MAM: The Medieval Association of the Midwest

N U N T I A

The Newsletter of the Medieval Association of the Midwest

 

Double Issue:  Fall 2003, Volume XXVII Number Two

 

From the Executive Secretary

 

The Medieval Association of the Midwest continues to thrive.  Its current membership totals 176.  Even with our increase in dues, we have found sustained interest in our projects to sustain and even increase our numbers.  Last fall’s 18th annual MAM conference was held at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, on September 27 and 28.  Fifty people attended.  There were thirty-six papers and two plenary speakers–Drs. Norris Lacy and Jonathan Wilcox.  In addition, Ed Risden, who organized the conference, was able to return $1,066.52 to the treasury from the conference.  Thank you, Ed!  The 19th annual meeting is being organized by Toni Morris.  It will be hosted by the University of Indianapolis on October 10 and 11.  The keynote speaker scheduled is Dr. Bernard McGinn from the University of Chicago.

 

The outlook for future conferences is quite bright.  Peter Goodrich has offered to host the 2004 MAM Conference at Northern Michigan University.  Moreover, Karen Moranski and Norman Hinton have agreed to host the 2005 conference at the University of Illinois at Springfield.  Please make plans now to attend.

 

We continue to gain a good reception for the Publications of the Association.  Mel Storm has now been joined by Kristen Figg.  Our issues have a reputation for solid scholarship covering a variety of fields.  I hope that you will take a moment to think about sending an article in for review.  Best wishes for the fall, and thanks for your continuing dedication to MAM.

 

 

Annual MAM Business Meeting

 

Mr. Hodapp (President) convened the meeting at 7:08 P.M., May 2, 2003 in Fetzer 1055.

Approval of Minutes - Mr. Hodapp presented the Business Meeting Minutes of May 2, 2002, for approval.  It was moved and seconded (Kleinhenz/Hinton) to approve the minutes.  Approved unanimously.

 

Report of the President - Mr. Hodapp reported that last fall’s conference was very successful and that this year’s MAM sessions at Kalamazoo are underway.  Mr. Hodapp said that many items of his report will be discussed during the course of the meeting. 

 

Report of the Executive Secretary - Mr. Kindrick expressed his appreciation to St. Norbert College for a fine MAM conference in 2002, which returned $1,066.52 to the treasury.  MAM membership to date for 2003 totals 142; he encouraged individuals to join MAM.  Mr. Kindrick then reviewed the financial statement for May 1, 2002, to April 30, 2003.  The beginning balance May 1, 2002, was $2,451.91.  Revenue for the year, including the return from the MAM conference of $1,066.52 as well as the year’s dues and receipts of $6,905.00, totaled $7,971.52.  Expenses for the year totaled $4,109.22, including Medieval Academy dues of $25.00, Chester Press printing expenses for PMAM of $3,409.22, bank charges and returned checks of $75.00, Nuntia expenses of $250.00, and reimbursement to the Convener of Conferences of $350.00.  The ending balance for this period is $6,314.21. He suggested that this high balance be left as it stands due to forthcoming PMAM 9 expenses.  Mr. Kindrick also reported that the current balance of invested funds is $18,695.91, with last year’s 6% interest bringing in $989.95.   Invested funds are being moved entirely to CDs, in order to preserve the current balance.  Not all expenses are noted on the statement as there are other operational/administrative expenses such as the council  luncheon.

Mr. Kindrick announced that Ms. Valk has agreed to stay on as Convener of Conferences.  It was moved and seconded (Hinton/Kleinhenz) to accept this report.  Approved unanimously.

