JIJ Slayage Issue Notes

Hello again everyone! Well, the deadline for submissions for the special JIJ issue of Slayage has passed, and I have to say it looks like we're going to have a tremendous issue! Thanks to all who submitted.

Now, just to be sure that we haven't missed anything: If you have submitted a paper for the JIJ Slayage issue, you should have received a brief e-mail from me acknowledging receipt. If you have submitted a paper, but haven't heard from me, PLEASE let me know as soon as you can, so I can make sure we actually received your submission.

Thanks again, everyone - you folks made this possible through your hard work and great scholarship!

JiJ Slayage Issue Submission Deadline is This Saturday!!

There's time for one final reminder that the deadline for submissions for the special Joss In June issue of Slayage is coming up on SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER. 

We've already got some great submissions, but we want more! (We're greedy like that.) So send more of that Whedony goodness our way by the end of the day on Saturday! If you need to look over the CFP again, it's here: http://www.jossinjune.blogspot.com/2013/10/call-for-papers-slayage-joss-in-june.html.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Deadline for the Joss In June Slayage Issue is 30 November 2013!

Hello again! I hope this finds all of you well.

The deadline for submissions for the Joss In June special issue of Slayage: The Official journal of the Whedon Studies Association is fast approaching, so Dale and I thought it might be a good idea to send out a reminder. 

The hard deadline for submissions is 30 November 2013 - just two weeks away! Please understand that this really is the final deadline. Due to our own schedules as well as the time necessary for submissions to go through peer-review, revision, formatting, and publication we will NOT be extending the deadline. November 30, 2013 is the final deadline.

So, get those papers to us! The full call for papers can be found here: http://www.jossinjune.blogspot.com/2013/10/call-for-papers-slayage-joss-in-june.html.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Call For Papers: Slayage Joss In June Issue!!

Following the success (and immense fun!) of “Joss in June,” Dale and I have been asked to co-guest edit a special issue of Slayage: The Journal of the Whedon Studies Association, in order to publish some of the work presented at the conference!

If you are interested in having your work included in this Very Special Issue, here’s what you need to know:

·         This CFP is strictly limited to “Joss in June” presenters.

·         Only papers based on “Joss in June” presentations will be considered.

·         Papers should be article-length (6000 – 8000 words) and should conform to the publication guidelines (regarding formatting, etc.) for Slayage.  Here’s a handy link to those guidelines - http://slayageonline.com/pages/Slayage/submissions.htm.

·         Please – if your presentation paper has been published or is being considered for publication with another journal/book/endeavor – we cannot in good conscience also publish it in Slayage.  We wish you well, but please do not double-submit.

After submission, your article will go through Slayage’s usual double blind review process by at least two members of the Slayage editorial board, and if accepted for publication, will see “print” in the early spring of 2014 (March or April).

To be considered, please send your article to both of us.  That’s Dale Guffey guffeyd@clevelandcc.edu and Ensley Guffey ensleyguffey@gmail.com.

The deadline for submissions is NOVEMBER 30, 2013. Please be aware that this is a very firm deadline. Due to the review and publication process, we simply will not be able to take late submissions – no matter how heart-rending the reason!  (Seriously.)

Thanks once again for your participation in “Joss in June,” and we hope to hear from you soon!

Joss In June Survey

Hello all! 

As you may know, we've put together a brief survey about Joss In June at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y2RXZKK. We're hoping to get some solid feedback on what we did right and what we got wrong in order not only to help us when/if we throw this party again, but also as research in putting together a "how-too" presentation for smaller, regional Whedon conferences to present at Slayage 6 in Sacramento next year. We hope to be able to help spur similar conferences to Joss In June in other areas of the country (or even the world! MuhwahoohahahahahahahahaHA!) in the future. 

Also, without going into details at this time, another Joss In June opportunity has opened up for the near future, and these surveys will be invaluable for that as well. More details will be forthcoming.

All of that is to say that if you haven't already completed the survey, we would really appreciate it if you did, and to let you all know that, in part because of this new opportunity, we will be closing the survey to further responses on Monday 29 July. So please take a few minutes to give us your feedback before then.

Thanks very much, and please be well.

Thanks to You All!

