By Cynthia Shin

I really enjoyed organizing the graduate student conference “Forget-me-not” this spring from April 7-8. All grad students were invited to suggest and vote for the theme. Organizing a conference was a lot of work, but I had great support from my friends and colleagues in the department. My favorite memory is when the SAB had a meeting over brunch. We went over all the submitted abstracts and organized them into a panel. We wanted to have a conference that was open-ended and inviting, with something familiar and surprising for everyone – I’d say we succeeded!

The breadth of the papers was impressive and fitting for our discipline. Our conference started with a paper on Homer and ended with a GIF essay. Students came from California, Washington, Michigan, and more, and our papers talked about literary texts from Russia, Germany, Japan, and India. We talked about call centers, all-women musical troupe, and queer love in the same breath. Over the two days, I realized that comparatists working on the most disparate topics can still have a generative conversation together if the people are willing.

I thank all the participants, especially those who travelled to Bloomington and tirelessly engaged in great panelists over the two days, moderators, who helped facilitate a meaningful conversation between panelists, and comparative literature friends who showed up to listen, learn, and support. I also thank our keynote speaker Dr. Joela Jacobs (University of Arizona). Her keynote “Forget-Me-Not: Remembering the Meaning of Flowers” synthesized many possible interpretations of the theme from plant studies to memory studies, and drew sources from literatures of Germany, France, Britain, and the US. She engaged with all the participants, asking great questions and making wonderful suggestions to improve our works.

A special shoutout to my co-organizer, Noel, and the wonderful CMLT staff, Stephanie and Sarah, for all your support and wisdom. For future organizers: you can do it!!