HomeConferencePAMLA 2024 Conference Advice

PAMLA 2024 Conference Advice

Advice for PAMLA 2024 Conference Attendees/Presenters Including for Graduate Students and Those New to PAMLA

1. Enjoy EVERYTHING this year’s conference has to offer! We hope you can join us for as many events as possible:

Thursday, November 7—Sunday, November 10

Book Exhibit: Please visit our PAMLA Book Exhibit featuring a variety of publishers, The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs, and the PAMLA Book Exchange (Salon A: 9-4 most days, ends early Sunday)

Thursday, November 7

  • PAMLA Welcome & Keynote Event: Join us for PAMLA’s official Conference Welcome by Carolyn Horsman, immediately followed by our Keynote Address featuring Marilyn Chin (11:40 am– 1:00 pm, Crosby Ballroom B). Marilyn Chin will read her poetry and discuss issues of translation & language in poetry.
  • Setting, Story, & the Visual: Artists’ Discussion (Hosted by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art): Join us for a panel discussion on visual art and narrative (5:10 – 6:35 pm, Crosby Ballroom B).
  • Caucus Meetings: You are welcome to join the Asian Studies or Spanish Caucus meeting at 6:45 pm.
  • Film @ Night – ANUJA: A Short Film About Childhood, Labor, and Resilience: Please join writer/director Adam Graves for a Thursday evening screening & discussion of his award-winning short fiction film, ANUJA (6:50 – 7:50 pm, Crosby Ballroom B). ANUJA tells the story of a bright 9-year-old girl who works with her older sister in a back-alley garment factory in Delhi, India. Light snacks will be served.

Friday, November 8

  • PAMLA Forum—Translation & Creativity: Friday’s first special theme event is our annual Forum, a panel discussion on the conference theme of translation, featuring Marilyn Chin, Johanna Drucker, and Sholeh Wolpé (Friday 11:45 am – 1:05 pm, Crosby Ballroom B). Light refreshments provided.
  • Please join us for The Power of Language in Conceptual and Contemporary Art panel discussion, hosted by the Palm Springs Art Museum (1:25-2:55 pm, Crosby Ballroom B).
  • Author Spotlight: Sholeh Wolpé, Iranian-American Poet, Playwright, and Librettist: Join us for a creative reading and talk featuring Sholeh Wolpé (3:10–4:35 pm, Crosby Ballroom C).
  • A Creative Conversation with Seth Lerer: Please join John Ganim in conversation with Seth Lerer, scholar of medieval literature, the history of English, & children’s literature (3:10–4:35 pm, Crosby B).
  • PAMLA Presidential Address: Please join us for PAMLA President Juan Delgado’s address; he will discuss the stories we retranslate as seen in three community art projects (4:50-6:00 pm, Crosby Ballroom B).
  • PAMLA Grand Reception: Immediately after the Presidential Address, please join us for food, friends, music, and fun at the Oasis Pool, 6:00–8:00 pm. Cash bar.

Saturday, November 9

  • PAMLA Undergraduate Forum: Please join us to support undergraduate scholars as they present their scholarly work (10:00- 11:30 am, Salon B).
  • Honor George Haggerty’s Legacy at a panel dedicated to the memory and influence of prominent queer and gothic scholar George Haggerty (11:45 am-1:00 pm, Royal III).
  • Get creative at the Calaca Art Workshop, from 1:15-2:40 pm in Crosby Ballroom A. Stop by for a little while to create your own calaca, a Días de Muertos skull intended to honor departed loved ones.
  • Narrative in the Visual Arts (Hosted by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art): Join us for a panel discussion on visual art and narrative (1:15-2:40 pm, Crosby Ballroom C).
  • Enjoy our PAMLA Poetry Salon II (1:15-2:40 pm, Salon B), just one of many terrific creative writing panels
  • PAMLA Plenary Address – Transformative Action: From Conception to Production in Artists’ Books: Gain insight into the book artist’s journey with scholar Johanna Drucker, Distinguished Professor and Breslauer Professor Emerita at UCLA, and internationally known for her work in graphic design history, typography, experimental poetry, and digital humanities (2:55-4:00 pm, Crosby Ballroom B).
  • Celebrate Day of the Dead at the Días de Muertos Art Tertulia and Celebration (Crosby Ballroom A, 4-5:15 pm). PAMLA artist-in-residence Xavier Cázares Cortéz will share the ofrenda (altar) he has built during our conference, and then we will go outside for food and music by indie rock band Porkboii.
  • Honor her memory with our Commemorating Marjorie Perloff panel (5:30-7 pm, Salon B).
  • Caucus Meetings: Join the Ancient Languages & Lit, French, German, or Grad Student Caucus at 7:10 pm.
  • Graduate Students are invited to the Grad Student Mixer, from 8:15-10:00 pm under the stars at the Taylor Garden. Join fellow graduate students for conversation, food, music, and a cash bar at the Taylor Garden.