So ever since our linguistic ability recovered from the "fire bad, tree pretty" state it was in late Saturday night, Dale and I have fallen into the habit of occasionally looking at each other and saying "We did it!" like a couple of kids who've managed to put on a successful play in our uncle's barn without setting the place on fire and scaring the livestock. While it's true that we are thoroughly enjoying the complements and rave reviews Joss In June has been getting on teh intrawebs, the fact of the matter is that we, Dale and I, had little to do with how great the conference was.

That was all you guys.

In one of the first panels of the day at Joss In June, Ashford University's Lindsay Bryde presents on "The Domination of Buffy the the Submission of her Men" to a packed crowd.

Every one of you brought your "A-Game," and I cannot count the number of times I was approached by someone on Saturday who gushed about how strong the presentations were. Those of you who didn't present brought your questions and brilliance to the discussions in each panel which were insightful, stimulating, and a hell of a lot of fun. So we'd like to extend our deepest gratitude and thanks to each and every one of you. You are what made Joss In June a success!

Extra-special thanks go out to Dr. Rhonda V. Wilcox, whose keynote, likely the first academic presentation on Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, was truly brilliant, and inspiring. I think we all wanted to see the film again after Rhonda's presentation. Thank you so much for coming and for being the perfect capstone ot a wonderful day.

We'd also like to heap fulsome praise on all of the people who worked so hard behind the scenes to make Joss In June run so smoothly. First and foremost of these are our JIJ "Operatives," those committed souls who made sure the presenter-tech interface in each room was as painless and productive as possible: Chuck Davis, DeLane Hoppes, Athena Smith, and Kevin Wolford. You guys truly rock.

Helping us get everyone checked in and insuring that everyone's arm-length of raffle tickets was properly measured were our JIJ "Agents" Barry Dietz, Wendy Ross, and Michele Rogers. You folks may not know it, but you kept Dale and I sane, because we knew the sales and money part of the conference was in great hands!

Way behind the scenes was another JIJ "Agent": Cindy Hoyle who was the official bookkeeper and administrative assistant for Joss In June. Her spreadsheets, lists, and organization were invaluable. Seriously, we couldn't have kept up with everything without Cindy!

The Whedon Studies Association (WSA), and its current president, Dr. Tanya R. Cochran provided advice, encouragement and financial support for Joss In June, and we couldn't be prouder to belong to such an incredible organization. Thanks to Tanya and the WSA Board for all of your help. Beth Cox and McFarland Publishing also provided financial support, as well as a vast array of Whedon scholarship for sale at the conference, and we were thrilled to be working with them again.

We'd also like to thank Linley Crocker, Planning Manager for the LeGrand Center, for being a true joy to work with, for making sure that we had everything we needed, and for emergency printing services! Jeanette Sun and the staff of Ni Fen Wine and Tapas provided and served the wonderful lunch and snacks, and I was way too excited about getting to take the leftovers home, believe me. Chuck Davis gets another heartfelt thanks for overseeing the printing of the signs, tags, programs, and name-plates, and Drs L. Steve Thornburg and Shannon Kennedy of Cleveland Community College provided constant support, encouragement, and in-kind assistance from CCC.

I know I'm probably forgetting a host of other folks, and I can only hope they will forgive me, for as much as Dale and I are enjoying the warm fuzzies we're getting for convening Joss In June, the conference was truly a concerted, group effort rather than a two-person show. Thanks to each and every one of you, we might even  do this again one day!

Also, keep in touch! You can find Dale and I online on Twitter (@EnsleyFGuffey and @KDaleKoontz) and Facebook (Ensley here and Dale here), and we'd love to keep up with all of you!

So thank you all so very, very much! Now go forth and continue to spread the academic Whedony joy wherever you roam!

Only 3 More Days!

That's right folks, in less than three days, Shelby will be the place to be for all sorts of academic Whedony goodness!

So here's a final bit of information for those of you who're planning to join us:

Program

You can access a .pdf copy of the program here. You'll get a hard-copy program when you check in on Saturday, but this one accurately lists who is presenting when and where. The conference schedule can be found in the program, and also here on on the JIJ blog. 

