The PAMLA 2026 Conference is being held at the lovely Hyatt Regency Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington, beginning with a welcome event on Wednesday night, November 11, and then taking off on Thursday morning, November 12 and continuing through Sunday afternoon, November 15.
All PAMLA conference participants must pay both PAMLA membership fees and conference fees to participate.
- If you have to cancel, please let Craig Svonkin and your presiding officer/chair know right away. If you have a flight delay that causes you to miss your session, please email and text Craig Svonkin at 626-354-7526 and director@pamla.org.
- PAMLA membership is typically not refundable.
PAMLA conference fees pay for the cost of the running of the conference, including space rentals, AV costs, breakfasts and coffee breaks, the conference program, nametags, etc.
PAMLA conference fees do not pay for conference attendees’ accommodation or travel expenses; PAMLA conference participants must arrange for their own room reservation and transportation (although we have arranged for special PAMLA rates at the Hyatt Regency Seattle).
Below we have answered the top Frequently Asked Questions.
Contact Executive Director Craig Svonkin (director@pamla.org) and/or Information Director Sonia Christensen (info@pamla.org) for any other questions.
1) PAMLA 2026 Basic Rules and Practices
- Presiding Officers or Chairs may not generally propose papers to or invite themselves to their own sessions. Please contact Craig Svonkin if you have questions or wish to request an exception to this rule: director@pamla.org.
- We do not accept scheduling requests, except for religious reasons (please send religious scheduling requests to PAMLA Executive Director Craig Svonkin by July 25 at the latest). This means that panels might be scheduled for any time on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or on Sunday until approximately 3 pm. The conference begins on Thursday morning.
- PAMLA 2025 will be held entirely in-person. Chairs, Presiding Officers, and panelists must physically attend the conference. Zoom, remote, or papers read in absentia are not allowed. Should you not be able to attend, please let your presiding officer/chair and Executive Director Craig Svonkin know right away.
- Conference participants may typically present twice, at most, at the conference. They may present once in a traditional panel and once in a roundtable or creative format session.
- Participants may not present the same paper, or a largely similar paper, at two different panel sessions. This policy applies as well for participants presenting at one panel and on one roundtable.
- Participants should not give a paper already presented at another conference or a previous PAMLA conference.
- One may only chair two sessions total, or present one traditional paper and chair one session. Presiding Officers with more than one session who are also presenting will work with Craig Svonkin to find chairs for their additional sessions.
- PAMLA does not publish conference proceedings. We do, however, encourage conference presenters to revise their presentations so as to submit them for consideration by PAMLA’s scholarly, peer-reviewed journal, Pacific Coast Philology.
- While PAMLA does provide some limited scholarships that graduate students, international scholars, and scholars of German literature may apply for, it is important to note that PAMLA, given its lack of any institutional support, lacks the funds necessary to support academic hotel and travel expenses.
- You may not present generative AI output or work by another author (human or otherwise) as your own scholarly work. Nor may you use AI output for the abstracts or descriptions of your work, or as your own work at the conference.
- PAMLA’s Board wishes to restate and re-emphasize our commitment to academic freedom, civil discourse, and free speech in our association and at our annual PAMLA conference. Please see our PAMLA Code of Conduct and PAMLA Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity for more information.
Thank you for helping us make PAMLA 2026 a respectful, dynamic, and well-organized conference experience for all participants. We look forward to seeing you all in Seattle for a conference that celebrates a collaborative space for original scholarship, polite dialogue, and free discourse. If you have questions, please reach out to director@pamla.org.
2) Where is the PAMLA 2026 Conference taking place?
The PAMLA 2026 Conference is being held at the lovely Hyatt Regency Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington, beginning with a welcome event on Wednesday evening, and then getting going on Thursday morning, November 12 and continuing through Sunday afternoon, November 15.
Address: 808 Howell St., Seattle, Washington, 98101
More information about special PAMLA guestroom rates will be available soon.
3) Will the PAMLA 2026 Conference be in-person or virtual?
