Department of English

Current Literatures of Modernity students Jacklyn Guay and Madalyn Howitt, and former LitMods Katie Desroches, Natalja Chestopalova, Mimi Choi, and Walter Lai (class of 2012), participated in the annual Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference (March 27-30), along with over 2,500 other scholars from around the world.

They were speaking at the Motherhood/Fatherhood Area of the conference which is chaired by Professor Liz Podnieks, also in attendance. Jacklyn gave a paper entitled “Blame the Mother: Jungian Analysis of the Media’s Role in Affecting Further Trauma to the Individual, as exemplified in Emma Donoghue’s Room and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin”; and Madalyn spoke on “For the Way Things Could Have Been: Love, Sacrifice, and the Absent Mother in Miriam Toews’s A Complicated Kindness and Joy Kogawa’s Obasan.”

Katie presented “Mommy. Daddy. There are Monsters in the Fog”; Natalja, “Are You My Mother? or Just Another Mother-Figure?: the Crisis of Mother-Daughter Après-coup in Bechdel’s Graphic Memoirs”; Mimi, “Home Sweat Home: Perspectives on Housework and Modern Relationships” and Walter, “The Mother of Our Special Forces: The Soldier-Mother and Her Maternal Work for the Soldier in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.”

The experience was rewarding for all. As Jacklyn comments, “I am so pleased (and grateful) that I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the 2013 PCA/ACA National Conference in Washington, D.C. Not only were the venue beautiful and the atmosphere welcoming, it was also exciting to contribute to growing academic discourse (and debate) surrounding the topic of Motherhood/Fatherhood in literary popular culture. It too was a privilege to encounter the many stimulating perspectives and insights of passionate individuals from varying backgrounds and areas of expertise.”

Madalyn notes that despite initial anxiety, “By the time I was presenting my paper, I felt completely at ease in front of the audience and alongside my peers (and in that moment, they truly did feel like peers, despite their plethora of academic experience over my one year of graduate school). Along with being very well-organized and professional, the atmosphere of the conference was above all friendly, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Given the opportunity, I would not hesitate to participate again, and would encourage all my fellow grad students to give it a shot as well!”

Thanks so much to Jacklyn, Madalyn, Katie, Natalja, Mimi, and Walter for their stellar contributions to the PCA/ACA and for giving Ryerson another reason to be proud of its LitMods.