Registration

Registration will run from 8 am until 12 noon. As Joss In June is a one day conference with a grand total of four sessions, we urge everyone to get there in time to register and be ready to attend the first session at 9:15. For those of you with friends, family, or colleagues who are interested in seeing the conference but have not already registered, we will be offering same-day, attending-only registration on Saturday during the same time period, at a cost of $20.00 per person, payable by cash or check only. Same-day registration includes access to all of the panels, but does NOT include lunch. The final lunch order went in yesterday, and we cannot add any more orders to it.

The LeGrand Center

The LeGrand Center is a multi-function building, with the first floor devoted to classroom space for Cleveland County Schools' Early College program, and Joss in June will take place in the conference center on the second floor. Just head upstairs form the main lobby, and you'll see the reception desk where you'll be checking in at the top of the stairs. Elevators are located under the stairs on the first floor for those with mobility issues. We'll have signs posted, so finding your way shouldn't be a problem.

You can find a map of the LeGrand Center's second floor here.

The conference welcome, lunch, keynote, and raffle will be taking place in the Special Events Ballroom, labeled as Ballrooms 4, 5, and 6 on the map. The panels will be taking place in Conference Rooms 1 - 3.

Technology

All conference rooms are equipped with projectors, screens, and ports for VGA and HDMI cables. VGA cables will be provided, but if you need an HDMI cable BRING YOUR OWN. If you are planning to incorporate visual presentations, clips, etc. with your presentation you will need to bring your own laptop. For those of you who might want or need internet access during the conference, WiFi internet access is free under the LeGrand's guest access, with no password needed. The signal is strong and fast throughout the conference center.

Either Dale or I or a Joss In June technical assistant in a black t-shirt labeled "Operative" will be in each conference room for every session. Any of us will be willing, able, and happy to provide technical assistance, if you need it. Please don't hesitate to call on us!

Shopping and Other Fun Stuff

McFarland and Co. publishing will be at Joss In June, with tables set up in the atrium area outside of the ballroom, and will be selling their books at a special conference rate. McFarland is usually able to take credit cards as well as cash. McFarland will also be taking book proposals on Saturday.

We're also pleased to announce that some incredibly cool (seriously, these shirts just rock!) Joss In June t-shirts will be available for purchase in the atrium, as well as a few shirts from Slayage 5, held last year in Vancouver, and some Whedon Studies Association (WSA) coffee mugs. 

Joss In June t-shirts (pre-shrunk, and available in men and women's cut) will be selling for $20.00 each. We'll let you know about the pricing for the other items as soon as we figure it out ourselves! However, we will only be able to take cash or checks for any of the t-shirts and mugs, so bring some cashy-money with you.

Also bring some cash for our fantastic raffle, to be held after Rhonda's keynote. We've rounded up some really cool items, including a  (relatively) rare Electric Company Spider-Man comic book scripted by Tom Whedon, Joss' father! Other Whedon comics, graphic novels, even a script or two, and more will be raffled off, so bring a few extra bucks for tickets. We'll be selling 1 ticket for $1, 5 tickets for $3, and an arm's length of tickets (measured from middle finger to shoulder) for $5.

Our goal for Joss in June is to break even, and t-shirt and raffle sales go towards covering conference expenses. In the unlikely event that we actually see a profit from Joss In June, that money will be donated to the WSA to further the international academic study of the works of Joss Whedon. 

Joss In June Facebook Page

To facilitate communication between Joss In June attendees, and to help those who might be looking to carpool to and from various airports, we have created a Facebook group page for Joss in June, which you can find at https://www.facebook.com/groups/139387929588791/

Since Facebook has a notification feature, we'll definitely be posting updates, etc on the conference there, as well as at the blog and via e-mail. It's also a good place to meet some of the presenters and attendees before the conference, and we'll be posting pics from the conference there, and encourage you guys to do the same.

Tweeting The Conference

Recently, it has become relatively common for people to live-Tweet during academic conferences. We have asked all of our presenters to provide us with their Twitter handles, if they use the service. These handles will be posted on each presenter's name-plate, and we ask that if you Tweet about a presentation, you do so with proper accreditation, via either the presenter's full name or Twitter handle. The hashtags for Joss In June are #JossInJune and #JIJ. We'll be putting together a record of the conference Tweets via storify, so please use those hashtags so we can include your Tweets! Some best practices for conference tweeting have been developed by the American Historical Association, and they have graciously given us permission to repost those here: http://www.jossinjune.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-aha-on-live-tweeting-conferences.html. Please read this over if you are considering live-Tweeting Joss In June.

