More than a dozen IUP graduate students and faculty attended this year’s Northeast Modern Language Association conference that took place in Pittsburgh, PA from March 5th-8th. Not only was IUP well-represented in attendance, all who attended also presented at least one paper or creative work (some presented multiple times!) The presentations ranged widely, including topics such as oral poetry in indigenous rock art, healing through creative writing, comic book antagonists, the literary love letter, performative poetic regeneration, veiling, hidden cultural codes, and the politics of womanhood. Regardless of their areas of interest, IUP students showed up in support of one another’s presentations throughout the week. The hardest part was choosing between IUP presentations when there were multiple happening at once!

Not limiting themselves to independent academic pursuits, IUP students embraced the spirit of community during the long weekend. On Friday evening, students and faculty gathered for an informal get-together at a local restaurant to foster connections and continue conversations that began weeks before in virtual classrooms or were sparked by recent conference presentations. Outside of this meeting, IUP students could be found together throughout the conference, grabbing lunch between talks or finding a quiet table to write in community with one another. 

This year’s NEMLA turnout showed just how dedicated and engaged IUP students are as academics in the field. With the energy and momentum carried over from NEMLA, this year’s EGO conference, held at IUP from April 24th-25th, will be well worth attending. Whether you are presenting or just showing up to listen to the presentations that capture your interest, in-person or virtually, we hope to see you there!