NHC gratitude, and Inkcap/JEP call for papers!
Dear friends,
I just returned from the National Humanities Conference in Indianapolis—a conference I had never attended, and that I wholeheartedly loved. My work has been pretty solitary these last two years (one of the reasons I was so keen to develop this collective in the first place), and spending time with colleagues who spoke passionately, listened generously, and sought meaningful connections with each other was a balm I didn't know I needed. One highlight (among many!) was hearing from NEH Chair Shelly Lowe, whose clear-sighted and hopeful remarks buoyed all of us who are committed to the project of humanistic inquiry.
For my own part, I was honored to be on a panel organized by Rachel Arteaga titled Humanities at the Crossroads of the Culture Wars. The panel brought together colleagues whose work I deeply admire: Paula Krebs (MLA), Nashid Madyun (Florida Humanities Council), and Stone Addington (Washington Humanities Council), all of whom are deeply and consistently engaged in the delicate balancing act of bringing meaningful humanities programming into spaces where they sometimes face sharp pushback. In my remarks, I zoomed out to ask whether the metaphor of mycelial thinking might help us sidestep the militaristic positioning of 'culture wars' and create space to work differently.
Reframing this metaphor felt important, especially in a moment of actual global warfare, about which I will not presume to speak except to share this powerful piece by scholar and writer Saree Makdisi—himself a humanities scholar. I'll simply say that the joy and hopefulness of the conference created palpable cognitive dissonance for me, one that I hope becomes a productive tension that reminds me of the urgency of engaged humanistic thought and practice.
🖋️ CFP: On Gathering 🖋️
Inkcap is collaborating with the Journal of Electronic Publishing to curate a special issue, titled On Gathering: Exploring Collective and Embodied Modes of Scholarly Communications and Publishing.
It feels fitting to share this first-ever Inkcap call for papers upon returning from the generative and embodied space of the NHC conference. How does our thinking change when we come together in different ways? How do you cite the seed of an idea sparked over coffee in a hotel lobby?
Abstracts are due Dec 15, with full submissions to follow in April. Creative & collaborative submissions most welcome. Please submit & share widely!
See the full CFP for details: https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/jep/news/106/
🌱 Last but not least 🌱
Finally, just a reminder that there are lightweight ways to stay connected with Inkcap:
Connect on Slack for ongoing discussions, link sharing, and collab ideas.
Join our weekly cowriting session, Fridays from 2-4pm EST. We typically use the first 5-10 minutes to talk about what we're working on, then turn off cameras and write in companionable silence. All are welcome; here's the zoom link.
Talk to me about working with you as an editor or consultant. Book a meeting or email me to learn more about how I can help you accomplish your goals and take your work to the next level.
Sending warm thoughts as we transition toward the cooler, darker days of fall.
—Katina
