2012 Convention Information and Services

Audio- and Videotaping at Sessions

Neither audiotaping nor videotaping of sessions is normally permitted. Occasional exceptions may be made for members of the media taping short segments designed to convey the convention atmosphere. Such arrangements must be made through the press office and require the consent of all speakers at a session. When taping is approved, a representative of the media staff will accompany the reporter and crew. The session organizer will announce to the audience that audio- or videotaping will take place during a part of the session. Only background taping is allowed, not the taping of an entire session. Requests to film the convention as part of a creative or documentary project must have been submitted to the Executive Council by 17 October.

Badges

Badges are required for admission to convention sessions, the exhibit hall, and the Job Information Center. Badge holders are available at the MLA registration and information center in the Washington State Convention Center. Lost badges can be replaced for $8 at the MLA registration center.

Business Centers

Sheraton Seattle, FedEx Business Center, 2nd floor (Thurs.–Fri., 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sat.–Sun., 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)

Washington State Convention Center, FedEx Office, level 1 (Thurs., 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; Fri., 7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Sat. 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Sun., 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.)

Child Care

MLA members who use child care services provided by one of the convention hotels or another service are eligible for reimbursement. The MLA has funds available to reimburse up to $300 each to members who use child care during convention hours. If more requests are received than can be reimbursed with available funds, preference will be given to graduate students and members in lower-income categories. Members should submit a request for reimbursement, along with supporting documentation such as a receipt from a child care service, no later than 20 January 2012 to Maribeth Kraus, Director of Convention Programs, Modern Language Association, 26 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10004-1789.

Convention Guide and Convention Daily

The Convention Guide, containing city and hotel maps and providing general information pertinent throughout the convention, will be available as a PDF on the MLA Web site in October and at the convention. The Convention Daily prints special notices, changes in schedule, and brief reports on convention activities and appears Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the convention. Copies are available free at the MLA information center; the 5 January issue will appear on the MLA Web site before the convention.

Convention Registration and Housing

All persons wishing to attend meetings or use convention services must register for the convention. Persons who plan to attend the convention may register through the MLA Web site (www.mla.org). Registrations will be accepted after 7 December, but programs (for nonmembers) and badges may not be sent. Members attending the convention who have not registered may register during the convention at the registration area located in the Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, level 4). The registration area will be open on 5 January from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., on 6 and 7 January from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on 8 January from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Hotel Reservations. Members are reminded that hotel rooms at the special MLA rates are available only to persons who are registered for the convention. Each convention registrant can reserve a maximum of one hotel room. Housing forms will not be processed if they include the names of persons in the profession who have not paid their registration fees for the convention. (Spouses, friends, and family members who wish to share a room with a registrant and who are also engaged in the study of language and literature must register and pay their registration fees for the convention.) Convention registrants who arrive in Seattle without hotel arrangements may go to the registration and information desk at the Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, level 4). A representative of CMR, the MLA housing service, will be there to help such attendees find housing and to assist attendees with any hotel issues they may have.

Registration Fees. Early registration fees from 1 September through 3 October are as follows: regular members, $145; regular members outside the United States and Canada, $50; graduate student members, $45; emeriti members, $50; non­-tenure­-track and unemployed members, $50. Registration fees from 4 October through 7 December are as follows: regular members, $175; regular ­members outside the United States and Canada, $50; graduate student members, $45; non­-tenure­-track and unemployed members, $50; emeriti members, $50; nonmembers, $235; graduate student nonmembers, $65. Registration fees after 7 December are as follows: regular members, $205; regular members outside the United States and Canada, $60; graduate student members, $55; emeriti members, $60; non­-tenure­-track and unemployed members, $60; nonmembers, $265; graduate student nonmembers, $75.

Registration Refunds. Requests for refunds of registration fees must be made in writing, accompanied by unused convention badges, sent to the director of convention programs at the MLA office, and postmarked no later than 6 January 2012. Refunds requested after 6 January 2012 will not be granted. A $10 service fee will be deducted from all refunds.

Council of Editors of Learned Journals

Officers and experienced editors who are members of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) will be available for consultation and advice for other editors and scholars who have questions about what to expect in journal submission, peer review, and publishing processes. Beginning scholars (graduate students and entry­-level professors) are particularly welcome.

Editors from CELJ will be available to provide informal information and private consultations on 6 and 7 January from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in 2A, Washington State Convention Center.

Delegate Assembly

Established in 1971 as an elected body representing the membership at large, the Delegate Assembly, composed of over 270 delegates, debates issues of concern to the membership and advises the Executive Council on the association’s policies, direction, goals, and structure. Formal deliberations of the assembly, at which any MLA member can speak, are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on 7 January in the Washington State Convention Center (6B, 6th floor).