 

 

Report of the Editor of Nuntia - In Mr. Goodrich’s absence, Mr. Hodapp summarized the report on Nuntia.  The newsletter published two issues in 2002.  The beginning balance was $318.18, including $68.18 carried over from 2001 and a $250 subvention for 2002 from MAM.  Expenses totaled $296.03, including $186.45 for printing and $109.58 for postage and handling.  Mr. Hodapp mentioned that Mr. Goodrich is interested in making some changes.  He requested discussion on the following suggested options:   (1) keep the MAM website and print two issues of the newsletter as it is currently; (2) keep the website and convert the newsletter form print to electronic format; or (3) update the website frequently and discontinue the newsletter as a separate entity.  A decision will be tabled for a year until further input is received.  Discussion ensued.  Several individuals were in favor of an electronic format and suggested that Mr. Goodrich push forward with exploring this option on a trial basis.  For this year, it was suggested to send out the newsletter in both formats, including a notice in the next issue’s hard copy that it would be accompanied by an electronic version.  Mr. Kindrick encouraged individuals to get in touch with Mr. Goodrich directly (pgoodric@nmu.edu) to offer their ideas.  It was also suggested to discuss this issue at the fall MAM meeting in Indianapolis.

 

Report of the Convener of Conferences - Ms. Valk reported that there are seven MAM sessions at Kalamazoo this year, compared to five last year.  Ms. Valk explained that she is the go-between person for the Congress and MAM proposals and has developed a special conference session proposal/agreement form for proposing sessions.  She explained the process and associated deadlines. The first deadline for proposing next year’s sessions is May 15, 2003.  [Mr. Risden urged MAM members to take the opportunity to recruit individuals at the present conference.]   If the proposed session is accepted, it will appear as one of the sessions sponsored by MAM in the Call for Papers published in the summer by The Medieval Institute.  The session organizer may receive abstracts from individuals responding to the Call for Papers.  These abstracts will also come to the Convener of Conferences by way of email, fax, or regular mail, and will be forwarded to the organizer.  If the organizer does not receive a sufficient number of satisfactory abstracts to form a session, the organizer will need to solicit abstracts on his or her own.  The Convener of Conferences will make every effort to assist the session organizer in forming a session.  The session organizer must contact the Convener of Conferences several weeks before the October 1 deadline set by The Medieval Institute, if he or she needs assistance in organizing the session.  The session organizer must fill in the appropriate organizer form for sponsored sessions, which must be accompanied by a completed request for audio/video/computer equipment for each participant in the session.  These materials must reach the Convener of Conferences by September 25, 2003, so that she can assemble the entire MAM-sponsored-sessions package and submit it to the Medieval Institute by October 1, 2003.  Under no circumstances should session organizers send MAM session materials directly to the Medieval Institute.

 

Report on the Publications - Ms. Moranski reported that PMAM 8, containing a nice collection of essays, is completed and has been mailed to members.  She said that Mr. Storm is currently working on Volume 9.  Initially there was a problem with submissions for Volume 9; however, the situation has remedied itself, and there is now an excess of articles.  Ms. Moranski has turned over her responsibilities for PMAM 10 to Ms. Figg, the new co-editor of PMAM. Submissions seem to ebb and flow–sometimes there is an excess of materials and sometimes a dearth.  Ms. Moranski reported on discussion from the earlier Membership Committee meeting relative to increasing submissions; she suggested using e-mail list-serves to advertise submissions/calls for papers, as she has done in previous years.  Promotion for submissions at the Kalamazoo sessions as well as at annual MAM conferences was also recommended.  She strongly encouraged MAM members to “scare” up papers, and not necessarily conference papers, for PMAM.  Ms. Moranski also mentioned a suggestion from Mr. Goodrich to move Nuntia’s name over to the publications, should the newsletter be converted to an electronic format.  A round of applause was given for Ms. Moranski for her work with PMAM.

 

Report of the Membership Committee - Mr. Kleinhenz reported on the proceedings of the earlier meeting of the Membership Committee, some of which have already been discussed, such as increasing submissions and membership. Ms. Moranski mentioned that the Illinois Philological Association will meet next April 2004 at Lewis University outside of Joliet and that she would be willing to organize a MAM session at this meeting.  Other suggested venues for MAM sessions included meetings of the Illinois Medieval Association (IMA), Missouri Philological Association (MPA), the Chicago Medieval Club, Mid-America Medieval Association (MAMA), and Midwest/Modern Language Association (M/MLA).

