I got this today:
Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Dear Paul Nelson,
I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing to invite you (and your colleagues or graduate students; if you can help by spreading the word, that would be great) to join us for the 2026 PAMLA Conference, taking place entirely in-person November 12–15 at the Hyatt Regency Seattle—right in the heart of one of the West’s most vibrant cities and an ideal spot for an intellectual vacation (we will be opening the conference the evening of November 11, with a fun welcome event).
As you probably know, the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (known to friends, family, and even frenemies as PAMLA) is the western regional affiliate of the MLA; but we are really an independent literature, arts, and humanities association. PAMLA was founded way back in 1899 as the Philological Association of the Pacific Coast, changing our name to PAMLA in 1994. We pride ourselves on being a distinct, remarkably friendly humanities and arts community. Each fall we strive to host the perfect balance of a vibrant scholarly meeting and a welcoming retreat—complete with great food, receptions, local outings, and opportunities for social and intellectual engagement and even camaraderie.
We are thrilled to announce featured speakers for our 2026 Conference:
- Plenary Speaker: Renowned scholar and past MLA president Michael Bérubé (Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Literature, Penn State).
- Arts Keynote: Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rae Armantrout.
- Arts Keynote: Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize-winning poet Marilyn Chin.
- Theme Keynote: James Hynes, author of the novel Sparrow, to be interviewed by Dr. Sarah Levin-Richardson (Classics, University of Washington), an expert on the embodied experiences of slaves and on sexuality in Roman Italy and the provinces.
- Theme Keynote: Jeffrey Gray, author of Mastery’s End: Travel and Postwar American Poetry.
This is a mass email to you and many others, Paul, and thus I’m not certain if you’ve attended our conference once, five times, or not quite yet. So I should probably explain that we don’t have the typical big box conference. Instead we strive to hold the most welcoming conference you’ll ever attend: an intellectual vacation rather than a rigid professional gauntlet. And despite our intimate atmosphere, we remain a powerhouse of scholarship, hosting over 1,000 authors and academics across 300+ sessions. Whether you are in English, Modern Languages, Classics, Creative Writing, History, Film and Media Studies, or other Humanities fields—or simply seek a warm, intellectual retreat from spaces less open to kind, knowledge-and-creativity-focused colloquy—you’ll find a vibrant community at PAMLA that values your voice as much as your research.
How you can participate:
- Submit a Paper: Please consider joining one of our conference conversations. You can propose an abstract to one of our 250+ approved scholarly and creative sessions.
- Or you can join us at the conference as an auditor, attending all of the great sessions and events and enjoying yourself without presenting a paper or creative work.
Ready to join us? Submit your paper proposal (before May 25, if you can) at: https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/CFP (Note: You’ll just need to sign in to propose an abstract).
To submit your paper proposal to one of the 250+ approved sessions at the CFP page, just click on the session you wish to propose to, and then click on the green Submit Abstract button and submit a strong paper/presentation proposal): https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/CFP
A Quick Note on 2026 and 2027: To address many requests for an online option, the PAMLA Board has voted to hold our 2026 Seattle conference entirely in-person, but then our 2027 conference entirely virtually. We are excited to offer this inclusive opportunity for those who cannot travel to our in-person 2026 conference. However, this means that Seattle PAMLA 2026 will be your best opportunity for a little while to enjoy the entirely in-person PAMLA experience. If you were planning to wait until 2027 to join us, please keep in mind that the 2027 PAMLA conference will be virtual—so if you thrive on face-to-face networking and want an “intellectual vacation” experience, we truly hope to see you in Seattle this November! But for those of you who love the face to face, in-person PAMLA conference experience, know that we will be back to an in-person conference in 2028.
Finally, can you please join/rejoin PAMLA for the 2026 year (thank you if you are already a PAMLA member for the year, Paul)? PAMLA membership is very reasonable, and entitles you to a paper copy of our fabulous journal and online access to past issues.
Also, if you can afford to do so, please make a donation to one of our PAMLA scholarship funds.
And please do consider submitting a paper proposal to our exciting journal, Pacific Coast Philology. More information about all of those items can be found below.
For more details on PAMLA and conference logistics, visit https://www.pamla.org/pamla2026/. If you have questions or just want to chat about what makes PAMLA so special, please reach out at director@pamla.org or 626-354-7526.
Thank you for your time, Paul, and we hope to see you in Seattle this November!
All my best,
Craig Svonkin, PAMLA Executive Director