Marvell Society annual meeting, March 5, 2022
Present: Blaine Greteman, Joanna Picciotto, Brett DeFries, Anita Sherman, Julianne Werlin, Brendan Prawdzik, Matthew Augustine, Hyunyoung Cho, Alex Garganigo, Geoff Emerson, Jennifer Chibnall
Minutes: Blaine Greteman
1) We can’t recall minutes from 2021, when the meeting was on Zoom during the pandemic (and a time when some things understandably slipped), so were not able to approve them. If anyone took minutes for that meeting, they’ve been asked to forward them to the Executive Committee.
2) Journal update: Ryan Netzley was unable to attend, but reports that voting is ongoing for the Patterson prize. The next issue of the journal, which includes articles on “Mourning” from the 2021 SCRC, will be published at the end of April or early May.
3) Unanimous vote in favor of Professor Hyunyoung Cho to fill one of the three open seats on Executive Committee. Members asked to send names of other potential candidates, so that we can approach them and vote virtually. Consensus about consulting another candidate and current member of EC for Vice President role.
4) Presentation by Greteman of results of the survey on future of Marvell Society and its relation to SCRC. Strong sense that this relationship should change, but not a strong sense of how.
5) The survey presentation led to open discussion of our future meeting structure, and engagement activities, which was productive. General sense that we may want to change our meeting structure, perhaps meeting every other year at SCRC, and in other years doing a zoom meetup; perhaps the zoom meetups, or other activities, leading instead to a larger event once every five years or so. The sense of the meeting was that any final change to our meeting structure would require more time and deeper conversations, which we want to have in-person at next year’s SCRC in Berkeley.
6) Action items:
- a) Anita Sherman will canvas MLA bibliography for scholars who have done recent work on Marvell, to encourage them to join us. We have created a google doc to keep track of these names, and where you are encouraged to include names of potential members for the society, or potential speakers for next year’s conference. Let’s do this soon, so we can start building momentum: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10DWFC9hLvlhnwIDdPe_H1siWyKezUATDs1h_RuQ_3Cs/edit?usp=sharing
- b) Greteman will organize at least a few informal Marvell events, based on Spenser at Random (but with a good name TK). Perhaps will get UIowa English Society involved so we have at least a few nerds at these events.
- c) Continuing fundraising efforts. Greteman will send out a welcome message/fundraising appeal, soon.
Meeting adjourned.