Career Workshops at Convention
"So, you're going to teach?" This frequently asked question is one most English majors face at some point upon disclosing their chosen major to someone outside of the field. For some of us, the answer…
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Concurrent Sessions: Update
Please pass this announcement along to anyone attending (or considering attending) the Sigma Tau Delta 2017 International Convention, March 29 – April 1, in Louisville, KY. The convention schedule is completed. Here’s your next step:…
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SigmaCon: For Lovers of Pop Culture and Literature
The 2017 Convention will feature many favorite tried-and-true activities: opportunities to hear famous writers; sessions featuring original essays, fiction, and poetry; events for your Regions; and gloriously, intentionally horrible bad poetry. This year, we also…
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Plan on Joining Sigma Tau Delta in Louisville!
Our judges' decisions about the submissions for the 2017 Convention have been made. You should have received an email from [email protected] today. Thank you to all of those who submitted; and to those who have…
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The Last-Minute Scramble: 2017 Convention Submission Deadline
When your Sponsor first mentioned the convention at the start of the semester, you did some quick math in your head and realized that you had over two months until the October-something submission deadline. Oh,…
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Top 10 Reasons to Submit to Convention
It's that time of year again! Submissions are being accepted now through Monday, October 24, 2016, for the Sigma Tau Delta 2017 International Convention. Convention Chair Shannin Schroeder has assembled a brief list of reasons…
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Making Convention Stories
This past spring we invited students attending the 2016 Sigma Tau Delta Convention in Minneaoplis, MN, to submit their convention stories. The stories have been added to the Society's archive in order to create and…
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"You say 'to-may-to' and I say 'to-mah-to,'" Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sing in the 1930s movie Shall We Dance. The song's cheeky suggestion, "Let's call the whole thing off," is a playful and hyperbolic reminder that pronunciation can be the difference between comprehension and confusion.
The theme for the 2017 Sigma Tau Delta Convention, which will be held March 28-April 1 in Louisville, KY, invites such considerations of pronunciation and of how subtle shifts—from /ē/ to /ɛ/—matter. In shifting from the notion of recreation—rebirth, renewal, a second go at existence—to recreation—play, leisure, pasttimes—we tap into one of the glorious aspects of the English language: we often must know context before we can properly affix a word with its meaning.
The word recreation, in microcosm, represents the work we do in our discipline. The theme invites us to ponder our own existence...and the means by which we seek answers to such vexing questions. We reach for the divine, the mystical...and find ourselves, instead, embracing the popular and secular. One word demands the study of the most erudite notions to face humans—as well as the most common or mainstream views.
No matter how we pronounce this year's theme, we come to the intersection of numerous threads of the study of English. We look forward to seeing you in Louisville!
Convention Theme
Jan. 17: Participant Confirmation Form Due
Jan. 17: Non-Presenter Chair Volunteer Form Due
Jan. 23: Faculty Moderator Volunteer Form Due
Jan. 23: Early Registration Ends
Feb. 6: General Registration Ends