 

Mr. Kleinhenz also reported that the 2002 Midwest solicitation mailing yielded 95 MAM subscriptions, 65 of whom were first-time members.  A total of 3,163 mailings was sent to 2,960 individuals obtained from Western Michigan University’s list of individual Midwest CARA members, 108 CARA centers and regional associations obtained from the Medieval Academy, and the chairs of 95 Midwest colleges and universities, primarily suggested by Bruce Hozeski and Chris Kleinhenz.

 

Report on the 2002 Conference - Mr. Risden reported on the 18th annual MAM conference which was held at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, September 27-28, 2002.  There were 50 attendees, 36 papers, and two plenary speakers (Norris Lacy and Jon Wilcox).    He thanked those who were able to attend.  The conference returned $1,066.52 to the MAM treasury.  A round of applause was given to Mr. Risden for a fine conference.

 

Report on the 2003 Conference - Ms. Morris invited individuals to the 2003 MAM conference at the University of Indianapolis, October 10-11, 2003.  The keynote speaker will be Bernard McGinn.  June 15 is the deadline for papers.

 

Discussion on the 2004 Conference - Mr. Goodrich has offered to host the 2004 MAM Conference at Northern Michigan University.  Ms. Moranski and Norman Hinton have agreed to host the 2005 conference at the University of Illinois at Springfield.  Ms. Valk offered to investigate the possibility of a conference at the University of Texas at Brownsville.

 

Election of New Officers - The following slate of nominations was presented to members:

 

President - Christopher Kleinhenz (traditionally previous Vice President)

Past President - William Hodapp

Vice President - Edward Risden (traditionally organizer of previous MAM conference)

Executive Secretary - Robert Kindrick

Associate Executive Secretary - Kristie Bixby

 

It was moved and seconded (Hollahan/ Moranski) to accept the executive slate, and approved unanimously.

 

Nicholas Haydock, Norman Hinton, Harriet Hudson, Margaret Hostetler (University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh), and Kathy Krause (UM–KC) were nominations brought forth from the Council to replace Rebecca Barnhouse, Rosanne Gasse, Norman  Hinton, and Harriet Hudson whose terms end  in 2003.  There were no other nominations.  Following a vote, the following councillors were selected:  Nicholas Haydock, Norman Hinton, Margaret Hostetler; Harriet Hudson (term ending 2006). Those councillors whose terms will continue include Patricia Hollahan, Caroline Jewers, Ed Risden, Kristen Figg, Toni Morris, and Mary Olson.

 

New Business - Mr. Kindrick asked that the membership thank Mr. Hodapp for his service by acclamation.  There was no other business.  Mr. Hodapp asked for a motion and second (Hollahan/Kleinhenz) to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 P.M.  Adjourned by acclamation.

 

Calls for Papers

 

 

MAM Professional News

 

Have you recently finished a dissertation, book, or other major project?  Are you looking for contributors or help on a project?  To announce your latest publications and projects in Nuntia, please supply the following information:

 

Member name

Institution

Title of publication OR focus of project

Short summary or description (optional)

 

(The Editor regrets that only large-scale or published projects can be included here.)  Submit by e-mail (preferred) to figg@salem.kent.edu, or in hard copy to Prof. Kristin Figg, Department of English, Kent State University – Salem Campus, 2491 SR 45, South Salem, OH 44460.

 

Tom Shippey, Walter J. Ong Chair at Saint Louis University, edited the annual volume of "Studies in Medievalism" 12, titled Film and Fiction: Reviewing the Middle Ages (Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer, 2002).  Among the ten essays printed were contributions by William Woods (Wichita
State U), Gwendolyn Morgan (Montana State U), and Nick Haydock, a graduate
of the U of Iowa, now at the U of Puerto Rico.  He has also just published "Bilingualism and Betrayal in Chaucer's 'Summoner's Tale'," in Speaking in the Medieval World, ed Jean Godsall-Myers, 125-44.

