This week was Congress - the largest academic gathering of its kind in North America, bringing 8,000 academics from the social sciences and humanities to discuss their research. I was fortunate enough that not only was it held at York, but the Environmental Studies Association of Canada held its conference in our very building!
This meant that:
a) I got to spend some quality time with my friend Joanie, who I have known since undergrad but not seen in three years because she was in Northern Alberta and then moved to Saskatoon to begin her PhD (smarty pants). I also reconnected with a few faculty from my MES...who remembered me after all this time!; and
b) I got to rub shoulders with academics and familiarize myself with what's happening in the environmental studies field (in particular, ecocriticism...I was fortunate to attend the meeting of the Association for Literature, Environment, Culture and Canada...so cool). Most of the presentations did go over my head, but it made me realize how lazy my brain has become in the working world and only fed my inspiration for item c) all that much more;
c) I have the beginnings of a topic for a SSHRC/PhD application, and some ideas as to where I might study!
It's true what they say: everything happens for a reason. This breakup really has opened up so many opportunities for me, including moving to another province. In addition, had I applied to an English department to do ecocrit six years ago, I don't think they would have considered me. But from what I gather, English programs are becoming more and more interdisciplinary and open to other forms of research and writing, including popular literature. So it is now possible for me to return to my home discipline yet bring with me my interests in magazines as well.
So exciting!
Now I have to buckle down and schedule my time, because I have an article to write, a journal to start editing and a PhD proposal to start researching! When am I going to find time for the Summer Reading Challenge??? I did buy a book today (a bit of an indulgence): This Elusive Land: women and the Canadian Environment. It looks quite good...I wonder if it will fit into my reading list?
More later...
Ceebie
*Edit:
Oh oh! I almost forgot: I also discovered Jan Zwicky today, a Canadian poet who won the Governor General's award in 2004 for her poetry book Robinson's Crossing and her literary theory book Wisdom and Metaphor. Her discussion of domestication and the continual search to return home seems like it could provide a theoretical framework for my work...Or at least provide interesting contrast to my MES thesis, which was about women searching to leave home-space in order to find a home-place....
I know, I am such a nerd...
2 comments:
The Vanryn Leeches.
It just goes to show what thick cunts the Americans are to get two people mixed up, and also shows just how self obsessed her parents were to use their daughter as tool for self promotion. What kind of family, who at their daughters (at first possibly dying) bedside, make writing a blog to get as much attention for themselves, their first priority?
They are selfish, egotistical bastards.
Or to put it another way, typical American cunts!
The poor young woman who passed away (Laura) is better off dead, her family are cunts.
In the mean time, feel free to visit my blog. (((hugs))) *s*
http://wanderingscribesaconartist.blogspot.com/
I don't know who this wobblingscruffbag is and not having turned on Moderate Comments before he posted, I just wanted to say the author of this blog DOES NOT subcribe to this person's views or opinions. If I could figure out how to delete his comment, believe me, I would...
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