Sunday, November 10

  • Join us for brunch at the PAMLA General Membership Meeting & Brunch (10:00–11:30 am, Crosby Ballroom B); new officers, award winners, and the sites of the 2025 and 2026 conferences will be announced.
  • And finally, wind down with our closing event, “La Poética del Lugar”: A Conversation with Three Local Artists at The Elemental (1:30–3:15 pm, The Elemental: A Contemporary Center for the Arts in Palm Springs). The Elemental is at 800 Vella Rd Unit #D, Palm Springs, CA 92264, a brief 10-minute drive.

2. If you are a graduate student, we have planned events just for you: 

  • “Navigating the Many Parts of Graduate School,” a roundtable organized by Jan Maramot Rodil (UC Irvine); Thursday, Nov 7 from 5:10-6:35PM in El Dorado I: What does it actually mean to be in graduate school? How do we balance our responsibilities, progress through our programs, and establish ourselves as early academics? Various grad student speakers will share our experiences and advice for others.
  • “Mentoring and Training Graduate Educators,” a roundtable organized by Dr. Deborah Sims (University of Southern California); Friday, Nov 8 from 1:25 PM-2:55 PM in Royal III: This roundtable focuses on questions of training for graduate students who will be teaching languages and writing skills. What are some commonalities in how students are trained – and where can we find productive spaces for convergence and divergence?
  • Graduate Student Caucus on Saturday, Nov 9 from 7:10-8PM in Salon B: We will brainstorm ideas for PAMLA’s future for graduate students. What events would you like to see next year and in the future? What will be most helpful for you in your academic journey? Do you have any guest speakers in mind – someone who can speak to publishing, dissertating professionally, or navigating the job market? After we brainstorm and set up a game plan, we can head right into the…
  • Grad Student Mixer in the Taylor Garden, from 8:15 to 10PM! Enjoy drinks (cash bar) and bites while jamming out with some of our guest stars from Porkboii!

Now, on to some more conference pro-tips…

3. Panel etiquette: Go to other folks’ sessions, and ask a real, thoughtful question or two. Doing so will be good for you, and good for the presenter and the entire session. Good listeners and thoughtful and polite questioners make a conference a success.

  • Try to stay for the full panel if you can. If you can’t, please leave between talks as quietly as possible. If you know you have to leave, you may want to sit close to the exit.
  • If someone leaves your panel before or after your talk, don’t assume it’s personal. They may have a meeting, may need to find their own panel room, or they might be in need of a date shake.
  • Audience pro-tips: Take notes as people give their talks, and write down any questions that come to mind. Jot down anything that stands out about their work, including areas of study with which you may not be familiar. During the Q&A, try to ask a thoughtful, useful, polite, and supportive question. Make sure you are asking questions, not “questions that are more of a comment.” Focus on the speaker and what you’d like to learn from them.
  • Don’t be a stranger! This is an opportunity to connect and think with specialists from around the world. Once again, make the most of your attendance of any conference. Make conversation, get contact information, set up a plan for a coffee or Zoom chat – making connections makes conferences much more enjoyable and valuable for everyone involved. You can make connections, by the way, via our PAMLA Whova conference app.

