[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve done with almost every NeMLA conference for the last decade-plus (I wasn’t able to attend last year’s), I wanted to recap some of the stand-out moments here, leading up to a special weekend post on why this organization matters more than ever in 2026!]
On three authors and artists who extended NeMLA’s streak of featuring amazing special events.
- Simon Han: Many of the creative writers that NeMLA has featured in its opening address (and in recent years in the accompanying NeMLA Reads Together initiative) have been well-established folks with lots of publications under their belt. Nothing wrong with that, but I think initiatives like this are even more meaningful when they can highlight newer voices whom we should all be reading, and that was the case with this year’s focal author and text, Simon Han and his debut novel Nights When Nothing Happened (2020).
- Cherríe Moraga: On the other hand, if the opening address is going to focus on a newer voice, I think it makes all the sense in the world to complement that choice with a keynote address delivered by one of our most influential authors and scholars. And nobody fits that bill better than Moraga, whose scholarly publications, memoirs and essays, and plays have all contributed significantly to the development of those respective genres over the last four-plus decades. Recent NeMLA conventions have featured Homi Bhabha and Judith Butler among other luminaries, so when I say no keynote speaker has been more impressive than Moraga, I hope you’ll feel me.
- Jean-Claude Flamand-Barny: The opening and keynote addresses are always highlights of the convention, but one of NeMLA’s trademarks is that the other special events feature just as interesting and impressive folks. And this year was no exception, as (to cite just one example) the convention featured not only a screening of the recent film Fanon (2024), but a Q&A with its writer and director, the acclaimed filmmaker Jean-Claude Flamand-Barny. Having had one of my most transformative conference moments ever at such a screening and Q&A, I love that NeMLA was able to offer its attendees the same opportunity.
Special post this weekend,
Ben
PS. If you were at the conference, feel free to share your thoughts too!
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