Conferences

I took some time off from conferences, which was incredibly well-timed with the onset of my migraine insanity and the beginning of my prospectus and diss-writing. I did a local one in 2010, but it was local and in the summer, so no biggie, but I haven't done one since and that was the only one I did last year. Basically, the thought of writing an abstract, filling out funding requests, traveling, and figuring out my class schedule to accommodate the conferences while writing my diss seemed like too much. Not to mention writing a paper and then attending the conference and networking(!). And since the migraine madness started early last year, I couldn't even think about conferences without getting overwhelmed and wanting to cry. But now I want to go to conferences again.

There are 4 conferences in 2012 in my sub-field to mark the 200th anniversary of a big-deal text in the field. I talked to my chair about which ones to attend (because even though I should be done with the diss in the Spring, 4 is a lot). We picked 2 (both international), and I plan on submitting abstracts based on un-published/un-conferenced portions of the diss. Then today a friend sent me a CFP for a Harry Potter conference in Scotland next year. How am I not supposed to submit to that!? And, it's after the end of my semester. We have a 2-per-academic-year limit on funding, so it's possible. I need to get rich quick so Husband can come too.

Not having choices and just going to whatever came up was much easier. And I've yet to go to MLA or 4Cs. I'm going to have to do that at some point.