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English Undergraduate Conference

 
The Third Annual English Undergraduate Conference will be held
March 29-30, 2012, on the fourth floor of Walter Library.

 

Image of 2011 conference panel

"I really loved meeting and talking with all the other English majors! It was great to have a forum where we could speak both formally and informally about the papers, to advisers about grad school, and about the University in general. All at once I feel more confident and connected as an English major."

The first two English Undergraduate Conferences have been, as one student raved, "a great celebration of talent and new ideas emerging from the undergraduates!" Over two days and nine sessions, students present academic papers, research findings, and creative writing for 10 minutes each. After three or four presentations, a moderator leads discussion, in an atmosphere focused on exploration rather than critique.

We expect the Third Annual English Undergraduate Conference, March 29-30, 2012, to be better still. Volunteer to help make this event a success (contact us at englmaj@umn.edu for information). Submit a proposal. And register to attend!

We're excited to announce two special programs on publishing this year: On Thursday the 29th at noon, luminaries from Twin Cities publishers will speak and answer questions on a Publishing Careers panel; and that evening from 5-6 pm, Ivory Tower and Parachute literary magazines will host the program "How to Be Published as a Student." See you there!

Other responses from last year:

"The conference was the sort of thing I have always felt was missing in the department. It was well-run and put a lot of exciting and interesting work in the same space."

"I loved the Q & A with the publishing professionals! It was very helpful to get advice from people who had the same dream in college as I do now; learning how they reached that dream was instructive."

"I enjoyed hearing students present work that they have really invested in, that has importance to them beyond the completion of an assignment for class, to an audience that also extends beyond classroom boundaries. . . . This is really energizing!"

"I liked the variety that is offered when there is one analytical paper, short stories, and poetry [in a session]."

"[Matt Burgess'] novel reading from Dogfight! It was great to be able to listen to an up-and-coming author answer questions in a close, small-group setting."

"Free food! Delicious!"

Image of 2011 conference lunch

 

The English Undergraduate Conference is paid for in part by a generous grant from the Coca-Cola Academic Initiative.

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