Paxson Winners & BABEL Events at #Kzoo2017!

by BABEL WORKING GROUP

[#MedievalDonut copiousness at #Kzoo2016; photo by Jeffrey]

First, BABEL is delighted to announce the three winners of the 2017 James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds, which supports scholars' participation in the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo. They are (in alphabetical order)

• Jonathan Fruoco (Université Grenoble Alpes), to present “Translating Sufism in Medieval England: Chaucer and The Conference of the Birds”
• Sara Petrosillo (University of California, Davis), to present “Flying, Hunting, Reading: Feminism and Falconry”
• Shyama Rajendran (George Washington University), to present “Teaching The Legend of Philomela From Ovid to Gower”

We received many, many strong applications this year, and the difficult decision among them was made by a committee of four judges: Roland Betancourt (University of California, Irvine), Liza Blake (University of Toronto), Richard H. Godden (Tulane University), and Robin Norris (Carleton University). Thanks to the judges for their time and effort!

Also, we'd really like to thank the many donors to the BABEL fundraiser, who’ve made these grants possible! We’re continuing to raise $$ until mid-May, which will support travel to the 2017 BABEL conference next fall as well as Kalamazoo 2018. Please spread the word, and give if you can!

In the meantime, the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo (or #Kzoo2017) is rapidly approaching, so here's a compilatio of BABEL and BABEL-adjacent events to add to your calendar. Everyone is welcome to everything!

• Wed May 10 at 9-11pm – MEDIEVAL DONUT 3.0 (Radisson Lobby), social gathering co-sponsored by GW MEMSI (Medieval and Early Modern Studies Institute); note the event site
• Thu May 11 at 3:30pm – BABEL ROUNDTABLE: Feminism with/out Gender (Fetzer 1045)
• Thu May 11 at 5:00pm - BABEL Working Group Business Meeting (Fetzer 1045)
• Fri May 12 at 1:30pm – GW MEMSI ROUNDTABLE: Catastrophe and Periodization (Fetzer 1010)
• Fri May 12 at 3:30pm – BABEL ROUNDTABLE: Access and the Academy (Sangren 1920)
• Fri May 12 at 5:00pm – BABEL + MATERIAL COLLECTIVE RECEPTION (Bernhard President's Dining Room)
• Fri May 12 at 9pm-11pm – FESTIVITIES AT BELL'S BREWERY, co-sponsored by ISAS (International Anglo-Saxon Society)
• Sat May 13 at 10am – POSTMEDIEVAL ROUNDTABLE: Atmospheric Medievalisms/Medieval Atmospheres (Bernhard 210)
• Sat May 13 at 5:45pm – “Whiteness in Medieval Studies: A Workshop,” organized by an open fellowship of Medievalists of Color and hosted by SMFS (Society for Medievalist Feminist Scholarship) during its Business Meeting and Reception (Fetzer 1045); note event website with info and readings
• Sat May 13 at 9pm – QUEERDIEVALIST gathering for queer medievalists and allies (Radisson Bar)

Anything else to add? Feel free to use the comments section below (comments are moderated so it might take some time for items to post).

2017 James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds

via BABEL WORKING GROUP

2017 James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds:

Applications Welcome!

The time is upon us! We are now welcoming applications for the James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds, initiated by a generous gift from a former student of Jim's at the University of Florida, Mead Bowen, and sponsored by the BABEL Working Group. The grant was specifically established to aid scholars to travel to the International Congress on Medieval Studies, held each May at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In brief, for those scholars who have had a paper accepted by the Congress, but for whom travel to the Congress presents a financial hardship (due, especially, to lack of institutional and other support), we have established this grant in memory of Jim Paxson, and, more pointedly, for persons presenting on topics that would have been dear to him, whom many of you will remember as an important person in the support and development of theoretical medieval studies through his role as an associate editor for so many years at Exemplaria: A Journal of Theory in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. This year, we will make TWO AWARDS of $500 each. Please see below for the full description of the Travel Grant, and note that the deadline for applications is MARCH 31, with a decision to be made by APRIL 10 (and monies to be disbursed prior to actual travel). Applications will be reviewed by a committee of at least three scholars. 

