Northeast Modern Language Association

The NEMLA 2010 Convention in Montréal last April was a resounding success. Barbara Mabee (Oakland Univ.) led the planning of the convention, with the sponsorship of McGill University. There were more than 360 well-attended sessions, with a thought-provoking keynote address by Alan Liu (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara), “From Reading to Social Computing.” Other speeches included “The Incredible Disappearing Slave: Slavery and Visibility in Nineteenth-century Jamaican Landscapes,” by Charmaine Nelson (McGill Univ.), and “Queer Content in Context,” by Mariiko Tamaki. There were also presentations by authors Gail Scott, Madeleine Monette, and Verena Stefan. Cultural events included local architectural tours, performances at the Place des Artes, and a reading by Montréal poets.

Now in the third year, seminar sessions have become a strong component of NEMLA’s annual convention, allowing scholars the opportunity to actively comment on each other’s work. For 2011, NEMLA will add preconvention workshops, allowing members to collaboratively address topics of concern. These new session types, plus the strength of Language Area and Caucus events, will enhance the sense of an intellectual community that is both open and welcoming. These qualities have become the trademarks of NEMLA, of which the board is most proud.

Simona Wright (Coll. of New Jersey), with the NEMLA Board, has begun planning for the 2011 convention in New Brunswick, New Jersey, 7–10 April 2011. New Brunswick is a lively and attractive university town, convenient by train to Newark Airport and New York City. Local host Rutgers University has been active in organizing special events and speakers. The opening reading and reception will be held at the Zimmerli Art Museum, featuring poets Rachel Hadas and Mark Doty. NEMLA has approved 370 sessions, which are currently accepting abstracts (deadline 30 Sept. 2010): http://www.nemla.org/convention/2011/cfp.html. This year’s offerings are particularly rich in drama, Middle Eastern languages, Italian, and women’s studies.

In addition to its annual convention, NEMLA is committed to supporting the scholarship of its members. NEMLA supports three fellowship programs, awarding research support to 16 members: the NEMLA / Newberry Library Fellowship, the NEMLA / American Antiquarian Society Fellowship, and the NEMLA Summer Fellowships.

MLS (Modern Language Studies) continues to be a dynamic extension of the Northeast Modern Language Association. The highlight of MLS 39.2 (Winter 2010) was the publication of an unpublished play by Charles Chesnutt, “Mrs. Darcy’s Daughter,” edited and introduced by Matthew Wilson and Anne Marie McDonald, with critical responses written by Robert Nowatzki, Ryan Simmons, and Nancy Bentley. MLS was also proud to publish a review essay by Nadia Waggener, a senior creative writing major at Susquehanna University. These two publications reflect MLS’s continuing interest in unpublished primary documents of literary historical interest.

For the 2010 Convention, MLS sponsored the session “The Practice and Purposes of Book Reviewing” to encourage and support the producing of reviews. MLS offers its Reviews section, which focuses on significant, intriguing, or unusual primary source materials, as an entryway into the publication process for a variety of younger scholars. For the Reviews section, MLS welcomes not only work by professors and graduate students but also superior work by undergraduates. As MLS is also interested in promoting the work of the academic and creative writer, NEMLA also sponsored the reading of Montréal poets.

NEMLA officers and staff for the 2010–11 year: Simona Wright (Coll. of New Jersey), President; Bill Waddell (Saint John Fisher Coll.), First Vice President; Natalie Edwards, Second Vice President; Barbara Mabee (Oakland Univ.), Past President; Andrew Schopp, American/British Literatures Director; Moussa Sow (Coll. of New Jersey), French Language and Literatures Director; Cecilia Feilla (Marymount Manhattan Coll.), American/British Literatures Director; Johanna Rossi Wagner (Penn State Univ.), Cultural Studies and Film Director; Birgit Tautz (Bowdoin Coll.), German Language and Literature Director; Daniela Antonucci (Princeton Univ.), Italian Language and Literature Director; Cristina Santos (Brock Univ.), Spanish/Portuguese Languages and Literature Director; Elaine Savory (New School Univ.), Comparative Languages and Literatures / World Literatures Director; Sophie Lavin (Stonybrook Univ., State Univ. of New York), Women's Caucus Representative; Esther Cuesta (Univ. of Massachusetts), Graduate Caucus Representative; Elizabeth Anderman (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder), CAITY Representative; Laurence Roth (Susquehanna Univ.), Modern Language Studies editor; Kristin LeVeness (Nassau Community Coll., State Univ. of New York), Chair Coordinator; Grace Wetzel (Univ. of South Carolina), Convention Associate.

NEMLA is mindful of the opportunities afforded by its recent growth, actively considering how best to keep the convention serving the needs of our members and the evolving profession. Through board-sponsored sessions and special programs, NEMLA continuously works to extend the dialogues with and between its members. More information about NEMLA is available at http://www.nemla.org.

ELIZABETH ABELE
Executive Director