Conference

Remember how I'm a professor? I'm supposed to go to conferences to keep up with the field (and also to present my work in the field, but that's another story). Conferences can cost a lot of money if they are not in your area. Actually, just the registration fee can be up to $100, so it can be a pretty penny even if you live down the street. I have therefore avoided some of the cooler, more interesting conferences. I just couldn't rationalize the travel, hotel, and food costs. But every year, the American Studies Association has its annual conference. That one I try to go to when I can. Last time I attended was in 2007 for the Philadelphia conference. It made sense because it coincided with a trip to visit M's family and a chance to have an East coast celebration of our engagement. I didn't make it last year, but this year, I'm going. Oh, I'm still broke. In fact, I listed myself as "student" and "ASA member" so I could get the cheapie $25 registration fee. But I'm not staying in a dump, and I'm taking Jetblue right out of Long Beach, which is very convenient. One day, I'll look back on it and wonder if it was worth it. That day will probably be the day I get my credit card bill. But dammit, I feel isolated in my work and my vocabulary is going to shit (obvs.). I need a conference to jump start me again.

The theme this year is "Practices of Citizenship, Sustainability, and Belonging." There aren't a lot of sessions on digital culture, which is my bread and butter. In fact, I believe there are only two and one of them includes two faculty from my graduate institution (one of whom is on my dissertation committee). This, of course, doesn't mean I'm not excited about a variety of sessions and panels. Here's just a few that I'm really looking forward to:

• Death, Destruction, and Ruin in Nineteenth-Century America
• Old/New Technologies of Belonging: Books, YouTube, Mobile Devices, and the Sensuousness of Sustainable Futures
• Race and the Beauty Industry
• Bad Citizenship and Good Games: Video Gaming, Criminality and Citizenship
• Zombies and Vampires: Identifying American Anxieties over Alterity and Belonging

Yes, that's right, a session on vampires. I randomly chose to leave late on Sunday (an unbelievable 5:45 pm-totally uncharacteristic for me) and what was waiting for me? A Sunday morning panel on vampires. Ironically, it's at 8am, which is just downright insulting to the vampires who probably wanted to attend. Mad props to the ASA for examining the trend before it passes. That's a rarity for academic conferences.

Conferences can be weird, fun, intellectually stimulating, and sometimes intensely boring. You can find out something that changes your whole perspective on what you do, meet someone that understands your obsession with whatever it is that you call your "research interest." You may also realize that there are people who ask questions that intend to insult and injure--and they love going to conferences too. It makes presenters nervous as hell, it makes the other audience members kind of roll their eyes or be uncomfortable (and it just makes me angry--see pic above). When people talk about how online communities are so different from "real" communities because people can feel more comfortable insulting you in a virtual environment, I often think, "Have you ever been to a conference?"

The best thing about conferences is the camaraderie and the connections you make. This can be taken all sorts of places. Places I've never gone, if you're wondering. Mostly I love meeting up with my friends and talking with them about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the various sessions we attend. My friends are all over the country now, so it's extra nice to have a good excuse for getting together. We can even write it off on our taxes at the end of the year!

I'm also looking forward to real fall weather! Please don't be too scary, DC weather. I'm fragile.