And, of course, if a presenter or session should ask not to be Tweeted please respect their wishes.

We can't wait to see everyone on Saturday, and thanks to all of you for making this an incredible conference!

Conference Schedule

Nine days to go folks! The program goes to the printer today, so here's the official schedule for Joss In June

Joss in June Conference Schedule

8:00 – 12:00: Registration

9:00 – 9:10: Welcome

9:15 – 10:45: Session 1 (3 Panels)

10:45 – 11:00: Break, with Coffee & Snacks Served

11:00 – 12:30: Session 2 (2 Panels)

12:30 – 1:30: Lunch

1:45 – 3:15: Session 3 (3 Panels)

3:15 – 3:30: Break, with Refreshments and Snacks served

3:30 – 5:00: Session 4 (3 Panels)

5:00 – 5:15: Break

5:15 – 6:15: Keynote Address by Dr. Rhonda V. Wilcox

6:15 – 6:30: Raffle Drawing and Farewell

Who's Coming?

Now you see why Shelby is the perfect location for Joss in June!

See you soon!

The AHA on Live Tweeting Conferences

Vanessa Varin and Perspectives on History, the Newsmagazine of the American Historical Association, have graciously given their permission to reprint in full Ms. Varin's excellent article on live-Tweeting at academic conferences from the April 2013 issue.

From the AHA Online column in the April 2013 issue of Perspectives on History

---

Navigating Twitter's Wild, Wild West
A Crowdsourced Draft of the Dos and Don'ts of Live Tweeting

By Vanessa Varin

Perspectives readers have already read my pitch for a set of live-tweeting guidelines, and I recently put forth the proposal to AHA Today readers. I asked our readers to help develop a working draft of guidelines that would help guide historians as they send out tweets about conference sessions, as those sessions are going on. Readers answered this call with a broad range of comments and advice, many of which intersect with our own Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct, including issues of privacy, attribution, and civility. These connections demonstrate why live-tweeting is not merely an issue proscribed to social media matters, but a multi-layered one that touches upon a variety of professional ethics.

Privacy

Like in many discussions related to social media, our followers covered the boundaries of a scholar's privacy at length. In many cases, a scholar being quoted on Twitter does not have a Twitter handle, and is not aware of the conversation resulting from their work. Joshua Britton (@HistoryGrad) recommended to users, "Don't tweet if the person is not on twitter and doesn't have an opportunity to see your comments." But for at least a few twitterstorians, the lack of a Twitter account does not automatically preclude a scholar from being discussed online. Kaitlin Wainwright (@hellokaitlin) disagreed with @HistoryGrad and tweeted, "Disagree. Opportunity for work to be shared and for presenter to see tweets after the fact without having an acct." Joseph Adelman agreed with Wainwright, pointing out, "Not sure about that. If presenter is aware of Twitter feed and tweets are public, can still see them. And non-Twitter use can be for variety of reasons: anti, non-tech savvy, indifferent. So shouldn't assume anti." A few twitterstorians (including me) agreed that if the scholar does have a Twitter account, is important to reference it as the user quotes the scholar. This allows the scholar to be a part of the conversation, even after the presentation is over.

These recommendations blended into an even larger question about consent: should twitterstorians gather consent from a scholar before tweeting? The AHA's annual meeting media policy requires anyone who wishes to film or make an audio recording of a session to gather permission from panelists ahead of time. Some historians are asking if tweeters should do the same. This includes Claire Potter, who requested, in a comment on AHA Today, that users to "ask people on the panel whether they agree to be tweeted. We seek out permissions for audio and video recording: why not ask people whether they wish to be 'broadcast' via Twitter?" It is an intriguing question that elicits even deeper questions about the role of social media at a conference. If etiquette dictates a tweeter should ask permission before broadcasting a panel, should a blogger do the same? Furthermore, if we ask tweeters and bloggers to ask permission, should any historian who is taking notes during the session do the same? How do we remain consistent? Potter's comment reveals how easily we can fall down the rabbit hole of ethical issues when discussing social media etiquette.