 

Peter H. Goodrich and Raymond H. Thompson’s Merlin: A Casebook, in the Arthurian Characters and Themes series edited by Norris. J. Lacy, was published by Routledge in June.  The volume represents the wide range of scholarly approaches to all aspects of the Merlin legend, from its origins to its expression in literature, film, and popular culture.

 

Gregory Guzman was elected History Department chair last fall at Bradley University.  He was also named a Caterpillar Distinguished Professor of History.

 

W. Keith Percival, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the University of Kansas, has a forthcoming volume entitled Studies in Renaissance Grammar, Variorum Collected Studies Series, Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2003.  This collection of essays deals with the question of the extent to which the medieval curricular subject grammatica survived into the Renaissance unchanged and how it was transformed by the pedagogical program of the humanists.

Julie Towell has completed her Ph.D. at  Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.  Her dissertation, entitled The “Rise and Progress” of Anglo-Saxonism and English National Identity” (advisor, Elizabeth S. Sklar) analyzes the editorial methodologies, selection criteria, and evaluative comments of several major Anglo-Saxonists during the nineteenth century, examining the way that an idealized Anglo-Saxon past informed the construction of an English cultural and national identity.

 

Double Issue:  Spring 2004, Volume XXVIII Number One

 

From the President

 

This year Nuntia should reach the membership prior to the Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, and I look forward to seeing you there at our annual business meeting. Please note that the business meeting with open bar will take place at 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, May 6, in the Bernhard Faculty Lounge. Thanks to the efforts of Cynthia Valk, panels for the 39^th International Congress have been organized in the following areas: Byzantine Poetry: Comparative Perspectives; Introducing Medieval Studies to Non-Majors; Clothing in Chaucer; Leisure Time in the Middle Ages; Narratives of Thebes in the Middle Ages; and Politics and the Supernatural in Scotland.

 

It gives me great pleasure to announce that our Executive Secretary, Robert Kindrick, is the recipient of the CARA Award for Outstanding Service to Medieval Studies, given by the Medieval Academy. The prize recognizes individuals who have provided leadership in developing, organizing, promoting, and sponsoring medieval studies through the extensive administrative work that is so crucial to the health of medieval studies. As the direct beneficiaries of his work for medieval studies in general and for our Association in particular, we congratulate Bob for this recognition and honor.

 

I am pleased to report that our conference at the University of Indianapolis in October went very well, and we thank Toni Morris for her having put together a fine program, both in terms of quality and diversity of subject. The keynote speaker was Bernard McGinn of the University of Chicago. We hope that you will plan to attend this year’s meeting at Northern Michigan University in late September. Please make plans now to attend.

 

The journal of the Association, Publications, continues to be well received, and we encourage your submissions to it. The editors are Mel Storm and Kristen Figg. Submissions are currently being solicited from MAM members for Volume Ten.  Articles of 3,000-10,000 words may be based on conference papers given in MAM-sponsored sessions at the Annual Congress of the Medieval Institute or MAM conferences. MAM members are also encouraged to submit book reviews and articles unrelated to conference papers.

 

Best wishes for the summer, and thanks for your continuing dedication to MAM.

 

Christopher Kleinhenz, President

 

Kalamazoo MAM Events

 

MAM business meetings are all scheduled for Thursday, May 6.  The Membership Committee will meet at 11 A.M., in the Valley III Eldridge Second Floor Lounge.  The Executive Council will meet 12 noon in the Oaks Conference Room at the Radisson downtown.

 

All members are invited (indeed, urged) to attend the Annual Business Meeting and Reception with open bar at 7 P.M. in the 2^nd floor Bernhard Faculty Lounge.