An open hearing of the Delegate Assembly, at which MLA members may present their views, will be held at 10:15 a.m. on 6 January in the Washington State Convention Center (309, 3rd floor). Members who wish to submit formal resolutions to the Delegate Assembly should attend the open hearing on resolutions held on 6 January at 12:00 noon in the Washington State Convention Center (309, 3rd floor). Procedures for submitting resolutions, which are general statements of membership sentiment, are described in article 11.C.3 of the MLA constitution; copies of this section of the constitution will be available at the MLA information center.

Disabilities, Facilities and Services for Persons with

The MLA is committed to making arrangements that allow all members of the association to participate in the convention.

Meeting Rooms. Meeting rooms at the convention are accessible by elevator, and the doors are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. There will be a desk in the convention registration and information center at the Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, level 4) staffed with personnel who can provide assistance to convention attendees with disabilities. There will also be a satellite desk in the lobby of the Sheraton Seattle. To reserve hotel rooms that are specifically equipped for persons with permanent or temporary disabilities, participants must have checked the appropriate boxes on the convention registration form and the housing reservation form or written or called Karin Bagnall in the MLA convention office by 11 November.

Shuttle Bus. A complimentary transportation service will be available throughout convention meeting hours to transport attendees with disabilities. Arrangements may be made at the desk for persons with disabilities in the Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, level 4) as well as the Sheraton Seattle (Lobby level). Further details and phone numbers will be posted at the convention center and headquarters hotel.

Sessions. Speakers are asked to bring five copies of their papers, even in draft form, for the use of members who wish to follow the written text. Speakers who use handouts should prepare some copies in a large-­print format (14- to 16­-point type size). Speakers should indicate whether they want their papers and handouts returned. Sign language interpreters and real-­time captioning are available on request. To arrange for either of these services, write or call Karin Bagnall in the MLA convention office.

Scooter Rentals. Scooters, for navigating the convention more easily, can be rented from Scootaround (888 441-7575 or www.scootaround.com/rentals/m/mla).

Karin Bagnall coordinates arrangements for persons with disabilities; she can be reached at the MLA convention office at kbagnall@mla.org.

Electronic Literature Exhibit

Electronic Literature, curated by Dene Grigar, Mark Marino, Lori Emerson, and Kathi Berens, brings together "born digital" works of electronic literature by current MLA members as well as artists whose poetry and fiction are viewed as seminal to the field. The exhibit, located in the Washington State Convention Center (609, level 6), will include genres such as hyperfiction, animated text, flash poetry, interactive poetry, and new media novels. Check the Convention Daily for hours.

Exhibits

Over 110 firms will display books and other materials of interest to teachers of language and literature in the Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, 4B, level 4). The area will be open on 6 and 7 January from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on 8 January from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Admission to the exhibit area is restricted to persons wearing badges or carrying appropriate passes. To view a list of the 2012 exhibitors, click here.

Friends of Bill W.

In the Sheraton Seattle, Medina (3rd floor) is set aside for the Friends of Bill W. throughout convention hours.

Future Convention

In 2013 the convention will be held in Boston from 3 to 6 January.

Government Careers

Representatives from various agencies in the federal government will be available at the Washington State Convention Center to answer questions about government careers that use skills in languages and cultural expertise on 6 January from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (in 2A) and on 7 January from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (in 2B).

On 7 January from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in 2B of the Washington State Convention Center, representatives from government agencies will offer a workshop that highlights federal careers that utilize foreign language and cultural expertise.

Graduate Student Lounge

A lounge where graduate students can meet for discussion or relaxation will be located in the Washington State Convention Center (210, level 2).

Headquarters Offices

Headquarters offices will be located in the Washington State Convention Center (601, level 6) and the Sheraton Seattle (Fremont, 3rd floor). Members of the MLA convention staff will be available in these offices whenever sessions are in progress to handle problems that might arise with meeting rooms or meeting facilities. Program organizers are asked to refer questions on such matters to one of the headquarters offices, not to the hotel management. More general questions will be answered by staff members at the MLA information center.

Illness and Medical Emergencies

Procedures vary from one location to another.

Sheraton Seattle. Dial 3333 from any house phone.

Washington State Convention Center. Dial 5127 from any house phone.

Please note: whether you are seeking medical advice or have a medical emergency, the hotel or convention center will direct you to the closest hospital emergency ward.

