Thank You for a Successful Conference
Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make the 2017 University of Southern Mississippi English Graduate Organization Conference a success. It would not have been possible without all of your hard work. We are happy to report that we had outstanding attendance for the conference events and the reading and reception at Oddfellows Gallery. We have also received wonderful feedback from campus visitors, USM faculty and students, and members of the Hattiesburg community.
We are grateful for all of our speakers and presenters, particularly our plenary and keynote speakers, who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in the 2017 Bodies of Work Conference. We were honored to host Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly and her family in Hattiesburg for the weekend. Fennelly read selections from all of her books, signed books at Oddfellows Gallery, had dinner with our creative writing faculty and conference organizers, and met with creative writing graduate students. Fennelly’s energy and enthusiasm for her craft and for Mississippi writers showed throughout her reading.
A special thank you to Jeannine Hall Gailey, former Poet Laureate of Redmond, WA, who read selections from her poetry and led a craft-based discussion of her poetry and the writing process with conference attendees. And to Dr. Lee Rozelle from the University of Montevallo for serving as plenary speaking and entertaining the audience with a special presentation on “American Zombiescapes.” All of the writers and scholars attending these events benefitted from your knowledge and passion for your work.
We greatly appreciate all the support of our English Department faculty and staff, particular Dr. Brandi George who kicked off the conference at the Thirsty Hippo with the world premiere of her book-length poem title Faun. And to all the graduate students and faculty who participated in Dr. George’s experimental poetry reading.
Our conference would not have been a success without the generosity of our sponsors, especially the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Hattiesburg Arts Council. This conference was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and we are appreciative for all of the Council’s support in bringing Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly to speak as the concluding event for the Bodies of Work: The Human Body in Various Forms Conference. The Hattiesburg Arts Council partnered with us and publicized our call for papers and all of our special events. Charles and Anita Price of Oddfellows Gallery hosted a fabulous reading and reception for Beth Ann Fennelly. Ellen Ruffin and the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection sponsored our events and featured artwork by acclaimed artist Wendell Minor at the Beth Ann Fennelly reading and reception at Oddfellows Gallery. Carolyn Cawthon and the University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School provided swag items for our attendees and promoted our call for papers and conference events. Courtney Chunn and Jaime Ray of Greenhouse Yoga gave a special presentation and yoga demonstration to conference attendees. Oak Grove Plaza Package Store provided the wine for the reception at Oddfellows Gallery. Main Street Books provided books for Beth Ann Fennelly’s signing and publicized the event in The Clarion Ledger. The Hattiesburg Courtyard Marriott provided hotel rooms for conference attendees and speakers.
Last and certainly not least, a BIG thank you to all of our conference volunteers and organizers. From conception to birth, our committee heads and members have been the force behind this project. Dr. Thomas Holmes of Redactions: Poetry & Poetics headed the Programming Committee, served as liaison with our guest speakers, completed the conference program, and generally helped with all aspects of the conference. Dr. Max Macpherson chaired the Finance Committee and helped to secure the grant from Mississippi Humanities Council, which made our conference possible.
Emily Martin and Mary Stephens served as conference co-chairs, organized the panels, and acted as our liaison to conference attendees. Erin McLeod Gipson and Mary Beth Wolverton served as co-chairs of the Publicity Committee and publicized the conference events both on campus and throughout the Hattiesburg community. Renée M. Bailey chaired the Reception Committee, organized the fabulous reception at Oddfellows Gallery, and planned the C4W reading at T-Bones Records & Café.
Charles Hunter Joplin chaired the Registration Committee, gathered all of the materials for the conference attendees, and staffed the networking lounge. Dr. Emily Stanback served as faculty advisor and connected the conference to the Fleshed Out: The Body Politic interdisciplinary series. Sara Lewis of Memorious promoted the conference and provided campus resources to make our event a success. Stephanie Phillips served as photographer and Rebecca Holder served as videographer for the reading and reception at Oddfellows Gallery. Kelli McAdams designed t-shirts for EGO. Mary Ryan Karnes provided invaluable help in bringing Beth Ann Fennelly to our event. Jaide Hollingsworth worked to publicize the call for papers and all the conference events through the English Department. Darcie Conrad served as our fiscal agent and expert on coordinating our event with the university at large.
We appreciate all of your help and support throughout the planning and implementation of the conference. And realize that none of our events would have been successful without the assistance of our numerous committee members, faculty, and staff from the English Department, larger university community, and the Hattiesburg community.
Sincerely,
Olivia Bushardt
Conference Organizer,
Bodies of Work: The Human Body in Various Forms
*This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.