 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., 604, WSCC

240. A Creative Conversation: David Shields with Jessica Burstein
Friday, 6 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., 607, WSCC

329. A Creative Conversation with Richard Van Camp: Writing, Language, and Indigenous Expression
Friday, 6 January, 3:30–4:45 p.m., Redwood, Sheraton

347. A Creative Conversation with the Chinese Poet Xi Chuan
Friday, 6 January, 5:15–6:30 p.m., Grand B, Sheraton

567. Pinter in Seattle: A Creative Conversation with Frank Corrado and Harry Burton
Saturday, 7 January, 3:30–4:45 p.m., 608, WSCC

584. A Creative Conversation with Charles Johnson
Saturday, 7 January, 5:15–6:30 p.m., 6A, WSCC

619. Performing Wagner: A Creative Conversation
Saturday, 7 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., Grand D, Sheraton

Other Sessions Open to the Public

161. The Webs We Weave: Online Pedagogy in Community Colleges
Thursday, 5 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., 615, WSCC

232. The Lost Years: African American Literature and Culture, 1940–60
Friday, 6 January, 10:15–11:30 a.m., 310, WSCC

288. Radical Learning Strategies
Friday, 6 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 606, WSCC

308. Charlie Chan Is Undead: Reopening the Case of America's First Mainstream Minority Detective
Friday, 6 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 307, WSCC

315. The New Dissertation: Thinking outside the (Proto-)Book
Friday, 6 January, 3:30–4:45 p.m., 606, WSCC

380. The Presidential Address
Friday, 6 January, 6:45 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton

496. Career Opportunities in Two-Year Colleges
Saturday, 7 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., 307, WSCC

520. Sticker Shock: The Rising Cost of Textbooks
Saturday, 7 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 617, WSCC

611. MLA Awards Ceremony
Saturday, 7 January, 6:45 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton

732. Northwest Poetry and Poetics
Sunday, 8 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 606, WSCC