Dropping the Snark

The abundance of comments and recommendations related to basic concepts of professional conduct and civility was surprising. Many users asked me to include a reminder for tweeters to maintain a professional tone online, including @ProfessMoravec, who tweeted, "do tweet constructive criticism do resist the urge to show how clever you are." Elaine Treharne echoed this concern, with a more specific request for users to avoid commenting "on the way a speaker looks or what her personality traits might be according to her hairstyle."

Claire Potter offered some sage advice, writing, "ask yourself before Tweeting: is this something I would say in a department meeting? Then take it a step further: is this something I would put on the right-hand page of theNew York Times under my own name?" Although the history twittersphere is relatively small and self-regulating, it certainly has its share of troubling flame wars and trolls, so it's reassuring to see so many historians concerned about maintaining basic respect online.

Final Thoughts

Although many of our readers brought up fascinating points, there are still numerous questions left unanswered. What are the boundaries of privacy as more and more research presented at conferences can be found freely online, and what rights does a scholar retain in the process? I look forward to watching this conversation unfold over the coming months as we approach the 2014 annual meeting. You can view the conversation and totality in "Live-Tweeting Etiquette" (bit.ly/YM1sCe), a "Storified" collection of tweets on this topic.

— Vanessa Varin is the AHA's assistant editor, web and social media.

The Dos and Don'ts of Live-Tweeting at an Academic Conference:
A Working Draft

Contributed to the AHA's blog and in response to an AHA tweet

Do:

• Ask permission. Before the panel begins (preferably a few weeks in advance), ask panelists whether they agree to be tweeted.
  Contributed by Claire Potter on AHA Today. Other contributors have questioned whether this is necessary, and the discussion about this suggestion is ongoing.
• Clearly identify speakers. Although live-tweeting demands rapid fire tweets, all tweets should clearly identify the speaker quoted in each tweet.
  Contributed by Caleb McDaniel on AHA Today.
• Collect Twitter handles. Before the presentation, ask panelists for a Twitter handle. If they have one, you can reference the scholar, which allows them to track the conversation and even contribute.
  Contributed by @HistoryGrad and @Teffinina.
• Listen carefully. If you plan to live-tweet a scholar's presentation, it is only fair to quote his or her words correctly. Of course, the difficulty is that people talk quickly, especially if they are nervous, but if you are making the decision to put their work on an international platform like Twitter, it is only fair that you make an effort to methodically take notes and get their words right.
• Use #hashtags. If you plan to live-tweet, create and promote an accompanying hashtag specific to that session (or use the panelists' preferred hashtag, if they've provided one). This way your tweets will carry the same tag and users can follow the topic as its own distinct conversation.
• Try Storify. Along the same lines as the hashtag, it helps to Storify any conversation related to the hashtag. Storify allows users to create a timeline of social media interactions (like a Twitter conversation). This platform is particularly helpful for adding context to tweets, and organizing them into a single, common thread for users to read. For an example, we Storified the conversation surrounding this topic into a social media story titled "Live-Tweeting Etiquette" that I highly recommend.
• Link to the paper/session. If the panelist has made the work they are presenting available online, post a link.
  Contributed by Michelle Davison on Facebook.

Don't:

• Insult a panelist or participant. Twitter is a distinct but important form of academic discussion, and in this vein, live tweeters should follow the same code of conduct that governs all professional interactions. Recognizing the unique format of social media, in late 2012 the AHA publications department produced "Policies on Letters to the Editor and Comments on the AHA Website and Social Media" to help guide debate on our social media platforms.
• Our respondents roundly eschewed personal attacks. Elaine Treharne, commenting on AHA Today, cautioned twitterstorians to avoid commenting "on the way the speaker looks or what her personality traits might be according to her hairstyle."
• Indulge in snark. Claire Potter offered sage advice on AHA Today: "So ask yourself before Tweeting: is this something I would say in a department meeting? Then take it a step further: is this something I would put on the right-hand page of the New York Times under my own name?" @ProfessMoravec offered similar advice, tweeting, "do tweet constructive criticism do resist the urge to show how clever you are."
• Manipulate the record. One of the many invaluable aspects of Twitter is its ability to document and archive discussions. Thus, twitterstorians must be fair and balanced in how they cover a panel and portray a panelist's argument, regardless of how they feel about the argument being made.

