Welcome to the February edition of the bimonthly Progressive Connexions Interdisciplinary Life newsletter.
Upcoming…
For months, now, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to bring the energy of Progressive Connexions conferences to the digital world. The supportive and collaborative environments we foster in our face-to-face events don’t easily translate into a series of Zoom calls. But now, we are finally able to report that we have developed a system that we believe will bring the Progressive Connexions spirit into the online space. We are working with ShockLogic to host online conferences that have the collaborative options and atmosphere of a Progressive Connexions event, and for most of 2021, our conferences will be held online. If you applied for one of the conferences that was planned for March or April 2021, they have been moved later into the year! We hope that we’ll see you online! Keep an eye out for emails from your Event Leaders to give you details and circulate programmes in the new year.
This weekend, the event “Global Horror/Local Perspectives” will go online, and in March, we’ll be seeing “Bad Mothers” and two whole weekends’ worth of “Spaces and Places.” We are so excited to see everyone who has been waiting for these events!
In the world of #ProConPubs, we’re excited to announce a new book contract with Emerald Publishing, under the Emerald Interdisciplinary Connexions umbrella! Originating in conversations at the second international “Evil Women/Women and Evil” conference, Abby Bentham, Liza Blackman, and Lorraine Rumson are editing the book Divergent Women: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Female Deviance and Dissent. From celebrating villainesses to exploring the childfree movement, this book explores how women’s divergence has been understood as evil. Follow along for more updates about this next publication!
Recently…
We just saw the very first of our digital conferences, The End of Life Experience, hosted by Nate Hinerman. The conference was an unmitigated success, with fascinating presentations on care work, literature, tourism, and ageing, as well as performance that brought us the group into a sense of togetherness more intense than we dared expect from an online event.
Lest we fear it was just a coincidence, our second event of the year, Spirituality and the Supernatural, hosted by Miranda Corcoran, was just as much of a delight! The brilliant array of delegates made it into the success it was, with fascinating, thought-provoking conversations that we could hardly stop for long enough to take a lunch break! But don’t take our word for it: a few of our delegates used the hashtag #SandS2021 to tweet about the event. You can read about some of the fascinating topics, and kind words from people wo can report on how much they enjoyed the format!
Currently Open…
Two conferences are currently open for abstracts for online presentations! Working online makes it possible for us to plan for different types of presentations, from all over the world, so if you skipped these on the first round, you might want to give them another look. Proposals for these two conferences are still being accepted — but not for long! If you want to present but you aren’t sure what you want to do, reach out to the event leaders! These online events have a flexibility that makes them ideal for all sorts of presentations.
- True Crime — proposals due 26 February 2021
- Music &… Nationalism — proposals due 1 March 2021
In addition, we are seeking contributors for a book on the subject of:
- Plague culture – the way societies have dealt with plagues through history
If you are interested in contributing to this book, you should send lorraine@progressiveconnexions.net an author bio, along with an abstract for your contribution and a short paragraph or list of ways in which you can help us promote the book (social media, networks, organizations, etc), with the book concept in the subject line. An official CFP will be out soon as well, if you want to wait until you see more details before you decide whether you’d like to contribute!
In Our Network…
You may know Elif Çakmak as our Director of e-Publications, a role she’s been in since last summer. At the beginning of 2021, she stepped up to become our new Director of Programmes, and take the reins of our online conferences. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to get off to the incredibly successful start that we have. We’re so glad that our conferences are safely in her hands!
We want YOU!
Have you done something exciting with a project you brought to a Progressive Connexions conference? Brought it to another conference? Expanded it into a publication, lecture, or new project? Want to have it featured in the newsletter? Email lorraine@progressiveconnexions.net so she can share it with our network!
Follow Us At…
Twitter: @ProgConnex
Instagram: @ProgConnexions
Facebook: facebook.com/ProgConnex
We hope you’re having a very happy new year, and that 2021 is good to all of you!