The 2016 James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds 

The BABEL Working Group invites applications for the 2017 James J. Paxson Memorial Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds, available for presenters at the International Congress on Medieval Studies, held each spring at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Michigan). This grant honors the late Prof. Paxson, an energetic and creative scholar who was particularly devoted to exploring medieval allegory, Piers Plowman, the relations between literature and science, medieval drama, and the works of Chaucer. He produced the important monograph The Poetics of Personification (Cambridge, 1994) and authored an extensive body of articles on a variety of literary and other subjects, while also helping to steer and edit the journal Exemplaria: A Journal of Theory in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (a journal that has been vital to the development of theoretical medieval studies) through its formative and later years. His enthusiasm for research was surpassed only by his commitment to his students. He mentored countless men and women at the University of Toronto, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the University of Florida, and he regularly encouraged them to present their findings at academic conferences. Yet he often lacked the funding necessary to present his own work at the conferences he urged his students to attend, and it disheartens us to think that, had he been able to do so, we might have learned something more of the work he was conducting before his passing, and more of us might have received the gift of his encyclopedic knowledge, boundless enthusiasm, and love for teaching. Prof. Paxson was also warmly supportive of the BABEL Working Group at a time when they needed such encouragement, and he was known for his helpful encouragement of those just starting out in the field. Through the James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant, we hope to extend the encouragement he freely gave and the funding he deserved to scholars who wish to honor his legacy of kindness, erudition, and commitment to both expanding our knowledge of the medieval world and also embracing new ideas. 

Two grants of $500 each will be awarded to help defray travel costs, registration fees, lodging and other expenses for scholars who would otherwise find it a financial hardship to present their work at the International Congress on Medieval Studies. First priority will extend to those presenting on topics dear to Prof. Paxson: medieval English literature, especially medieval allegory, and even more especially Piers Plowman; medieval drama; science and literature; critical theory; and/or Chaucer. Scholars whose careers would benefit the most from this opportunity, such as early career researchers, and also graduate students and recent doctoral graduates, will also take precedence in our selection process.

Applicants should send these materials: a brief prospectus of their accepted ICMS paper (350-500 words), a statement of financial need (briefly outlining why this award would be helpful at this time), and a brief (2-3-page) C.V. (including full contact information). Please submit these as one document to Julie Orlemanski julieorlemanski [at] uchicago [dot] edu by MARCH 31, 2017. Note: you should receive a confirmation of receipt with 24 hours. If you do not receive confirmation, please write to the Julie again to ensure that your application was received. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of at least three scholars. The recipients of the grant will be announced on APRIL 10. 

[This announcement is on behalf of the BABEL Working Group Steering Committee]

2016 Winners of James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant

The BABEL Working Group would like to congratulate the five winners of this year’s James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds. They are 

• Matthew Evan Davis (Texas A&M University, Ph.D.)
• Melissa Ridley Elmes (University of North Carolina Greensboro)
• Jacquelyn Hendricks (Santa Clara University)
• Christine Kozikowski (The College of The Bahamas)
• Megan McNamee (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ph.D.) 

These scholars will receive a financial award to offset costs of attending the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI, this May. Applications were judged by a committee of Rachel Dressler (SUNY Albany), Richard Godden (Tulane), and Julie Orlemanski (University of Chicago).

Alas, there were many, many more deserving – indeed, exemplary – applicants than there were grants to distribute. With that in mind, the BABEL Steering Committee calls your attention to its spring fundraiser, with hopes of distributing EVEN MORE Paxson grants in 2017. If you value conference access for scholars of limited means, please contribute now. 

(Really, follow the link, just this second!, and give something if you can. BABEL promises to put it toward more just and more joyous intellectual futures....)

The James J. Paxson Memorial Travel Grant for Scholars of Limited Funds was initiated by a generous gift from a former student of Jim Paxson’s at the University of Florida, Mead Bowen, and is sponsored by the BABEL Working Group. It honors the late Prof. Paxson, an energetic and creative scholar who was particularly devoted to exploring medieval allegory, Piers Plowman, the relations between literature and science, medieval drama, and the works of Chaucer. The grant aids scholars to travel to the International Congress on Medieval Studies, held each May at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In brief, for those scholars who have had a paper accepted by the Congress, but for whom travel to the Congress presents a financial hardship (due, especially, to lack of institutional and other support), we have established this grant in memory of Jim Paxson, and, more pointedly, for persons presenting on topics that would have been dear to him. 

Congratulations to this year's winners!