The Elizabeth Madox Roberts Society seeks proposals for a roundtable discussion at the next meeting of SAMLA, held in Atlanta from November 9-11, 2023. The theme of this year’s SAMLA is “The Future of Literature and Language Studies.” With this theme in mind, our roundtable is titled “What Does the Future Look Like for Single-Author Societies and What Will Their Place Be in the Study of Literature?” The roundtable will ideally consist of 4-5 participants, from various author societies, who will discuss anticipated changes and relevance for author societies.
The Elizabeth Madox Roberts Society celebrates its 25th anniversary conference in the summer of 2023, but with the continued decrease in stable faculty positions in academia, the society has observed real challenges to membership and participation. Given this changing climate, what does the future look like for single-author societies? Where might societies draw new membership and encourage participation if traditional pathways in academia are no longer available? What will be lost if single-author societies are unable to sustain themselves in the future? What is the role for such societies as both the humanities and, even more specifically, literary studies continue to be maligned within and without higher education? These are the kinds of questions this roundtable discussion hopes to consider and explore.
Please, contact James Stamant at jstamant@agnesscott.edu if you have an interest in joining this discussion.