The 2024 ALSCW Conference will take place at the Catholic University of America, from Thursday, October 17 to Sunday, October 20, 2024. This conference features a rich selection of seminars (on topics such as Miłosz and Herbert, literary ghosts, Toni Morrison, and teaching writing through literature); panels on Frederick Douglass, David Ferry’s translations, and more; a presentation by Max Rudin, president of Library of America; a banquet reading by Lysley Tenorio; readings by David Lehman, Mary Jo Salter, and Matthew Buckley Smith; and a concert by the Platon Karataev duo from Hungary.

Please note that the opening events, including the welcome reception and concert, will be on Thursday, October 17; all seminars and plenary panels will take place on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19. The Saturday night banquet is the final event for most conference participants; the sole conference activity on Sunday, October 20 is the Council meeting, which only Council members attend. We expect to have the conference program ready by the beginning of September.

The detailed conference program and the simplified version (the “2024 ALSCW Conference At-a-Glance“) are now available, along with a DC area metro map and a map of the CUA campus.

Below you will find information concerning membership, conference registration (including the banquet), and accommodations. Please read the information below carefully.

1) Membership

Everyone participating in the conference must be a member of the ALSCW. Oxford University Press (OUP) handles membership and renewals for the ALSCW. OUP collects membership fees electronically. If you haven’t joined or renewed your membership, we ask that you please do so right away.

Members receive three annual issues of Literary Imagination, online access to all back issues of Literary Imagination, access to the ALSCW online journal, Literary Matters, and regular communications from our D.C. headquarters regarding events, upcoming conferences, and other news.

Please join or renew at the OUP website (https://academic.oup.com/litimag/subscribe). OUP will provide us with a list of members before the conference. Only memberships for 2024 are valid for the conference.

If you have difficulties joining or renewing, or have questions, please send an email to Societies.CustServ@oup.com. You should receive a response within 24 hours.

2) Conference Registration

Please register for the conference by following the directions on our website (https://alscw.org/2024-alscw-conference-registration/). Our office cannot process credit cards and we are no longer accepting checks by mail (there has been an epidemic of stolen checks by mail). Anyone who does not pay by Paypal by 10/10 will need to pay by check at the conference. There will be limited availability for the banquet for people who pay by check at the conference (the banquet is always a highlight!). Please note that people have the option to buy a graduate student a ticket to the banquet. Everyone must pick up her or his badge for the conference and ticket for the banquet at the registration desk.

Registration includes a catered reception on Thursday and Friday evenings, and coffee and tea service during the day. The Saturday evening banquet includes a three-course dinner, as well as wine, beer, and soft drinks. If you register for the banquet, you will receive a separate email in late September asking for your dinner choices, which will include a vegetarian option.

3) Accommodations

We have reserved blocks of rooms at excellent rates at two hotels. Both hotels are a short walk to the Silver Spring Metro Station, which is four quick stops to the Catholic University campus. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. Rooms are sure to go quickly.

A) Courtyard Silver Spring Downtown
To secure a reservation, please call the hotel at 301-589-4899 or use the link.
You will find the information for your online reservation at the link above.

B) DoubleTree by Hilton
Group Name: Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers
Group Code: 90Z

4) General Information

Please note that ALSCW members include university academics, secondary school teachers, creative writers, independent scholars, artists, students, editors, and even a few literary agents and scientists. Participants are urged to keep their presentations jargon free and accessible to those not working in their fields. People attending but not giving formal presentations are encouraged to participate actively in discussions.

ALSCW conferences are, in fact, designed to promote an ongoing conversation about literature, literary history, and the arts. We try to make sure nothing is rushed. Plenary panels and seminars each run for up to two hours and offer ample opportunity for discussion. Participants move back and forth from seminars (four at a time) to plenary sessions (one at a time) to social gatherings, performances, and readings in the evening. The goal is to provide space for a constant cross-pollination of materials, ideas, and personalities. Past participants have found great benefit in exchanges between well-informed people who may not share a specialization. We are proud to have a very distinguished membership, and part of our tradition involves mentoring younger members.

We look forward to seeing you at Catholic University. Many thanks for contributing to the ALSCW’s mission to help literature and the arts thrive!