It was a good conference for me. Maybe the best C’s I’ve been to, and I’ll have a lot to say about it in the next few days. I’ve got pages and pages of notes on various sessions, the first of which is already up, and I went to more sessions this time than I’ve ever gone to in the past. Suffice to say I learned a lot.
And there were lots of people I was happy to meet F2F for the first time (Sharon, Jeff, Donna, Nels, Cheryl, Krista, Spencer — OK, I know if I try and make this comprehensive, I’ll wind up leaving someone out, so let’s just say I had a fairly social conference for someone who’s a confessed introvert); lots of others I was happy to see again (Mariolina and Pat if only in passing, Malkiel, Peter, Joe who directed the first seminar I took in comp theory, Brenda and Jen and Miss Emily B., Margs, Jen of the comically spectacular eye-roll during a certain presentation — and, again, too many other good folks to mention); and some new connections as well.
Unfortunately, there was a downside, and it was probably karma. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky at past conferences to score super-cheap deals on fancy-schmancy hotels. This time, my HotWire luck caught up with me, and I wound up at a hotel that can only be described — pardon my vulgarity — as ass. Torn-up carpet, angry staff, crummy rooms, and, yes, no internet. So I did my best to go there only to sleep, and haven’t really been online from Wednesday through tonight.
I’ll have more to share about the presentations I saw — about writing and difficulty, about why plagiarism makes sense, about globalization, about class, and more — in the next few days. Right now, I’m glad to be home with Tink and Zeugma.
And one more thing, addressed to Jim, Doug, Cheryl, and Beth: if Kairos is to annually recognize conspicous disciplinary merit for the “Best Academic Weblog” award, I will strongly argue, after Collin, that there can be no better recognition than naming the award in memory and honor of John Lovas.
Great posts — I missed the plagiarism panel you cover so well, so it’s great to catch it here. Great seein’ ya at the Cs!
Mike, naming the weblog award after John is an excellent idea. I will bring this up with the Kairos staff; we could see that put in place at C&W this year. Also, thanks to all the bloggers who cover the conference — the kind of summary and reflection, particularly for such a large conference, is both important and invaluable.
Mike, quite a nice surprise to meet. I was online onsite for an hour, so it was quite unexpected to meet anyone I hadn’t already gone there to meet!
It was good to see you, and I was also happy to hear (at the Friday 8am panel) that you’re writing a chapter for the globalization book. I hope the editors will share the abstracts, but, if they don’t, I’d love to read yours.
Mike
Brilliant idea, naming the award for John. His was such a wonderfully full and wise voice among the comp-rhet crowd. Even long after I left teaching, I read him damn near every day. It’s a fitting tribute.
You know, I still have his site bookmarked. That kinda says it all.
I like the way you described the motel as “ass,” in a bold sort of way that sounds like Margaret Cho channeling her mom. In the way aerobil.blogspot.com describes the buttpluck. In a way that suggests a slight lift of one side of the upper lip.