Department of English
Department of English Graduate Student Conference
Each year, the University of Memphis English Department hosts a Graduate Student Conference in conjunction with the UofM English Graduate Organization (UMEGO). This year's theme is Multiliteracies, Multimodality, and Genre. The Call for Proposals can be found here, abstracts were due on March 13th by 5pm, and decisions of acceptance will be communicated by the end of the day on March 31st. More information for the Deb Talbot Roundtable Event can be found below, and information regarding the conference is forthcoming. Click here to download a PDF version of the call for proposals.
Roundtable: Multiliteracies, Multimodality, and Genre
Roundtable Key Information
Date: Thursday, April 23rd
Time: Reception: 4:30pm | Talks: 5:00pm
Location: University Center River Room (Room 300)
The Department of English welcomes Dr. Suresh Canagarajah and Dr. Matt Kessler for the Deb Talbot Roundtable 2026 as a featured event for the Conference on Multiliteracies, Multimodality and Genre. Dr. Canagarajah’s talk is titled “Story of a Biochemistry Journal Article: Writing Practices in Search of a Theory,” and Dr. Kessler’s talk is titled “Multimodal Practices and Literacy in Higher Education: Key Issues and Questions”. Following a reception at 4:30pm, both talks will be held on Thursday, April 23rd
at 5pm in the UC River Room (300). Feature events also include a live plenary session
on multimodality by Sage Graham (University of Memphis). Email the conference organizer
for details or to request accommodations.
Conference: Multiliteracies, Multimodality, and Genre
Conference Key Information
Date: Saturday, April 25th
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Location: Patterson Hall, University of Memphis | 530 Patterson St.
Specific time and location info (conference program) is forthcoming
Fee: Free Registration
Session Types
Individual Paper Sessions: Presentations (up to 20 minutes + 5 minutes for questions) should be designed for
a general interdisciplinary audience.
Modes of Meaning Showcase: This portion of the conference is structured as a traditional poster showcase with presenters set up in stations, but it includes both poster presentations and technology to support innovative multimodal sessions including demonstration of multimodal pedagogies, presentation of multimodal research artifacts, visual poetry, etc. Posters may also be physical, digital, or hybrid, and presenters should plan for informal discussion with attendees during the session.
The event is free to attend. Certificates of participation will be provided after the event. Contact Dr. J. Elliott Casal at jecasal@memphis.edu with any questions.