4. Present well!

  • Read your presentation aloud a few times before you present, both to make sure you will not go over your allotted time and to be sure your paper reads well and is clear. What may work in writing may not be so clear in an oral presentation. Avoid extended plot summaries or extra-deep theoretical dives (the former will likely bore and the latter might work better in written than oral form). Think about your audience and try to capture something real, vital, alive, important, exciting, generative, [adjective of your choice] in your paper!
  • Project. Be sure those all the way at the back of the room can hear you.
  • Eyes OFF your paper! Make eye contact with your listeners as you present, not just with the paper in front of you. It might be useful to put stage directions into your script (look up here, and explain X in your own words).
  • Honor the talk length provided by your chair. Make sure your paper fits into that time limit, and if time runs short, have a quick conclusion to provide so that the next speaker can get started. Everyone deserves to have the same amount of time to present on their panel.
  • Improvise, Adapt, Overcome! If your talk depends on visuals, text, or video, make sure to arrive at your room early to do a tech check prior to the start of your panel. Ensure you have a back-up in case of technical issues: hand-outs, interpretive dance, balloon animals?
  • To that end, ensure your slides are accessible and inclusive. The University of Minnesota offers some great guidelines for developing slides that everyone can see and understand. You may find them here: https://accessibility.umn.edu/gaad/2023/for-speakers

5. Stay connected!

  • Stay in contact with your chair and/or presiding officer. They are there to help. They will reach out with important reminders about the conference as well as the amount of time you will have to present. Typically, they’ll request a short bio to introduce you to the audience, which may be the one you provided when you sent in your abstract.
  • Read all PAMLA-related emails! There will be important reminders about the conference, events and activities, and more. And the reading is guaranteed to be more fun than Hegel (unless you like Hegel, in which case it’s just as fun)!
  • GET THE WHOVA APP! You’ll have instant access to the full schedule and will be able to reach out to fellow presenters. This is a great way to plan things like shared transportation, excursions, and more.
  • Enjoy the local culture: On Thursday night, for example, downtown Palm Springs has the free open air market, the Village Fest, and the Palm Springs Art Museum is free to all (if you wear your nametag, you can gain free entrance to the museum any time). But if you do walk to downtown Palm Springs, please use Palm Canyon Drive, not Indian Canyon Drive. Indian Canyon Drive doesn’t have an adequate sidewalk for much of the walk and is thus less safe than Palm Canyon Drive. https://www.pamla.org/pamla-2024-things-to-do/
  • Should any problems arise where you may not be able to make it, reach out to your presiding officer or chair, as well as Craig Svonkin, PAMLA Executive Director ([email protected] OR 626-354-7526).

6. Stay organized and timely!

  • Check out the map for the 2024 conference at the Riviera Resort, Palm Springs: https://www.pamla.org/pamla2024/ (bottom of page). You’ll want to note where your panel(s) will take place, as well as the location of any panels and events you’d like to attend. Don’t get lost. The most important place to find is the PAMLA Registration Desk, in the Riviera Resort Palm Springs’ conference center.
  • Double-check the schedule to confirm the time and day of your panel(s). These times could shift slightly as we approach the date.
  • Before you attend any of the events, head to the registration table to sign in, get your name badge, program, and more. Depending on the time of day, it may take 15–30 minutes to get fully registered. Take this into consideration as you make your way to your events and panels in a timely manner.
  • Show up at least ~10 minutes before your panel is slated to start. This goes both for chairs and panelists. It’s best to arrive early, especially to make sure your slides and any audiovisual materials are functional and ready to go.
  • Most importantly, enjoy the conference to the fullest!

7. Stay Safe!

  • PAMLA’s Conference at the Riviera Resort is a brief walk (about 35 minutes) to downtown Palm Springs. But do not take Indian Canyon Drive, which doesn’t have an adequate sidewalk for much of the walk. Instead, use Palm Canyon Drive, which is much safer. There are also many restaurants, bars, and things to do close to the Riviera Palm Springs, our conference location: https://www.pamla.org/pamla-2024-things-to-do/
  • PAMLA does have a Code of Conduct: https://www.pamla.org/pamla-statement-on-code-of-conduct/
  • Should you experience or see any unsafe or harassing behavior, please let Craig Svonkin and the Riviera Resort’s staff know right away, as well as local police if it rise to the level of a crime or threat of physical assault.
  • Health and Wellness: Your health and the health and wellness of your fellow conference attendees is the most important thing. Therefore, do not come to the conference if you have Covid or some other communicable virus or disease. Please let PAMLA Executive Director Craig Svonkin ([email protected] and 626-354-7526) and your presiding officer know if you must cancel due to illness. And if you are seriously ill, please go to an emergency room or hospital right away.