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, Sheraton135A. The Future of Learning
Thursday, 5 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., Grand C, Sheraton467. The Future of Teaching
Saturday, 7 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Grand C, Sheraton202. The Presidential Forum: Language, Literature, Learning
Friday, 6 January, 10:15 a.m.–12:00 noon, Metropolitan A, Sheraton283. What Makes Language Literary?
Friday, 6 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton431. Language and Learning
Saturday, 7 January, 10:15–11:30 a.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton527. Democracy, Language, and Literature
Saturday, 7 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., Metropolitan A, SheratonCreative Conversations
143. A Creative Conversation: Ruth Ozeki with Susan Squier
Thursday, 5 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., 604, WSCC240. A Creative Conversation: David Shields with Jessica Burstein
Friday, 6 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., 607, WSCC329. A Creative Conversation with Richard Van Camp: Writing, Language, and Indigenous Expression
Friday, 6 January, 3:30–4:45 p.m., Redwood, Sheraton347. A Creative Conversation with the Chinese Poet Xi Chuan
Friday, 6 January, 5:15–6:30 p.m., Grand B, Sheraton567. Pinter in Seattle: A Creative Conversation with Frank Corrado and Harry Burton
Saturday, 7 January, 3:30–4:45 p.m., 608, WSCC584. A Creative Conversation with Charles Johnson
Saturday, 7 January, 5:15–6:30 p.m., 6A, WSCC619. Performing Wagner: A Creative Conversation
Saturday, 7 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., Grand D, SheratonOther 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, WSCC232. The Lost Years: African American Literature and Culture, 1940–60
Friday, 6 January, 10:15–11:30 a.m., 310, WSCC288. Radical Learning Strategies
Friday, 6 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 606, WSCC308. Charlie Chan Is Undead: Reopening the Case of America's First Mainstream Minority Detective
Friday, 6 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 307, WSCC315. The New Dissertation: Thinking outside the (Proto-)Book
Friday, 6 January, 3:30–4:45 p.m., 606, WSCC380. The Presidential Address
Friday, 6 January, 6:45 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton496. Career Opportunities in Two-Year Colleges
Saturday, 7 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., 307, WSCC520. Sticker Shock: The Rising Cost of Textbooks
Saturday, 7 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 617, WSCC611. MLA Awards Ceremony
Saturday, 7 January, 6:45 p.m., Metropolitan A, Sheraton732. Northwest Poetry and Poetics
Sunday, 8 January, 1:45–3:00 p.m., 606, WSCC