Information Center

General questions about the convention and the association will be answered at the MLA information center in the Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, level 4). Copies of the Program and the Job Information List will be sold at the center; the Convention Guide and the Convention Daily will be available free at the registration and information area in the Washington State Convention Center and through the MLA Web site. The information center will be open on 5 January from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., on 6 and 7 January from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on 8 January from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Job Information Center

For Prearranged Interviews. Consult the interviewer’s sign-­in file in the Conference Center, Washington State Convention Center (3rd floor), if you do not know whether your interview is scheduled for a hotel room or the interview area or if you need to find out the hotel room number for your interview. Allow yourself ample time to obtain this information. If your interview is scheduled for the interview area, proceed directly to the Conference Center, Washington State Convention Center (3rd floor), and ask a staff member for the table number.

If the interviewer has not signed in, consult the “Who’s Here” directory in the members’ lounge in the Washington State Convention Center or near the Job Information Center in the Conference Center, Washington State Convention Center. Once you know where the interviewer is staying, you can call the hotel information desk and be connected with the interviewer’s hotel room. (For reasons of safety, hotel staff members will not give guests’ room numbers to callers.) If the interviewer is not in, use the hotel’s message facilities. A message left in a hotel mailbox will be flashed on the guest’s room telephone. If the person is not listed in the “Who’s Here” directory, check the Program Participants section of the convention program to see whether that interviewer is speaking at or chairing a session and can be reached at a specific time and place or ask a Job Information Center staff member for help.

The MLA Job Information Service will operate a center at the Conference Center, Washington State Convention Center (3rd floor). Positions that become available after the printing of the December Job Information List will be posted, and a counseling service for job candidates will be available in the interview area on 6 and 7 January. An interviewers’ sign-in file will be maintained and facilities provided for job candidates and interviewers to exchange messages. Space will be available for interviews, but candidates and interviewers are urged to arrange interviews in advance. Job candidates are reminded that almost no unscheduled interviews take place at the convention. Therefore, members are advised not to attend the convention for the sole purpose of seeking employment if they do not have scheduled interviews. The Job Information Center will be open on 5 January from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m., on 6 January from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., on 7 January from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on 8 January from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Lost and Found

Members wishing to report items either lost or found should contact an MLA staff member at the information center (South Lobby, level 4) at the Washington State Convention Center; at the Sheraton Seattle, speak with the front desk staff.

Lounges

Areas furnished with comfortable chairs and tables where members may congregate for discussion or relaxation will be provided in the Washington State Convention Center (West lobby, level 6). A graduate student lounge will be located in the Washington State Convention Center (210, level 2).

Mail and Messages

Although the hotels will make every effort to deliver mail and messages received during the convention, the MLA can assume no responsibility for failure in delivery. A message service in the Conference Center, Washington State Convention Center (3rd floor), is provided in conjunction with the Job Information Center to facilitate exchange of messages between job candidates and interviewers. For other kinds of messages, determine the recipient’s hotel by referring to the “Who’s Here” listing (see “Who’s Here” section) posted near the members’ lounge in the convention center, then leave messages with the desk clerk at the appropriate hotel. Bulletin boards where convention attendees may post messages for their colleagues will also be provided in the lounge.

Membership in the MLA

For the convenience of those who would like to join the MLA, as well as for continuing members who would like to pay their 2012 dues, a membership desk will be located in the registration center. MLA membership runs from 15 January through 14 January of the subsequent year. Individuals who join the association while registering for the convention are entitled to register at members’ rates.

MLA Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony will take place at 6:45 p.m. on 7 January in the Sheraton Seattle (Metropolitan A, level 3). First Vice President Michael Bérubé will present awards to the recipients of the William Riley Parker Prize, James Russell Lowell Prize, MLA Prize for a First Book, Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize, Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize, MLA Prize for Independent Scholars, Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize, Morton N. Cohen Award, MLA Prize for a Distinguished Scholarly Edition, 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 Slavic Languages and Literatures, Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation of a Scholarly Study of Literature, Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Italian Studies, Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Publication Award for a Manuscript in Italian Literary Studies, Lois Roth Award, William Sanders Scarborough Prize, and MLA Prize in United States Latina and Latino and Chicana and Chicano Literary and Cultural Studies.

Executive Director Rosemary G. Feal will present the MLA International Bibliography Fellowship Awards and announce the recipients of the seal of approval from the Committee on Scholarly Editions.

Michael Bérubé will announce the recipients of the ADE Frances Andrew March Award and the ADFL Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession.

Russell A. Berman, MLA president, will present the MLA Award for Lifetime Scholarly Achievement to Fredric Jameson, who will speak.

NEH Information

On 6 January from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in 3B of the Washington State Convention Center, representatives from the NEH will offer a workshop that highlights recent awards and outlines current funding opportunities.

