"After presenting my paper, I walked outside into the sunshine, and said a silent 'thank you' to Savannah, GA, for hosting a beautiful convention that made me fall in love with words all over again, and for giving me the inspiration I needed to write my way through the rest of my junior year."Submissions: Overview
Please read the following submissions guidelines and follow them carefully. A very large number of submissions have to be judged in a limited amount of time (last year’s convention committee received over 800 paper and panel submissions). The guidelines ensure that each member’s submission is given careful attention by the appropriate judges. Faithful attention to the details of the submission process will increase the likelihood of your paper’s acceptance.
Submissions will be read and evaluated by Convention Chair Sarah Dangelantonio, Roundtable Chairs Beth DeMeo and Sid Watson, and a select group of judges.
Submissions Deadline
The submissions deadline is Monday, October 27, 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Savings Time (CDT).
Who Can Submit
Eligible members are
- Sigma Tau Delta student members
- Sigma Kappa Delta student members
- Alumni Epsilon Chapter members
(December graduates are eligible to submit as members of their current chapters. Sigma Tau Delta members no longer affiliated with a college or university chapter must be members of the Sigma Tau Delta Alumni Epsilon Chapter to present at the convention.)
The only exception is roundtable proposals, which may also be submitted by faculty members.
Due to software limitations, pen names cannot be accommodated. Submitters should use their membership names.
What Individuals Can Submit
- Eligible members may submit ONE original critical essay, creative nonfiction, poetry collection, fiction, or drama
- AND ONE additional submission on the 2015 Common Reader, From Sand Creek by Simon Ortiz
- AND/OR a proposal for a roundtable session
NOTE: All submitters must include three keywords for each submission, including poetry. View instructions for inserting keywords.
If your work is clearly connected to the convention theme ("Borderlands and Enchantments") and would, therefore, be eligible for an award on that theme, you must use the phrase "Borderlands and Enchantments" as one of your three keywords when you submit your paper.
Papers
Eligible members may submit ONLY one paper for presentation. The only exception is that authors also may submit a second work on the 2015 Common Reader, From Sand Creek by Simon Ortiz.
For the submission process, the term PAPERS refers to all written works being submitted for presentation at the 2015 Convention including critical essays, creative fiction, drama, nonfiction, and poetry.
Papers receiving high evaluations will be considered for convention awards. Although evaluation is based on the paper as submitted, only those works presented at the convention are eligible to receive awards.
Roundtables
The Convention Chair is seeking submissions based on a list of topics. Submitters may also choose a topic of their own.
Roundtables are designed to promote discussion and exploration of a selected topic, with roundtable members and the audience participating in active discussion. Competition for the number of roundtable slots available will be lively. Among equally persuasive proposals, the Convention Chair will give priority to those roundtables that include members from more than one chapter and/or that cover the 2015 Common Reader, From Sand Creek by Simon Ortiz.
Roundtable Submission Guidelines
Acceptance and Denial Notifications
Papers
Acceptance and denial notifications will be emailed on or before Wednesday, December 17, 2014.
Roundtables
Acceptance and denial notifications will be emailed to the submitter on or before Monday, November 17, 2014.
Convention Registration
Everyone attending the convention, including presenters and roundtable participants, must register for the convention. Those registering by Monday, January 26, 2015, will receive an early registration discount. Those registering after the early registration deadline will pay the full fee. See convention registration for details.
Questions
Email 2015 Convention Chair, Sarah Dangelantonio at englishconvention@niu.edu.