Thursday, August 7, 2008

International Conference on Welsh Studies

I spent two years organizing the 2008 International Conference on Welsh Studies, the bi-annual conference of the North American Association for the Study of Welsh Culture and History, for which I'm on the Executive Board. Try to contain your excitement.

We met in Toronto, where I did my PhD work. My former Thesis supervisor, David Klausner, made most of the local arrangements. It went beautifully. We had amazing keynote speakers. Catharine McKenna, Head of Celtic Studies from Harvard, spoke as did Ralph Griffiths, a distinguished Emeritus Professor of Medieval History from the University of Wales at Swansea.

There were about 50 papers, they all went very well (including my own-of which I was kind of surprised since I was woefully underprepared). I went to the pub three nights in a row which was a very strange experience, indeed. I stayed in the dorms--perhaps I'll spring for the hotel next time.

Everyone was so welcoming and accepting of the fact that I am only interested in being a part-time professor. There were lots of folks with young kids. Overall, it was a great experience only made possible because my wonderful husband took the boys for a few days.

The pictures are of myself with Ralph Griffiths (who was the external examiner for my thesis back in 2003) and then of the whole gang (except my friend Stuart who deliberately volunteered to take the photo so he wouldn't have to be in it.

1 comment:

sharleen.2cupsofcoffee said...

Katie, I'm so glad that you had time to feel like a grown-up. I know you were worried about explaining your desire to "be a mom more than a professor" at this time in your life so I'm glad everyone was pleased with your decision.
Going to do it again in another two years???