NITLE and Texas A&M University

The National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE) and the Texas A&M Initiative for Digital Humanities, Media, and Culture are sponsoring a preconvention workshop, “Getting Started in the Digital Humanities with DHCommons,” with Rebecca Davis (NITLE) and Ryan Cordell (Saint Norbett Coll.) presiding. The three-hour workshop welcomes language and literature scholars who wish to learn about, pursue, or join digital humanities projects for research or teaching. The workshop will serve as the launch of the DHCommons, a new registry designed to match such scholars with existing digital initiatives and established digital-humanities scholars. Scholars must have applied in advance for the workshop at www.dhcommons.org/mla2012. Enrollment was limited.

Passes

A convention speaker may obtain a pass for a family member or friend who has no professional interest in language or literature to hear a paper given by that speaker. These passes must be requested at the MLA information center by the speaker on the day of the session. The speaker must provide his or her name, session details (session number, room, date, and time), and the guest’s name. Passes may not be requested by guests of speakers, MLA members who have not registered for the convention, or by speakers for guests for any reason other than to see that person speak in a particular session.

All MLA members and members of the profession that the MLA serves are required to register in order to participate in or attend sessions. Please note that if you need a pass for an evening session you must obtain it before the information center closes.

MLA convention registrants may obtain free passes to the exhibit hall for guests they accompany in the hall. Persons who are not registered for the convention and who are not accompanied by registrants may purchase a one­-day pass to the exhibit hall for $10. These passes are available at the Exhibit Registration booth, Washington State Convention Center (South Lobby, level 4).

Presidential Address

The Presidential Address will take place at 6:45 p.m. on 6 January in the Sheraton Seattle (Metropolitan A, level 3). Executive Director Rosemary G. Feal will report on the association’s 2011 activities and President Russell A. Berman will deliver the Presidential Address. The session is open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

Presidential Forum

The Presidential Forum will take place at 10:15 a.m. on 6 January in the Sheraton Seattle (Metropolitan A, level 3).

Programs

Copies of the Program can be purchased for $12 at the MLA information center. Free copies are available only to those who received in their registration packets a card entitling them to a complimentary Program or to foreign registrants who did not receive their Programs.

Seattle Information and Restaurant Reservations

A Visitor Information Center desk is located inside the lobby of the Washington State Convention Center. Staff members are available to answer travel questions, provide directions and public transportation information, assist with itineraries, and make recommendations on dining, nightlife, sightseeing, and cultural options, as well as make complimentary dining reservations. The desk also provides maps and travel guides. The desk will be open during business hours.

Shuttle Bus Service

A free shuttle service will operate between the Washington State Convention Center and designated locations. Further details will be available at the convention and on the MLA Web site. There will be a shuttle service available throughout the convention meeting hours to transport attendees with disabilities.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited in most buildings in Seattle.

Speaker Ready Rooms

Space in the Sheraton Seattle (Everett, 3rd floor) and the Washington State Convention Center (603, level 6) has been reserved to allow speakers to run through their audiovisual presentations before their sessions. Those who have computer presentations should have completed a Presenter’s Computer Information form to arrange for a pretest appointment. If you have not done so, please contact Karin Bagnall (kbagnall@mla.org).

Transportation to and in Seattle

MLA convention hotels are located in downtown Seattle near the Washington State Convention Center.

Airport Transportation. Sea-Tac International Airport (Sea-Tac) is less than fifteen miles from downtown Seattle. For airport information, visit www.portseattle.org/seatac/ or call 206 787-5388. Shuttle transportation from Sea-Tac to the downtown Seattle convention hotels is available from Shuttle Express (www.shuttleexpress.com). To make reservations, call 425 981-7000 or 800 487-7433. Link light rail connects downtown Seattle to Sea-Tac; the ride takes less than forty minutes from the airport to Westlake Center, located three blocks from the Washington State Convention Center and near the convention hotels. Taxis from Sea-Tac to the downtown Seattle convention hotels cost $35–$45; service from the downtown hotels to Sea-Tac is a $35 flat fee. The in-city fare is metered at $2.50/mile.

Metro Bus System. King County Metro Transit operates throughout Seattle; for information on routes and fares, visit metro.kingcounty.gov. In the downtown zone, Metro buses are free between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

“Who’s Here” Directory

The “Who’s Here” directory will be posted in the members’ lounge in the Washington State Convention Center (West Lobby, level 6) and near the Job Information Center in the Conference Center, Washington State Convention Center (3rd floor). The directory will include the names and convention addresses of persons who make hotel reservations through the housing bureau or send their local addresses to the MLA office before 9 December. Only the names of hotels listed on the convention housing form or local addresses are listed. Members are advised to check their own “Who’s Here” listings for accuracy and to make any necessary revisions. The information used to compile the list comes from the housing service, not from the MLA.