The Midwest Modern Language Association
Organized 1959, Incorporated 1971
Officers and Staff for 2026
President: Eric Wistrom, Independent Scholar
Vice President: Dan Colson, McPherson College
Treasurer: Joe Keener, Indiana University–Kokomo
Executive Director: Julia diLiberti, College of DuPage
Associate Director: Gianni Barchiesi, College of DuPage
Program Assistant: Krislyn Zhorne, Loyola University Chicago
Executive Committee
Eric Wistrom, Independent Scholar
Dan Colson, McPherson College
Joe Keener, Indiana University–Kokomo
Adrienne Angelo, Auburn University
Jonathan Gross, DePaul University
Judah-Micah Lamar, Muskingum University
Alejandra Ortega, College of DuPage
Darío Sánchez-González, Gustavus Adolphus College
Heejoung Shin, University of Illinois–Chicago
Krislyn Zhorne, Loyola University Chicago
Program Committee
Eric Wistrom, Independent Scholar
Dan Colson, McPherson College
Judah-Micah Lamar, Muskingum University
Undergraduate Research Symposium Coordinator
Krislyn Zhorne, Loyola University Chicago
MMLA Membership Information
Members of the MMLA include institutions (i.e., libraries), university departments (i.e., English or Modern Languages), and individuals in various academic positions (from independent scholars and graduate students to faculty and administrators). Membership fees are fixed for institutions, departments, and graduate students and are tied to annual salaries for individuals.
MMLA Membership is for the fiscal year and follows the academic calendar; those who join are enrolled as members for the year in which they join, from July 1 until June 30 of the subsequent year. To purchase a membership, please visit our portal at https://www.midwest-mla.org/membership.
The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association
Editorial Committee
Joe Keener, Indiana University–Kokomo
Adrienne Angelo, Auburn University
Jonathan Gross, DePaul University
Alejandra Ortega, College of DuPage
Darío Sánchez-González, Gustavus Adolphus College
Heejoung Shin, University of Illinois–Chicago
Editorial Board
Eric Aronoff, Michigan State University
Cedric Burrows, Arizona State University
Mark Canuel, University of Illinois–Chicago
Lucinda Cole, University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
Jeffrey Coleman, Northwestern University
Erin Edwards, Miami University
Ramon A. Fonkoué, University of Minnesota
Ryan Jay Friedman, Ohio State University
Vivian Halloran, Indiana University–Bloomington
B. Venkat Mani, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Michelle Medeiros, Marquette University
Gaywyn Moore, Santa Clara University
Mario Ortiz-Robles, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Pritha Prasad, University of Kansas
Emily Shortslef, University of Kentucky
Matthew Sivils, Iowa State University
Michael Trask, University of Kentucky
Newell Ann Van Auken, University of Iowa
Kenneth Warren, University of Chicago
Gillian White, University of Michigan
College of DuPage Staff Support
Executive Director: Julia diLiberti, College of DuPage
Associate Director: Gianni Barchiesi, College of DuPage
Program Assistant: Krislyn Zhorne, Loyola University Chicago
About the Journal
The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association (JMMLA), formerly the Bulletin, is published biannually at the Executive Offices of the Midwest Modern Language Association at College of DuPage. Authors of manuscripts and book reviews published in the JMMLA must be members of the MMLA at the time of publication.
Statement of Editorial Policy
The Journal is published as a service to MMLA members, who are encouraged to submit articles on special topics announced in advance on the member portal and website.
Business Inquiries
All communications including matters concerning address changes, advertising, permissions, and subscriptions should be directed to:
Midwest Modern Language Association
C/O Liberal Arts Division
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Boulevard
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
[email protected]
Current Calls for Submissions
The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association is looking for submissions of scholarly articles that are between 7,000 and 10,000 words (including notes) and follow MLA style guidelines. For additional information (including possible topics, submission procedures, and formatting guidelines), please visit our member portal at https://www.midwest-mla.org/submission-guidelines.
Questions may be sent to the MMLA ([email protected]) or to the editor(s) of the given issue.
Fall 2026: “The Humanities is Where Hope Lives”
Submission Deadline: September 15th, 2026
Spring 2027: “Computation, Interdisciplinarity, and the Humanities”
Submission Deadline: January 15th, 2027
Convention Information
Appropriate Conduct at the MMLA Convention
The MMLA Convention depends upon all participants (panelists, attendees, staff) conducting themselves in a professional manner. We are committed to ensuring a safe, welcoming, and nondiscriminatory environment for all participants. Additional details can be found on our member portal at https://mmla.memberclicks.net/health-safety.
Registration Desk
The MMLA’s Registration Desk will be located on the 14th floor in Mansion House at voco Chicago Downtown and will be open during the times listed below. Staff members will also be rotating throughout the Convention site and would be happy to answer any questions as they arise.
Thursday, November 12: 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Friday, November 13: 8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Saturday, November 14: 8:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M.
Membership Dues and Registration Fees
Membership dues and Convention registration fees can both be paid online using the MMLA’s member portal, https://mmla.memberclicks.net/. Credit cards, cash, and checks will not be accepted at the Registration Desk.
Location of Meeting Rooms
For all meetings and events, please refer to the locations listed in the “Programs of Sessions”, links to which are provided at the top of this page. Floor plans for voco Chicago Downtown can be found below.
Virtual Sessions
Unlike in years previous, no virtual or hybrid sessions are scheduled for the 2026 Convention.
General Panel Structure
For MMLA’s 2026 Convention, panels with four presenters have been scheduled for hour-and-a-half sessions, which allots each panelist up to fifteen minutes to present their work before a thirty-minute, collective Q&A. Panels with three or two presenters are scheduled for hour-and-fifteen- minute sessions, providing each panelist with fifteen minutes (or, in the case of the latter, twenty minutes) to present their work before the collective Q&A portion.
Professionalizing Sessions
Presenters will discuss their own experience and what they have found particularly helpful along the way. Sessions are between an hour and fifteen and an hour and a half in length, permitting each presenter to speak before addressing questions from the audience for the remainder of the time.
Associated Organizations
Because of shared disciplinary interests, the MMLA annually provides time and meeting space during its convention for panels of organizations referred to in the program as an “Associated Organization.” These panels are open to all who are registered for the MMLA Convention and display an identification badge.
Child Care
Please contact the Convention site, voco Chicago Downtown, for questions related to child-care services and locations for nursing.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Every effort will be made to accommodate registrants with ADA-related needs.
Future Conventions of the MMLA
November 2027: To Be Announced at the 2026 Keynote Address
9–11 November 2028: voco Chicago Downtown, Chicago, IL
Proposing a Pre-Organized Panel for MMLA 2027
A Pre-Organized Panel is a three- or four-paper presentation coordinated by an Organizer and based on a unifying subject, which may or may not be related to the annual Convention’s theme. Should the organizer be so inclined, a Pre-Organized Panel with three or four papers may include a respondent. The organizer also has the option to include a paper of his/her own on the panel.
The MMLA happily posts subject-specific calls for papers on its member portal to assist Organizers in their task. To request that we do so for you, please submit the requisite materials to [email protected] by Monday, March 15, 2027.
Individual-paper proposals to a Pre-Organized Panel are due to the Organizer by his/her imposed deadline but no later than Friday, April 16, 2027. After soliciting, reviewing, and selecting individual proposals, all Organizers must then submit a Pre-Organized-Panel proposal to the MMLA by May 01, 2026. For further instructions, please visit https://www.midwest-mla.org/submitting-a-proposal.
2026 Program Cover
Designed by Christopher Martiniano, Indiana University–Bloomington
Special Events
