Everyone is invited to attend the convention, as presenter, participant, moderator, chair, or simply audience member. If you are attending the convention and have not yet registered, register today to avoid a wait at onsite registration.
Special guest Donika Kelly shares poetry from her books The Renunciations and Bestiary.
Presenter: Sophia Sarigianides - Participants will engage in an interactive session focused on addressing race and racism through dialogue in literature classrooms. Participants will interact with a transcript of a classroom discussion to see specific examples of "white talk" and how it gets in the way of effectively addressing race in dialogue. We will discuss effective strategies for addressing race via literature discussions.
Presenter: Sophia Sarigianides - Participants will be introduced (or re-introduced) to principles of backwards design of curriculum and learn how to utilize it to design and integrate robust racial literacy objectives in relation to literary learning goals in order to address race through literature instruction.
Presenter: Janine Utell - Students come to the English major because they love reading and writing, and to build the skills critical for success in future careers–but they don’t always feel like they are getting the advice and preparation they need. In this workshop, you will learn how to advise students about career pathways, including reflection on transferable skills, talking about career outcomes, and mapping curricular and co-curricular activities onto the steps needed for career preparation.
Presenter: Janine Utell - If you’re like many English majors, you picked your field of study because of personal interest and a passion for the subject–but when people tell you, “You can do anything with an English major!,” you find yourself feeling more anxious than inspired. In this workshop, you will learn how your English major has prepared you for a variety of career pathways, and how to map those pathways step by step.
Mary Francis Wagner—poet, author, and the 2021–2023 Missouri Poet Laureate—will address attendees to share about her poetry and her inspirations and also sign copies of her books.
Carl Phillips—published author and poet and Pulitzer Prize winner, among other writing awards—will speak about his poetry and process and also sign copies of his books.