OSU Annual Humanities Graduate Conference:
"Transforming Words"
March 4-5, 2011

The Oklahoma State University English Graduate Student Association (EGSA) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the annual graduate-student English conference. The theme of this year's conference is "Transforming Words," and we welcome papers on any topic of literature, film and screen studies, language, history, philosophy, popular culture, the teaching of writing, TESL, and/or English education. Creative writers are also welcome to submit works of poetry, drama, or fiction. Please note, too, that the conference is open to advanced undergraduate students.

Proposals of no more than 500 words should be sent to osuegsa@gmail.com by January 14, 2011. Please see the conference call for papers (PDF).

Keynote

The keynote speaker for the conference will be Amanda Cobb-Greetham. Dr. Cobb-Greetham currently serves as the Administrator of the Division of History and Culture for the Chickasaw Nation. She oversees the Chickasaw Nation's libraries and archives, language programs, the Chickasaw Press, and the Chickasaw Cultural Center Complex, which recently opened in Sulphur, Oklahoma. She the author of Listening to Our Grandmothers' Stories: The Bloomfield Academy for Chickasaw Females, 1885-1949 (2000) which was selected as a winner of the 2001 American Book Award and the 1998 North American Indian Prose Award . Listening to Our Grandmothers' Stories uses letters, reports, school programs, and interviews with students to tell the story of the Bloomfield Academy for Chickasaw Females, a boarding school which represents one of the rare instances in the nineteenth century of a Native community seizing control of its children's formal education.

Outstanding Paper Award

On the evening of March 4th, we will have a catered dinner at OSU's Alumni Center, where we will announce the winners of our five outstanding paper awards. There will be one undergraduate winner and four graduate winners of these awards, and the students' papers will appear in a bound notebook that will be distributed to all conference participants. In addition, one paper will be selected to receive a $100 honorarium. Students can apply for one of these awards by sending an email with their 7-10 page conference paper to osuegsa@gmail.com with the words, "Outstanding Paper Award Submission" in the subject line. The deadline for submissions for this award is February 15.

Accomodations

A downloadable PDF of lodging information is available at this link (PDF).

Hotel rooms will be at a reduced rate for this conference and reservations can be arranged at the following places:

Atherton Hotel
H103 Student Union
Stillwater, OK 74078-0001
(405) 744-6835
Oklahoma's premier boutique hotel, setting the standard for hospitality with quality, style and sophistication founded in a rich heritage and tradition, located in the heart of the beautiful Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Guests may request a room with either a queen-size bed or two double beds. A total of 40 rooms have been blocked off for the conference and guests need to call and reserve their room by February 4, 2011. Guests must ask for the "EGSA" rate in order to receive the reduced price of $93 per night, which includes breakfast the next morning at the exquisite Ranchers Club. Note that the Atherton is within easy walking distance to Morrill Hall as well as the Alumni Center, where dinner will be held on Friday night. For more information, please visit: http://www.athertonhotelatosu.com/

Hampton Inn
717 East Hall of Fame Avenue
Stillwater, OK 74075
(405) 743-1306
This hotel is roughly one mile east of the Oklahoma State University campus, with numerous restaurant options within walking distance. Rooms will have two queen-size beds. A total of 15 rooms have been blocked off for the conference and guests need to call and reserve their room by February 10, 2011. Guests must ask for the "OSU English Department" rate in order to receive the reduced price of $99 per night. For more information, please visit the Hampton Inn Stillwater website.

Quality Inn
2515 West 6th Ave
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 372-0800?
This hotel is conveniently located off U.S. Highway 51, about one mile from the beautiful Oklahoma State University campus. The Terrace Cafe, open for breakfast and dinner, is located on the hotel premises. Rooms will have two double beds. A total of 15 rooms have been blocked off for the conference and guests need to call and reserve their room by 6 p.m. February 18, 2011. Guests must ask for the "OSU English Department" rate in order to receive the reduced price of $70 per night. For more information, please visit the Quality Inn Stillwater website.

A number of current OSU graduate students have also offered their homes, free of charge, to incoming graduate students. These free "crash spaces" are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested parties should email osuegsa@gmail.com for more information.

Questions about the conference may be directed to:
LuElla Putnam
EGSA President
osuegsa@gmail.com

English Department
College of Arts & Sciences
Oklahoma State University
205 Morrill Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-9474
For Information about English Programs: english.information@okstate.edu
Webmaster: engweb@okstate.edu

Conference Announcements

• *Updated (2/28/2011)* The Conference Program is available here (PDF format).
• A map of the OSU campus, with Morrill Hall and the Conoco-Phillips Alumni Center highlighted is available here (PDF format).
• Please see some updated information and announcements from LuElla Putnam, EGSA President.
• Conference attendees with questions may contact LuElla Putnam, at (843) 693-8249, Melody Denny at (620) 704-4693, or Lexi Brackett at (603) 817-8410.
• Please download the conference flyer or the conference call for papers (PDF format).