The Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender sponsors one paper seminar, roundtable, or panel at each Shakespeare Association of America Annual Meeting, and I now solicit your proposals for a seminar, workshop, or paper panel at SAA in Denver, CO, April 1-4, 2026.

 

Please note that session proposals are not required to be focused on Shakespeare; early modern women’s writing and related topics are also welcome at this conference. In past years, SSEMWG has sponsored SAA sessions on Margaret Cavendish, women’s political writing, and on the regulation of women’s bodies in early modern texts, to give a sample of topics.

 

Please contact me with questions and submit your proposals in the format outlined below both to trull@stolaf.edu and on the SAA portal by Saturday, Feb. 15. 

 

Below, I’ve copied the eligibility, guidelines, and requirements from the SAA website; please click here for full details. A paper seminar at SAA is not a traditional panel; instead, 10-15 participants who sign up for the seminar circulate their essays ahead of the conference and engage in discussion during the two-hour workshop. Instead of a paper session, you could propose a panel or roundtable; the approval process for these is more competitive.

 

Proposing a Seminar or Workshop

Eligibility:

Proposals are accepted only from current SAA members with a doctoral or terminal MFA degree. Previous experience in participating in an SAA seminar or workshop is required. A previous policy prohibiting seminar or workshop leadership in successive years has been lifted. SAA members may propose to lead a seminar or workshop in the year immediately following one in which they have spoken on an SAA panel or led an SAA seminar or workshop.

Guidelines:

SAA seminars should open a number of pathways into a subject, recognizing that the seminar meeting is an occasion for focused but open discussion of written work completed in advance. Advance work in SAA programs may involve readings, online discussions, shared syllabi, performances, and pedagogical exercises, as well as research papers. For descriptions of seminars and workshops from previous years, consult any of the June Bulletins uploaded to the SAA Archives page.

Required Information:

1. The name of the proposed seminar or workshop leader(s), with university affiliation as applicable, and e-mail address(es).
2. The title of the proposed seminar or workshop.
3. A description of the objectives of the proposed seminar or workshop, including potential issues to be raised or practices to be modeled (maximum 2,300 characters, including spaces).
4. A short description of the proposed seminar or workshop (maximum 500 characters, including spaces), to be included in the June Bulletin.
5. A short biographical statement or statements for the proposed seminar or workshop leader(s), including a description of previous experience with the SAA (maximum 750 characters per person, including spaces).
6. Audio-visual equipment, data projectors, and internet access are not generally provided for seminars and workshops. If the proposed program relies upon equipment and services, these should be requested and described in the proposal.

Proposing a Panel or Roundtable Session

Eligibility:

Proposals are accepted only from current SAA members with a doctoral or terminal MFA degree. Dissertation candidates are eligible to speak on SAA panels. No one may speak on an SAA panel more than once in any three-year period.

Guidelines:

Paper panels, roundtables, and other formats for public discussion should address topics of current interest and general appeal for the SAA membership. While the traditional format has been three 20-minute papers per session, the SAA invites proposals for other formats for engaging important ideas and issues.

Requirements:

1. The name of the session organizer, with university affiliation as applicable and e-mail address.
2. The title of the proposed session.
3. A description of the objectives of the proposed session (maximum 2,300 characters, including spaces).
4. The names of each presenter or participant, with university affiliation as applicable and e-mail address.
5. The title for and a brief description of each presentation or paper (maximum 1,400 characters each, including spaces).
6. A short biographical statement for the session organizer and each presenter or participant (maximum 750 characters per person, including spaces).