New Orleans, LA — March 29 - April 1, 2026

Sigma Tau Delta 2026 Convention

Roundtable Submission

Deadline: Monday, October 27, 2025, 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Eligible members may propose roundtables on suggested topics (see list below) or on topics of general interest to both the discipline and the Society. Roundtables are designed to promote discussion and exploration of a selected topic, with an emphasis on active engagement of the audience. Successful proposals will indicate not only the role of the roundtable participants but also how they will engage the audience in active dialogue. 

Roundtable Submission

Special Requirements

  • A roundtable presentation that has been presented in a previous year may not be resubmitted this year. For more information, review the rules about submission;
  • the longer abstract must include a bibliography that shows engagement with conversations about the topic that will form the basis of the roundtable theme and discussion;
  • the submitter and primary contact for the roundtable presentation may be a student member, an alumnus, a faculty member, or a chapter Advisor; and
  • a moderator must be included at the time of submission.

Submissions Guidelines

Roundtables should be 60-75 minutes in length, including questions and answers (Q & A) with audience members. Roundtables are not a vehicle for the reading of papers.

Competition for the limited number of roundtable slots will be lively. Only those submissions that actively engage the audience in dialogue will be considered. While judges will read and consider multiple proposals from the same school, individual chapters are limited to two acceptances unless the proposal includes members from more than one school. Priority will be given to those roundtables that include members from more than one chapter and/or that cover the Convention theme, Second Lines & New Beginnings. Your Regent, Regional Student Representative, or Associate Student Representative can help you use Society resources to connect with other members or you can post an idea through our Convention Roundtable Nexus to organize your roundtable.

Student Roundtables

Student Roundtables are composed of up to 5 members, preferably from more than one school, plus one faculty or alumni moderator. Faculty may participate in a roundtable, though a proposed Student Roundtable presentation must include at least one student participant.

Not sure what subjects might spark an engaging Student Roundtable? Consider designing a Student Roundtable built around the works of convention speakers. Suggested topics include:

  • Common Reader Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward
  • Career Development for English Majors
  • Composition/Rhetoric
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
  • English Education/Young Adult Literature
  • English and Technology
  • Literary Themes
  • Member Recruitment/Chapter Development
  • Popular Culture/Film/Social Media
  • Service/Literacy
  • Writing and Publishing

Roundtable proposals will also be considered on other subjects that might be well-suited to interactive discussions involving an audience.

Advisor Roundtables

New for 2026 are Advisor Roundtables. They will replace the Advisor Workshop session and will be scheduled throughout the convention. We hope this will allow Advisors an opportunity to develop their CVs, share their knowledge with other Advisors, and facilitate funding from their institutions that will encourage their attendance at the convention. All Advisors participating in Advisor Roundtables will be listed as presenters in the program.

We are making this change in response to feedback from our Advisors, many of whom have been unable to receive funding to attend conventions from their colleges and universities unless they are presenting. We hope this change will expand access to convention for more Advisors and also spark great conversations! Reach out to other Advisors in your region or post an idea through our Convention Roundtable Nexus to organize your roundtable.

Not sure what subjects might spark an engaging Advisor Roundtable?  Suggested topics include:

  • Chapter Activities
  • Chapter Funding/Fundraising
  • Sigma Tau Delta and Campus Community
  • Talking about Mentoring in Promotion Dossiers
  • Career Development for English Majors
  • Navigating Hostile Humanities Environments
  • How to Talk About Sigma Tau Delta with Administrators
  • Impacts of Legislation on Classrooms
  • Balancing Work-Research-Mentoring-Life
  • Resilience Strategies for Our Times
  • English and Technology
  • Member Recruitment/Chapter Development
  • Service/Literacy
  • Writing and Publishing

Roundtable proposals will also be considered on other subjects that might be well suited to interactive discussions involving an audience of peers.

Required Information

Your submission must contain the following information:

  1. Title: Because your title may be abbreviated or condensed for the program or app, carefully consider its length before submission.
  2. Abstracts: Include two abstracts and a bibliography
    • a short abstract (up to 50 words) to be included in the Convention program;
    • a longer description (up to 250 words) that explains how the roundtable is organized, how the participants will involve the audience in active and scholarly discussion, and what makes this approach appropriate for a roundtable discussion; and
    • a bibliography that shows engagement with conversations about the topic that will form the basis of the roundtable theme and discussion.
  3. Moderator: Give the name, school, and email address for the roundtable moderator. Moderators for Student Roundtable proposals must be a faculty or alumni member.
  4. Participants: List the name, school, and email address for each participant (maximum of five (5) participants and minimum of three (3) participants). Sometimes roundtable organizers may be required to make changes to the list of participants. Accepted roundtables will be given a deadline for the submission of all final participants.
  5. Audio Visual Request: Only a limited number of rooms will be set up with an LCD projector and screen. Therefore, only a limited number of requests for A/V will be granted. If you are requesting A/V, please include an additional paragraph stating why A/V will be a necessary component of your roundtable. Include a description of what you will be projecting, such as an online demonstration, video, or slide deck.

Refer to the evaluation criteria for additional details.

Convention Submissions Portal

To gain access to the Submissions Portal for the 2026 Convention, you must first verify your membership status. Follow the link below to the Submission Portal access page. Upon clicking the link to access the portal you will be prompted to enter information about your affiliation with Sigma Tau Delta before you submit a critical or creative paper, roundtable proposal, or Research in the Round table host proposal.

Submission portal access page

 

Important Dates

Submitters will receive confirmation, acceptance, and registration information via the email addresses associated with their accounts. Therefore, it is vital that members use email addresses that they check regularly and that will be active through April 3, 2026.

Submission Deadline

Monday, October 27, 2025, 11:59 p.m. CDT

Acceptance and Denial Decisions

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Presenter Registration Deadline

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Questions regarding the online submission process? Please email englishconvention@niu.edu.