Copyright © American Historical Association, used with permission.

Important Information About Joss In June!

Only 17 more days until Joss In June, and Dale and I can't wait to see you all!

Hotel Notes

As you may be aware, the conference hotel underwent a change of ownership in early May, transitioning from a Hampton Inn to a Comfort Inn. As a result of this changeover, there have been a few, very minor, hiccups concerning reservations for Joss in June attendees.

Therefore, we are suggesting that you contact the Comfort In Shelby at (704) 482-5666 and confirm your reservations. If you should have any trouble, ask to speak with the hotel manager, Mistie Meadows, and she should be able to straighten things out. Failing that, contact me and Dale and I will do our best to take care of any problems. 

If you have not yet made your reservations, we urge you to do so ASAP, as June is wedding season, and Shelby's hotels have a habit of filling up during the season.

Conference Facility Notes

The LeGrand Center is a multi-function building, with the first floor devoted to classroom space for Cleveland County Schools' Early College program, and Joss in June will take place in the conference center on the second floor. Just head upstairs form the main lobby, and you'll see the reception desk where you'll be checking in at the top of the stairs. Elevators are located under the stairs on the first floor for those with mobility issues.

The conference welcome, lunch, keynote, and raffle will be taking place in the Special Events Ballroom (labeled as ballrooms 4-6 on the map below) . The panels will be taking place in Conference Rooms 1 - 3.

Map of LeGrand Conference Center

Technology Notes

Each conference room has built-in screens and projectors, and integral wall ports for VGA and/or HDMI cables. VGA cables will be provided, but if you need to use an HDMI cable, please bring one with you.

If you are planning to use a PowerPoint or Prezi or to read your paper from a screen,  You will also need to bring your own laptop. Hookup will be quick and easy, with tech help in each room for every panel, but the conference rooms are not equipped with computers. Lighting in each room is on separate dimmers and can be adjusted as needed for showing clips from Whedon's darker works!

WiFi internet access is free under the LeGrand's guest access, with no password needed. The signal is strong and fast throughout the conference center.

There will be three very tech-savvy folks wandering around the conference (and one will be in each panel) who are official Joss In June Operatives (only much nicer than the one in Serenity). Our operatives are there to help, especially with tech issues, and, like their namesake, will do whatever it takes to solve your problems. Please don't hesitate to call upon them.

Non-Presenting Registration Still Open

We are able to accept full registration for non-presenting attendees for Joss In June until Friday, June 21. Cost will be $40 each, and will include lunch and two coffee/drink/snack services during the day. So if you have friends who might like to come, or for those of you in the local region, have some students or colleagues who might be interested in checking out a very affordable academic conference, please let them know they are welcome! In fact, we'll even be allowing walk-ins on the 29th, for only $20 (payable by cash or check only) each, but without lunch or access to snacks.

Other Information

McFarland and Co. publishing will be at Joss In June, with tables set up in the atrium area outside of the ballroom, and will be selling their books at a special conference rate. McFarland is usually able to take credit cards as well as cash.

We're also pleased to announce that some incredibly cool (seriously, these shirts just rock!) Joss In June t-shirts will be available for purchase in the atrium, and a few shirts from Slayage 5, held last year in Vancouver, will be available, as well as some Whedon Studies Association (WSA) coffee mugs. We'll let you know about the pricing for all of these items as soon as we figure it out ourselves! However, we will only be able to take cash or checks for t-shirts and mugs, so bring some cashy-money with you.

Also bring some cash for our fantastic raffle, to be held after Rhonda's keynote. We've rounded up some really cool items, including a  (relatively) rare Electric Company Spider-Man comic book scripted by Tom Whedon, Joss' father! Other Whedon comics, graphic novels, even a script or two, and more will be raffled off, so bring a few extra bucks for tickets. We'll be selling 1 ticket for $1, 5 tickets for $3, and an arm's length of tickets (measured from middle finger to middle of elbow) for $5.

