News from the SAA

SAA Trustee Patricia Akhimie Named Director of the Folger Institute

SAA Trustee Dr. Patricia Akhimie, Director of the RaceB4Race Mentorship Network and Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University-Newark, has been named Director of the Folger Institute following a national search. She will lead the Folger’s scholarly programs and fellowships, supporting new and established forms of scholarship in the early modern humanities and making new connections with working scholars and the public. She succeeds Dr. Kathleen Lynch.

SAA Improves Website Accessibility

Our Assistant Director, Bi-qi Beatrice Lei, along with our new Social Media Intern Anna Hegland and our Graduate Assistant Bridget Bartlett, have all been working on making our website more accessible. We are not finished—this will be an ongoing process—but have made good progress. Check out the new accessibility options by clicking on the figure on the left side of the page, including a text reader, a magnifier, and image descriptions.

Membership Survey

The SAA Staff and the Diversity Committee have developed a new, optional series of demographic questions designed to make the existing, underutilized, membership directory more user-friendly by allowing members to search for each other using various keywords such as stage of career, scholarly interests, or identity categories. A more replete and usable directory will enable members to foster community and affinity groups within SAA, and promote the expertise and accomplishments of SAA members for the purposes of collaboration, speaking engagements, consultation, or other employment.

SAA Expands Travel Grants for 50th Annual Meeting

This year, the SAA is expanding its grants to allow all members to apply for grants based on post-pandemic financial hardship, the reduction of departmental funding, or boycotts that prevent applications for university funding. Awardees receive $500 in travel support and remission of the conference registration fee if attending the in-person conference, or remission of the conference registration fee only if attending the virtual Pre-Conference. Application portals for the 2022 Travel Grants will open on 1 October 2021. The deadline is 1 November 2021.

CFP: Theoretical Futures in Shakespeare Studies (virtual symposium, 21 February 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM CST)

This virtual symposium offers graduate student members of the Shakespeare Association of America the opportunity to present 3-minute mini-papers with their peers. “Theoretical lens” is here used broadly, to gesture towards particular ways of approaching, framing, and understanding topics. Proposals should be approximately 150 words in length and submitted, via the SAA’s online form (link below), no later than 11:59 PM CST on Monday, December 12, 2022. A graduate student committee will review proposals and notify those to be included in January (exact date TBD). Click here for more information and for submission.

Shakespeare and Social Justice: From Principle to Action, A Roundtable Discussion (22 October 2021, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT)

A conversation about the place of Shakespeare studies in addressing urgent issues of inclusion, fairness, diversity, and reparative justice in our current pedagogical practices, in our scholarship, and in our lives. Featuring Adhar Noor Desai (Bard College), Hillary Eklund (Loyola University New Orleans), Wendy Beth Hyman (Oberlin College), Kirsten Mendoza (University of Dayton), David Ruiter (University of California, San Diego) and moderated by Julia Lupton (University of California, Irvine). Click here for more information.

Anti-Racist Syllabus Workshop (11 November 2021, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST)

In this hands-on workshop led by Carolyn Sandoval (University of California, San Diego), we will apply a social justice framework to examine our syllabi and the implicit and explicit messages we communicate to students through our pedagogical choices and the content and course materials we choose. In a spirit shared of commitment to racial equity, we will examine and discuss how our course design might unintentionally contribute to educational inequities, marginalization of students of color, and systemic barriers that limit minoritized students’ access to opportunities. We will also share ideas on how to reimagine our teaching practices and redesign our syllabi so that they align with our social justice goals.

SAA Seeks Part-time Digital and Social Media Intern

The SAA is looking for a member to serve in a paid, part-time capacity (approximately 10 hours per week) as the organization’s Digital and Social Media management intern. Click to read the full job description.

Access Meeting Recordings through May 6

Through 6 May 2021, video recordings of the Virtual 49th SAA Annual Meeting will remain accessible to SAA members who have registered for the meeting. If you have missed it, you can still register now.

SAA Seeks Financial Advisor

The SAA is seeking applications for the position of Financial Advisor. This is a non-compensated position, advising the organization and its Board of Trustees in cooperation with the Executive Director and the organization’s accounting firm on investments, sustainability, compliance, and other related issues. For more information, please see the full description here.

SAA signs ACLS joint statement COVID-19 and the Key Role of the Humanities and Social Sciences in the United States

The SAA joined other members of the American Council of Learned Societies along with leaders of a variety of academic organizations, libraries, and research centers across the country, to attest to the value of humanistic study and research. Click here to read the statement.

SAA Introduces Two New Awards

The SAA is introducing two new awards, the SAA Shakespeare Publics Award and the SAA Innovative Article Award, both of which will be conferred for the first time during the Annual Luncheon at our 2021 meeting in Austin, Texas. Click here for more information and the application portals.

Interview Series: Shakespeare Organizations during COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis has required a great shift for many organizations. What are the specific difficulties? What support do they need? Are there any lessons or changes they will implement after we have weathered COVID-19?

SAA's Racial Justice Statement and Anti-Racist Teaching Resources

The SAA president and the SAA Diversity Committee released a statement on racial justice and a list of anti-racist resources, which includes resources for developing antiracist syllabi and classes, and materials that are especially accessible to undergraduate students.

2020 Program Book Available

We are offering a physical copy of our 2020 Program, featuring the full list of everyone who participated (virtually) in seminars and workshops associated with the canceled conference, and acknowledging all those who helped get us through that difficult time.

2021 Seminars and Workshops Enrollment Opens

Enrollment for the 2021 Seminars and Workshops in Austin, Texas is now open. Click to see the full list and descriptions.

SAA Adds New Zero-Level Membership

The SAA recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to significantly affect the financial situation of many of our members and has added a "Temporary Zero-Level" for your dues option. Should your financial situation change, we would ask that you update your membership at that time at the appropriate level.

The Alone Society Dance

This year, instead of attending the annual Malone Society Dance, SAA members joined the Alone Society Dance from home. Thanks are due to Sarah Nevill for coming up with and organizing a much-needed night of fun—we raised nearly $1,000! Click here to see some photos and videos.

2020 Virtual Exhibits

You don't have to miss the SAA Book Exhibits this year. Click here to browse the many titles at the Virtual Exhibits by international publishers and take advantage of the huge discounts for SAA members only!

2020 Meeting Cancellation and Refund

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to cancel our annual meeting in Denver, CO April 15-18, 2020, a decision in accordance with national public health guidelines and informed by federal and Colorado government actions. Deadline for requesting a refund is May 15. Click here to read the SAA's COVID-19 statement.