In March the AMS met at the SCRC in Corpus Christi, Texas. We thanked Sean McDowell for his excellent service as president, during which time the AMS has grown in confidence, foundations (in the sense of a new constitution) and numbers. No less important has been the contribution of Tim Raylor as secretary. We have heard some outstanding, valuable papers in San Antonio, Kansas City, Hot Springs and Corpus Christi. We’ve joined the Renaissance Society of America and will be presenting panels there in the future as well as at SCRC.
This last week I’ve given a lecture on Marvell and his hometown Hull in Hull (the University of which is my alma mater), and stayed in Holderness, a very short distance from Marvell’s birthplace of Winestead. There was a stirring trip to old Hull, including Holy Trinity Church, Hull Grammar School and Marvell’s statue, and the fine country house at Burton Agnes. Then I went on to Oxford to help run a small conference on Marvell and London (with papers extending beyond that particular topic) at Keble College, where I taught for thirteen years. It was enlightening to hear so much new, worthwhile work on our poet (I had the pleasure of hearing Martin Dzlezainis twice, once in Corpus Christi for AMS and then again in Oxford), and to learn about forthcoming publications, research projects and meetings.
As we look forward to meeting next Spring in St. Louis at SCRC, and in Montreal at RSA, I’m hoping that we’ll all bring more members to the society in the UK, Europe and further afield, as well as in the US and Canada. I’d like to think of us having a conference in Hull itself before too long.
Happy trails this summer.
Nigel Smith
Princeton University