 

MAM-sponsored sessions at this year’s conference are:

 

Byzantine Poetry: Comparative Perspectives, Valley 1, 102, Thursday, May 6, 1:30 p.m.

 

Clothing in Chaucer, Valley 1, 102, Thursday, May 6, 3:30 p.m.

 

Introducing Medieval Studies to Non-Majors, Fetzer 1055, Friday, May 7, 10:00 a.m.

 

Leisure Time in the Middle Ages, Valley III, 308, Friday, May 7, 1:30 p.m.

 

Narratives of Thebes in the Middle Ages, Valley I, 100, Friday, May 7, 3:30 p.m.

 

Politics and the Supernatural in Scotland, Sunday, May 9, 8:30 a.m. (well, somebody had to do it -- early risers special)

 

Travel in the Middle Ages, Valley III, 301, Sunday, May 9, 10:30 a.m. (suitcase storage available in-room)

 

See you there!

_____________________________________________

 

Merle Fifield, 1934-2004

 

Dr. Merle Jane Fifield, a founding member of the Medieval Association of the Midwest, died February 25 in Muncie, Indiana, after a short illness.  Dr. Fifield’s distinguished career as a medievalist began with many undergraduate honors and a doctorate in Middle English Language and Literature with a minor in Old French from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1960.  She taught at the University of Illinois, Bowling Green State University, the University of Detroit, and from 1962-96 at Ball State University.  Her work on alliteration in medieval English lyrics, Chaucerian prosody, and Middle English morality plays have all been important contributions to the field.  Her scenario and production of a “Masque of Poesie” was accepted by Queen Elizabeth II as an official gift in honor of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.  At the time of her death, she was writing two books: An Historical Perspective on the Castle of Perseverenace Stage and Theater and History of the Havanese Breed.  Throughout her career, she remained a driving force for medieval studies in the midwest -- fostering an interdisciplinary committee at Ball State and organizing eight regional conferences there, founding the Medieval Studies Section of the Midwest Modern Language Association, and serving as MAM’s first Executive Secretary from 1976-88 (and as Executive Secretary Emeritus since then).  Beyond medieval and fifteenth century studies, she enjoyed opera, gardening, and needle arts.  Without the contributions of scholars such as Merle Fifield, there would be no MAM, and medieval studies would be a far less vital and encompassing field than it is today.

 

 

 

MAM 2003 Annual Meeting

 

October 10-11, 2004 the Medieval Association of the Midwest held its nineteenth annual conference on the University of Indianapolis campus in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Conferees heard more that forty papers on a wide range of medieval topics. Dr. Bernard McGinn, emeritus, U. of Chicago, was the featured keynote speaker, on “Meister Eckhardt and His Followers.”  Toni Morris organized the conference.

 

 

Calls for Papers

 

The absolute deadline for organizers to propose sponsored and special sessions at the 40^th International Congress on Medieval Studies is Wednesday, May 15, 2004.  The deadline for submitting paper proposals to organizers of sessions advertised in the July Call for Papers is September 15, 2004.  For MAM sessions, organizers should submit proposals to Cynthia Valk before May 15.

 

If you are thinking of a session, it’s helpful to propose it at the business meeting Thursday evening.  The Congress has made filling out forms for sessions much easier.  These are now located on the web page in PDF format.  You can just fill them out and forward them to Cynthia (email is best).  It is the responsibility of the organizer to fill out the forms.  For more information, contact Cynthia Valk, 4882 Lakeway Drive, Brownsville, TX 78520; telephone: 956-544-8239 or 350-8811; fax: 956-550-8700; email: czvalk@utb.edu.

 

***

PMAM (Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest) is currently requesting submissions from the members of the Medieval Association of the Midwest for Volumes Ten and Eleven.  PMAM is a refereed annual journal using MLA documentation styles and dedicated to well-researched scholarship on the Middle Ages.  The deadline for Volume 10 is Monday, June 7; with publication expected in late 2004.

