PAMLA 2022 will be held in Los Angeles, California at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center and Hotel between Thursday evening, November 10 and Sunday, November 13, 2022.
Below we have answered the top FAQs. Of course, we must state that many answers to COVID-19 questions are informed and shaped by the current situation, CDC Guidelines, and our own organization’s timeline, but as with all organizations enduring the effects of the pandemic, we promise that we will put our members’ well-being above all other considerations. Contact Executive Director Craig Svonkin ([email protected]) and/or Assistant Director Sonia Christensen ([email protected]) for any other questions.
PAMLA 2022 Conference Questions
1.) Will the PAMLA 2022 Conference be held in-person or virtually?
We are conducting this year’s conference entirely in-person at the UCLA Luskin Hotel and Conference Center. So no papers may be delivered via Zoom or in absentia.
The PAMLA Board voted against hybrid sessions, and against allowing someone to read their papers via Zoom or in absentia, due to a few concerns. First, that doing so would weaken in-person attendance, thus making it more difficult to continue to conduct in-person conferences. Second, due to the unreliability and inordinate expense of contracting for wifi. And finally, due to the benefits of in-person interactions: namely, greater opportunities for networking and intellectual exchange.
However, we have increasingly seen how an all-online conference can be a great service, and we are looking into the possibility of an entirely virtual PAMLA event for the future.
2.) Does PAMLA have a Code of Conduct?
Before, during, and after our PAMLA conference, we strive to be a kind, polite, and collegial association. We expect our members, in all of their communications, to strive to be friendly and polite, even when disagreeing. Please read our PAMLA Statement on kindness and collegiality expectations: https://www.pamla.org/pamla-statement-on-dedication-to-kindnesss/
3.) Does PAMLA have a special room rate at the UCLA Luskin Hotel?
Yes, we do, but the Luskin is sold out. More information can be found on our PAMLA 2022 Hotel Information page. We added three nearby hotels to the Luskin, but the PAMLA block at those hotels also seem to be full. So, if you don’t have a hotel room yet, you will need to make your own reservation. I just checked hotel.com, Priceline, Trivago, and some other online sites, and found some hotels that seem decent within a 15-minute Lyft or Uber ride of the UCLA Luskin. If you need any assistance or advice, please email PAMLA Executive Director Craig Svonkin: [email protected]
4.) Is there an app for the conference?
Yes, there is! You can Download the Whova app to access the event:
- View the event agenda and plan your personal schedule
- Find who else is attending this event and reach out to people ahead of time
- We have some terrific social events, like our Friday Night PAMLA Reception. But use the Whova app to plan some social activities of your own, such as a morning run, coffee hours, or meet-ups with your fellow attendees. You can even post job openings or share your most recent book or other publication
- Receive updates such as last minute session changes from the organizers (the Whova schedule will be more up-to-date than the paper conference program)
After downloading the Whova app, use the email address you use for PAMLA to sign up on Whova’s mobile app or web portal. Make sure you choose a strong password. You can also sign up using a social media account. Once you have signed up, you should be taken directly to the PAMLA 2022 event.
5.) What is the COVID-19 policy for the conference?
We are requiring all attendees to be fully vaccinated (and we are strongly encouraging everyone to get the new bivalent booster, and a flu vaccine). Please bring proof of vaccination with you to the UCLA Luskin. Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons must bring a negative COVID test from no more than 72 hours prior to the start of the conference with them. Please send any questions to Craig Svonkin: [email protected].
The remainder of our COVID-19 policies are linked here, as well.
6.) When and where is the conference?
The conference will begin with a Thursday evening, November 1o welcome event and continue on until Sunday night, November 13, 2022, at the UCLA Luskin Hotel & Conference Center.
PAMLA 2022 Hotel Information page
Should you wish to attend the conference, if you are not on the conference schedule (not presenting or chairing), you may join as a conference Auditor for a low fee.
7.) If I’m not giving a paper or chairing a session at this year’s conference, do I still need to pay in order to attend?
Yes, you do have to pay (the only exceptions are for those who are from universities that are sponsoring the conference–they may attend for free as long as they aren’t presenting or chairing). But here is some exciting news. If you aren’t delivering a paper or presenting, and if you are not a presiding officer or chair, you may attend the conference at a much reduced rate: the Auditor rate. The Auditor conference option does not include PAMLA membership for the year. It will cost $50 per person, and will entitle you to attend the conference. Remember, however, that anyone scheduled to present, preside, or chair cannot use this Auditor payment option.
Also, current University of California – Los Angeles, California State University – Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and Occidental College students and faculty students who wish to attend the conference but who are not on the conference program (not presenting or chairing) may do so for free, given the generous donations from UCLA’s Department of English, Cal State LA’s Department of English, USC’s Writing Program, Occidental College, and the CMRS Center for Early Global Studies at UCLA.
So, if you are from UCLA, Cal State LA, Occidental College, or USC, simply email Executive Director, Craig Svonkin, to let him know that you would like to attend and which university you are from: [email protected].
8.) If I want to show images, what kind of A/V equipment should I bring?
If you want to use the conference projectors or sound, please bring your laptop with HDMI inputs; we will provide LCD projectors in A/V friendly rooms. Those who have an Apple laptop may want to bring their own adapter for the projector, as well. All rooms have projectors and sound.
9.) I’m new to PAMLA or conferencing. Do you have any advice?
Yes. We have some valuable advice here: https://www.pamla.org/pamla-2022-survival-guide/
10.) Are there any workshops or special events at the conference I should make a reservation for?
Yes, there are. Log into pamla.ballastacademic.com and click on the Registration button at the top of the page to sign up for one of our Workshops or Events. A reservation will guarantee you a spot in that workshop or event.
11.) How long are conference sessions?
Conference sessions at PAMLA are generally 90 minutes.
12.) What is the difference between a special session and a standing session?
Standing sessions are general sessions that take place at every PAMLA conference. For standing sessions, presiding officers need to conduct an election at the end of the session for a presiding officer for the next year’s PAMLA conference. Special sessions, on the other hand, need to be proposed anew every year (and thus no election for presiding officer need take place).
13.) How do Panels differ from Roundtables, Workshops, and Creative sessions? Can I present in two panels? In one panel and one roundtable or creative session?
Panels are traditional sessions with three to four panelists either reading papers or presenting their paper. In contrast, we also have creative format sessions, like Roundtables (sessions with six to ten panelists giving brief talks and then participating in discussion), Workshops (sessions with participants involved in a significant amount of interaction with the workshop leaders or moderators), and Creative sessions (sessions that involve creative formats, such as poetry readings, discussions with writers or artists, film screenings, and museum tours).
You may not present in two panels.
You may, however, present in a Panel and also a creative format session, like a Roundtable, Creative session, or Workshop.
For more information go to: https://www.pamla.org/conference/session-formats/.
If you have any questions about these rules, please contact PAMLA Executive Director Craig Svonkin: [email protected]
14.) Am I too late to propose a paper for the 2022 PAMLA Conference?
Yes, the conference schedule is now set. To see the conference schedule look at your Whova/PAMLA app, or the Schedule here: https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Webforms/Schedule.aspx?ao=1
To see CFP list, go here: https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/CFP
15.) What are the most important deadlines to remember?
Members (or prospective members) may want to take a gander at our deadline list at the bottom of our conference page. Deadlines are subject to change, but will always be updated at the conference page.