PAMLA 2026 will be held entirely in-person. Papers may not be delivered via Zoom or in absentia.
This decision (not made lightly) is based on practical and financial realities. As a non-profit organization, PAMLA relies on in-person attendance to remain sustainable. The Board voted against hybrid sessions due to:
– The risk of reduced in-person participation
– The high cost and unreliability of hybrid infrastructure
– The benefits of real-time, face-to-face intellectual exchange
A Quick Note on 2027: To address many requests for an online option, the PAMLA Board has voted to hold our 2027 conference entirely virtually. We are excited to offer this inclusive opportunity for those who cannot travel to our in-person events. However, this means that Seattle PAMLA 2026 will be your best opportunity for a little while to enjoy the entirely in-person PAMLA experience (we will be back to in-person conferencing in 2028). If you were planning to wait until next year to join us, please keep in mind that the 2027 PAMLA conference will be virtual—so if you thrive on face-to-face networking and want an “intellectual vacation” experience, we truly hope to see you in Seattle this November!
4) What are the most important deadlines for PAMLA 2026?
Conference Dates
Special Session Deadline: April 20
Paper Proposal Deadline: May 25
Paper Acceptance / Decline Reveal: June 1 (depending on submission date, deliberation could take longer)
PAMLA Conference 2026: November 12 to November 15 (with a welcome event on Wednesday night, November 11)
Payment Deadlines
PAMLA Membership and Conference Fees for Presiding Officers: May 1
PAMLA Membership for all Members: June 15
Conference Registration with Early Bird Discount: January 30 – April 30
Regular Conference Registration: May 1 – July 5
Conference Registration with Minor Late Fee Added: July 6 – August 31
PAMLA Conference Payment Deadline for all: August 31
After August 31, those who have not paid PAMLA Conference Fee will be removed from the program.
Those who cancel after August 31 will not receive a full conference fee reimbursement.
5) Do I have to pay if I’m just attending and not presenting?
Yes, all attendees must register (in other words, pay both their PAMLA membership and conference fees). However, if you’re not presenting, presiding, or chairing, you may register as an Auditor for a significantly reduced rate (typically under $100). The Auditor option does not include PAMLA membership and is not available to presenters or chairs.
6) How do I propose a paper?
To propose a paper, go to pamla.ballastacademic.com and click “Call for Papers”
You’ll need to provide a title, short abstract (40–60 words), and longer proposal (300–500 words). The 2026 CFP deadline is May 25: https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/CFP
7) Are there hotel rooms available at a discount?
Yes! PAMLA has secured a special group rate, but more information will be available soon, so wait to book your room!
8) How many sessions can I participate in?
Participants may:
– Present in one traditional panel
– And also take part in one creative session (e.g., roundtable, seminar, workshop, or poetry reading)
You may not present twice in traditional panels, nor may you present the same or a similar paper more than once.
If in doubt, contact Executive Director Craig Svonkin at director@pamla.org.
9) Do I need to be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 to attend?
PAMLA expects its members to take care of their and their colleagues’ health. We expect participants to be fully vaccinated, so please get your Covid, flu, and other necessary vaccinations so as to protect yourself and others. Those who test positive for Covid must cancel their conference participation. Mask wearing is often a good idea, as well. Since we cannot predict when a pandemic might return, please get your vaccinations ahead of time. If you have any questions, please contact PAMLA Executive Director Craig Svonkin: 626-354-7526 or director@pamla.org.
10) What A/V equipment is provided?
Each room will have an LCD projector, screen, and HDMI cable. Presenters should bring their own laptop and any necessary adapters, especially for Macs.
Please arrive early to test your setup. A/V services are costly, so only request them if essential to your presentation.
Even if you will have AV, please have a backup plan. AV plans can go wrong.
11) Does PAMLA have a Code of Conduct?
Yes. PAMLA is committed to a respectful, inclusive, and collegial scholarly environment. All participants are expected to be thoughtful and polite in their communication, whether online or in person.
Please review our full Code of Conduct.