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[bibliothecula]

Has anyone here attended the American Shakespeare Assn conference? I'm thinking of going, but am a little confused as to the format. It looks as though you can compete to give a paper, but most panels are invitation-only; and that most people participate in seminars. You're asked to list 4 seminars you'd like to participate in, but what if your work doesn't fit well within that many? Any comments, advice, etc., would be appreciated.

[marzipants]

I assume you're referring to the Shakespeare Association of America conference.  Basically, the conferences consists of a few plenary panels (invitation only, except for one open-competition panel) and a lot of seminars (open to all).  The seminars aren't competitive in terms of admission; it's basically first-come, first-served, which is why they ask you to list your top choices.  If you're interested in only one or two seminars, it's perfectly fine not to list 4 (though you may not get into those choices).  They're trying to limit the seminar size this year by having a great deal more seminars than before.

Once the SAA has informed you of your assignment, your seminar leaders will then determine the requirements for that particular group -- any combination of reading, writing, and responding may be involved.  Papers are circulated within the group before the conference, so the seminar session is used mainly for discussion.  You can also audit a seminar at the conference, though not having read the pre-circulated papers will put you at a disadvantage.

Hope that helps!

[bibliothecula]

Thank you, Marzipants!