MFA Students Present Research and Writing at Annual PCA/ACA Conference

糖心vlog视频 graduate students &苍产蝉辫;(鈥23),&苍产蝉辫; (鈥23), and  (鈥23) presented their research and writing at the Popular Culture Association & American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) Conference this Spring. The three are part of the Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Poetics program in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS).

This year, the PCA/ACA Conference took place April 5-8 in San Antonio, Texas. The conference brings together scholars from across the nation to talk about various aspects of culture that are impactful to our world鈥攙arying from  like fiction and nonfiction, to vampires and Disney, to gender and politics, and more!

鈥淲hen I found this conference, what stood out to me were the wide variety of topics to choose from and the opportunity for graduate students to share and receive feedback on their research,鈥 Woo said.

Levi-D鈥橝ncona, Simmons, and Woo shared research and work written in their Winter 2022 class, Poetics Seminar: Art, Technology, And Practice, under the guidance of Professor Ted Hiebert. Levi-D鈥橝ncona鈥檚 research focused on realism, narrative authority, and restorative poetics, presenting in the conference鈥檚 non-fiction category. Simmons, whose research focused on the many retellings of La Belle et la B锚te and the folkloric implications of each adaptation, and Woo, whose research focused on literature and activism, both presented in the children’s and YA literature and culture category. In addition, Simmons also presented and read an excerpt of her forthcoming YA fantasy novel and current thesis project鈥攚hich features themes of BIPOC representation and the implications of antimilitarism鈥攊n the fiction category.

After the prepared presentations, audience members and panelists engaged in discussions that inspired panelists to share their poetics and expand on their research. All three UW Bothell students commented that these discussions were one of their favorite parts of the conference, where they could partake in scholarly discourse about their work. They felt their research took a new life during these panel discussions, more inspired than ever to ask hard questions during the research process.

鈥淚 loved how kind, inquisitive, and respectful the conference was,鈥 Levi-D鈥橝ncona said. 鈥淭hough everyone is an expert in their field, the collegiality, networking, and genuine excitement from PCA/ACA is unparalleled in comparison to other experiences I鈥檝e had on this scale.鈥

The three students didn鈥檛 stop at panels, however. They mingled with other attendees between and after scheduled events, talking endlessly about their passion for their subjects.

鈥淥ne professor and presenter said, 鈥業 love this. You guys are so drunk on theory!鈥欌 Simmons commented. 鈥淚t was nice to be among people who get as excited about our research as us.鈥

The PCA/ACA Conference was an exciting opportunity for Levi-D鈥橝ncona, Simmons, and Woo to further share their passions as writers amongst a larger community of scholars. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the conference, each of them were able to establish new connections and walk away with new insights in their respective interests and field. They each hope to return to the PCA/ACA Conference with new research in the coming years.