Hello, all,
Since my last post, I’ve been insanely busy. In addition to teaching and grading for two classes (a total of 55 students this term, each writing 2-3 essays), I’ve also done the first round of formatting revisions on my dissertation; completed revisions for an article that will come out next year, researched and begun drafting an essay for our edited collection on Melusine; begun research for a new article I’m working on; drafted part of one book review, finished reading the book for a second review, and begun reading for a third; worked on editing one of the two articles we’re publishing in Hortulus; begun drafting a conference presentation; and applied for grants, fellowships, and jobs. (In other words, it is the middle of an academic term…..)
Beyond juggling the middle-of-the-term workload, I’ve finally gotten around to beginning to plan for the summer months. One of my goals for myself as I worked through the PhD program was to get to the International Medieval Congress at Leeds–I’ve never been to a conference abroad, and I’ve never been to England, despite being a scholar specializing in the literatures and cultures of medieval Britain–and my husband and I decided that it might be possible to give this conference to myself as a gift for graduating on time, as a sort of academic coming out event, if you will. As it happens, this year’s conference theme is the subject of my dissertation, and I sent in an abstract that was accepted and was also invited to present on a roundtable, so it seemed that things were falling into place and I was destined to go. Unfortunately, we have had several financial setbacks that have compromised my ability to afford this conference. I don’t want to leave the sessions I’ve committed to participating in short a person, which would be terrible academic manners, and so I’ve turned to GoFundMe in hopes of raising the money that way. I’m not especially comfortable with this option, but I’m less uncomfortable with asking people to support my continued development as a scholar who invests 100% in her profession and in her students than I am with leaving other scholars high and dry by not showing up when I have committed to doing so. So, if you have read and found anything in this blog to be interesting or helpful, I hope you will consider making a donation at the link below to support getting me to the IMC:
Melissa Ridley Elmes 
Hi Melissa,
We’ve never met, but I follow and appreciate your blog very much.
Would it be okay with you if I share the link to your GoFundMe site on my Facebook page? I’d like to help get the word out.
And good luck!
~Ann
________________________ Dr. Ann Martinez Assistant Professor of English Kent State University at Stark 6000 Frank Ave. NW, North Canton, OH 44720 Office: Main Hall 308-A amart108@kent.edu (330) 244-3577
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Hi Ann, thank you so much for your kind words about my blog, and I would very much appreciate your sharing the link to my GoFundMe site.
Hi Professor Elmes,
I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Amber Hayden and I was a student in one of your classes during the fall of 2014 (the one about King Arthur being global and transnational I believe). I absolutely loved your class and it actually inspired me to change my minor to English (actually, I’m now considering adding English as a second major). I’ve kept up with your blog ever since I was in your class, just in case I ever decide to go to grad school and need some advice. Anyway, I’ve made a small donation and I hope it will help get you to Leeds :).
Oh, and I’m forever grateful for your class showing me the TV show Merlin. Seriously, can’t thank you enough for that!
~ Amber
Hi, Amber, of course I remember you! I’m so glad to hear that you are doing well, and I think it is great that you have considered minoring or double-majoring in English. Thank you so much for your donation to my campaign, I am very touched and humbled by your generosity towards me. If you haven’t already, you might also try watching the BBC’s Robin Hood–not as much fantasy as Merlin, but still a fun nod to a medieval folktale with wonderful acting, costumes, and sets. 🙂