 

Articles may (but do not have to) be based on conference papers given in MAM-sponsored conference sessions, and should be 3,000-10,000 words.  Book reviews are also welcome.  For further information and to make submissions (in three copies) for Volume 10, you are invited to contact Dr. Kristen Figg, Department of English, Kent State University-Salem, 2491 SR 45 South, Salem, OH 44460; telephone 317-788-3241/3455; fax: 317-332-9256; email: figg@salem.kent.edu.  For Volume 11, contact Dr. Melvin Storm, Jr., Department of English, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801; telephone: 620-341-5563; fax: 620-341-5547; email: mailto:stormmel@esumail.emporia.edu.

 

***

The 11^th Triennial Congress of the International Courtly Literature Society will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, July 29-August 4, 2004.  More than one hundred papers will be presented over the course of the conference by scholars from North America, Europe and Asia.  Plenary speakers include Mary and Richard Rouse (UCLA), Christopher Page (Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge), and C. Stephen Jaeger (University of Illinois).  Inquiries may be addressed to the organizers, Christopher Kleinhenz and Keith Busby, at the Department of French and Italian, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 618 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA; fax: 608-265-3892; e-mail: ckleinhe@wisc.edu or kbusby@wisc.edu).  Please call the ICLS Congress to the attention of your colleagues. We look forward to welcoming you to Madison.

 

***

The Medieval Association of the Midwest 20th Annual Conference will take place at Northern Michigan University on Friday and Saturday, September 25-26, 2004.  The plenary speaker will be Alan Gaylord of Dartmouth College on orality, prosody, and meaning in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde.

 

Marquette, Michigan, is situated in a beautiful lakeside region, and is readily accessible by air through Chicago or Detroit.  Boat tours of Lake Superior shipwrecks or the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will be available after the conference.  Inquiries and proposals for sessions and papers on all aspects of medieval studies are welcome and should be directed to Peter Goodrich, Department of English, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855; telephone: 906-227-1635; fax: 906-227-1096; email: pgoodric@nmu.edu.  One-page abstracts should include the submitter’s affiliation and contact information, and make clear the subject matter, area, and methodology of the proposed session or paper, and be submitted by July 1.

 

***

The 35^th Annual Interdisciplinary CAES (Committee for the Advancement of Early Studies) Conference and the 20^th Anniversary Celebration of the International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies are scheduled for October 6-9, 2004, at Ball State University.  Completed papers or abstracts of papers in all areas of Classical, Early, Medieval, and Renaissance studies, as well as sponsor proposals for special sessions and volunteers for session chairs, are due by May 31.  For more information, contact the Conference Convener, Bruce W. Hozeski, Department of English, Ball State University, 2000 W. University Ave., Muncie, IN 47306-0460; telephone: 765-285-8456 or 285-8580; fax: 765-285-3765; email: bhozeski@bsu.edu.

 

 

MAM Professional News

 

This issue’s news:

 

William R. Levin, Centre College, has published The Allegory of Mercy at the Misericordia in Florence: Historiography, Context, Iconography, and the Documentation of Confraternal Charity in the Trecento ( Lanham, MD: UP of America, 2004; 188 pages, 20 illustrations).

 

Jean E. Godsall-Myers, Widener University, has published an anthology, Speaking in the Medieval World (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2003).

 

Toni Morris has been elected to dual roles as Chair of the Department of English and member of the newly formed Academic Senate at the University of Indianapolis.

 

Peter Goodrich would like to assemble a collection of essays addressing the question of how the Islamic World has influenced or been represented in the Arthurian legend.  Contributions may examine characters, settings, sources and analogues, and any other signs of the Islamic in Arthurian literature and arts from medieval times to the present, and are especially invited from Islamic scholars.  Inquiries and expressions of interest may be sent to Peter at the Department of English, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI 49855; telephone: 906-227-1635; fax: 906-227-1096; email: pgoodric@nmu.edu.

______________________________________