Research in the Round Hosts – updated 2/15/2022

Planning to attend the 2022 Convention but not presenting an original work or participating on a roundtable? Host a table at Research in the Round, a new, timed event that promotes the very best part of convention: conversation!

Convention attendees are invited to submit a topic and two questions for brief but engaging conversations about literary, theoretical, pedagogical, or writing topics. If your submission is accepted for Research in the Round, you will host a table at the event. Participants will circulate from table to table in a timed, speed-style format, where (after a brief introduction) they attempt to answer the host’s questions or may formulate one of their own about the same topic. The host should have follow-up questions in mind to prompt further discussion.

For example, if the topic were Frankenstein, the proposed questions might be “What is the significance of Mary Shelley’s work being the first science fiction novel?” and “With whom are our sympathies meant to lie, with our narrator Victor or with his Creature?” (The presenter may be poised to ask, “What factors have played a role in scholars ignoring Shelley’s contributions to a new sub-genre?” or “Why does Shelley frame Victor’s narrative with Walton’s letter to his sister?”)

Each round will be limited to eight or nine minutes of discussion. Depending on the level of interest and the space available, hosts will engage in up to five or six conversations with as many as twelve participants.

Attendees will indicate their interest in Research in the Round during registration, or they may register to participate during Convention as space permits. Priority will be given to students who are not listed in the program as presenters. Hosts for Research in the Round will receive a $10 gift card at The Market, the hotel’s “grab and go” spot.