MSA Dinner
For the first time since the pandemic, MSA members gathered in person for the Annual Dinner of the Milton Society of America at the Renaissance Society of America 2024 Conference in Chicago. Several scholars were honoured with MSA Awards, and Dennis Danielson graced the dinner as the Honored Scholar for 2023. After five years of amazing service as the Secretary of the MSA, Eric Song is travelling to fresh woods and pastures new—so, with many thanks to Eric, the MSA welcomed its new Secretary in Marissa Greenberg. The Executive Committee similarly welcomed three new members: Stephen Dobranski, Ryan Netzley, and Debapriya Sarkar.
MSA Constitution Amendment Vote – Your Action Required
A few years ago, following a member-wide vote affirming the choice, the MSA embarked on a trial move of the MSA Annual Dinner to be held during the Renaissance Society of America annual conference, although it had previously been held during the Modern Language Association annual conference. (See the MSA Constitution entry on the MSA Annual Meeting here. The MSA Executive Committee wishes to now propose a vote on whether the MSA should enact an amendment to the Constitution by permanently moving the MSA Annual Meeting and Dinner to be held during the RSA annual conference. MSA Secretary Marissa Greenberg sends this poll, along with the request to submit your vote by 1 September 2024.
Conferences
The next Canada Milton Seminar will be held at the University of Toronto next week, 26-27 April 2024. It promises to be an amazing gathering. See full details here. It is still possible to register.
The 2024 Conference on John Milton will be held 10-12 June 2024 on the campus of Saint Louis University, in conjunction with the annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies. This again is a wonderful place to see old friends and make new ones. See a full schedule here. (To look specifically for the Conference on John Milton sessions, search the program PDF.
Watch out over the summer for the Call for Papers for next year’s MSA-sponsored and MSA-proposed panels at the Renaissance Society of America annual conference, 20-22 March 2025. Next spring, in Boston, the RSA will hold its annual conference jointly with the annual meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America. The RSA website tells us: “Each society will organize its own program but through a shared registration process, all delegates will be able to attend sessions and special events hosted by both societies, and there will be a joint book exhibit.”
Reminders
We love sharing the good news of our members’ publications, career changes, and other professional news and accomplishments. And if you encounter interesting Miltoniana in your wanderings, virtual or otherwise, we’d love to share that too. Just drop us a line using the news update form at the bottom of the home page of the MSA website; the form is also linked here.
Please recommend MSA membership to your academic friends, colleagues, and graduate students who are not members yet. There are so many scholars actively engaged in Milton studies who are not yet members of the MSA and who would enrich our conversations. And we have arguably the best Lifetime Membership rates out there! Spreading the word by mouth and friendship is possibly the best means to bolster our ranks.
Amrita Dhar, MSA President
Erin Murphy, MSA Vice-President