Our goal for Joss in June is to break even, and t-shirt and raffle sales go towards covering conference expenses. In the event that we actually see a profit from Joss In June, that money will be donated to the WSA to further the international academic study of the works of Joss Whedon. 

Joss In June Facebook Page

To facilitate communication between Joss In June attendees, and to help those who might be looking to carpool to and from various airports, we have created a Facebook group page for Joss in June, which you can find at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/139387929588791/

Since Facebook has a notification feature, we'll definitely be posting updates, etc on the conference there in the final weeks, as well as at the blog and via e-mail. It's also a good place to meet some of the presenters and attendees before the conference, and we'll be posting pics from the conference there, and encourage you guys to do the same.

Tweeting The Conference

Recently, it has become relatively common for people to live-Tweet during academic conferences. We have chosen not to try and ban this practice at Joss In June, and instead have asked all of our presenters to provide us with their Twitter handles, if they use the service. These handles will be posted on each presenter's name-plate, and we ask that if you Tweet about a presentation, you do so with proper accreditation, via either the presenter's full name or Twitter handle. Some best practices for conference tweeting have been developed by the American Historical Association, and, if you think you might Tweet during the conference, I urge you to read the AHA's article here: http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2013/1304/Navigating-Twitters-Wild-Wild_West.cfm.

That's it for now, and, as always, please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Everyone's Coming!

Remember Kevin from the whiteboard of monster possibilities in The Cabin in the Woods?  No one bet on him.

Maybe someone should have.

Make your hotel reservation now - you don't want to keep Kevin waiting!

Strange Things Happening in Shelby, North Carolina . . .

It seems that strange events are occurring in an otherwise-ordinary town in western North Carolina.  Updates as they become available.

Conference Accommodations at the Comfort Inn Shelby

We're pleased to announce that the Comfort Inn located at 2012 East Marion Street in Shelby will be the official conference hotel for Joss in June.  Until June 8, rooms are available to conference attendees at a special rate of $84.00/night (+ taxes) and staying at the Comfort Inn includes free in-room high speed internet, free daily newspaper, access to their pool, fitness center, business center, a daily hot breakfast, and free coffee all day.  Adding to the fun, the Comfort Inn Shelby is less than a five minute drive to the conference site at the LeGrand Conference Center on the campus of Cleveland Community College and is within walking distance of several restaurants, a variety of shops in the Cleveland Mall, and the Carmike Mall 10 movie theater. 

Making your reservation is easy. Just call (704) 482 - 5666 and tell the nice folks at the Comfort Inn that you want the Joss In June Conference rate. And that's it!

The Comfort Inn Shelby website is still being finished up, but you can check out the basic amenities, get the address for information, etc now, and by the conference itself, the full site should be active.

Important Information About Reservations at the Conference Hotel

Hello all! We hope this finds you well.

The conference hotel in Shelby is currently undergoing conversion from a Hampton Inn to a Comfort Inn. We knew this was going to happen, but were not sure when. Please know that the conference rate will be honored, and we still get our block of rooms.

Unfortunately, during the transition period (which will last 2 weeks or so) the hotel is unable to take reservations of any type, so those of you who have tried will be unable to make your reservations. We'll let you know as soon as things are complete and the Comfort Inn's reservation system is online.

We have also been assured by the hotel manager that, if necessary, the special room rate of $84/night will be extended beyond the June 8 cut-off date if necessary due to the changeover. 

Thanks very much for your patience, and we look forward to seeing you all in June!

Registration Time! (Deadline is April 1)

The deadline for paper and panel proposals for Joss In June has passed, and we are very excited to report that Saturday 29 June is going to be jam-packed with presentations covering the range of Whedon's oeuvre.

We'd like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a proposal for Joss In June, and we hope that all of you are able to make it to the conference. We promise to show you a good time (and as a native, Ensley even knows where the Hellmouth under Shelby High School is located).

The next conference deadline is that for registration. Please note that you do NOT have to be presenting in order to attend!!! We welcome those of you who just want to come and enjoy the conference, especially students who would like to see how an academic conference works without the pressure of presenting, and fans of Whedon's work who are interested in critical perspectives on everything from Buffy to Much Ado About Nothing. With all of that in mind, we're very pleased to be able to keep the fees for Joss In June low, and remember that your $40.00 covers lunch, and two coffee/snack breaks during the day. The  deadline for registration is 1 April 2013 and the instructions are below:

To register to attend Joss in June, please click on the link below and go to the "fillable" registration form. 

PLEASE NOTE: You'll need to click on the "file" button on the top left to download the form, which will allow you to fill in the blank spaces for us.

Fill out the form so we know a little bit about you, then print out the completed form and send it to us, along with your registration fee. (You'll see details on the form.) 

Please Make Checks Payable To: Cleveland Community College

We need to hear from you by April 1, 2013 and we look forward to seeing you here in Shelby, North Carolina for the first Joss in June conference!

"Fillable" Registration Form

Proposal Deadline Extended Until 15 February!

Realizing that the end of the year and of the fall semester is a terrifically busy time for many folks, we are pleased to announce that the deadline for proposals for Joss In June has been extended until 15 February 2013!

So spread the word, settle into the spring semester, and send us Valentines full of academic Whedony goodness in the form of your proposals! (You can find the Joss In June CFP and proposal guidelines here.)

See you in June!

Joss In June Remote Attendance Policy

We have received some inquiries about the possibility of presenting at Joss in June via Skype or other forms of video communication. We’ve thought about this – carefully, we think – and have decided that we are unable to accept such presentations for Joss in June. This was not an easy decision to reach – the world of Whedon scholarship is a far-flung one, with high-caliber, thought-provoking work being done across the globe and (let’s face it) Shelby is a bit off the beaten track. So why not open the gates to allow video presentations? Since we believe this is going to be an ongoing issue for conference conveners to wrestle with, let us explain our reasoning.

There are some obvious “pluses” to allowing video presentations. First, to the degree that this option opens up the conference to those who might not be able to travel to the conference site due to distance, timing, funding, etc., we see this as a positive. In addition to the advantage of presentations being made that might not otherwise happen, there is the fact that technology allows for an interactive presentation, with the speaker being able to take questions from the audience, so the experience need not be a static, one-sided, “just press play” sort of presentation. Furthermore, technology now allows remote attendance of other panels, and the ability to participate in the Q&A afterwards from a distance.

However, there are some undeniable “downsides” to this option that also need to be considered. We both strongly believe that one of the primary strengths of conferences in general is the mixing of attendees. The academic Whedon community consists of scholars from a dizzyingly diverse array of disciplines – we have historians, linguists, sociologists, media critics, and lawyers, just to name a few. Having the opportunity to hear work that is outside our main area of expertise (our “comfort zone,” if you will) challenges our own work by pushing us to a higher level of examination and rigor. This mixing also continues the proud tradition of building community and helping one another along that has always been a hallmark of Whedon scholarship. A great deal of this interaction takes place outside of the formal panels and presentations in spur-of-the-moment coffee breaks, conversations between unexpected table-mates at mealtimes, and even outside of the bounds of the conference entirely. Despite the proliferation of portable devices and applications for video-chatting/conferencing, we feel strongly that direct, face-to-face interpersonal communication remains the most productive and enjoyable means of advancing this professional dialogue.

Also, the technical logistics required to create a maximally interactive virtual conference environment are currently beyond the resources of Joss In June. While remote presentations would be possible, remote attendance and interaction at other panels would not be, and we feel that this situation would decrease the value of the conference for both the distance presenters and in-person attendees.

Finally, the elephant in the room must be acknowledged. In these tight economic times, if universities and other workplaces see an opportunity to cut expenses, those expenses will be cut. While this may be a near inevitability, we’d prefer for Joss in June to not be the first pebble in the avalanche of “You don’t really need to go. You can present by Skype from your office, so we’re not going to pay anything toward your travel.” While that may help an individual build his or her own CV, we think it has the potential to impede the overall growth of the field by having scholars present in isolation.

To all who are disappointed by our decision, we hope you understand our reasoning. We want to talk with you and we want you to have the chance to talk with your colleagues in a relaxed (dare we say, Southern) fashion. So come on down (or up, or over) to North Carolina and visit us this June!