MAA News – MAA @ Leeds

If you’re going to be at the Leeds International Medieval Congress this year, please join us on Tuesday, 7 July, 19.00-20.00 (Session 901) for the annual Medieval Academy Lecture, to be delivered by Fiona Griffiths (Department of History, Stanford University), “Timing, Temporalities, and the Cleric’s Wife.” Afterwards, join Prof. Griffiths and MAA governance and staff members for the Medieval Academy’s open-bar wine reception.

In addition, the Speculum staff are delighted to present a roundtable: “How to Publish in Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies.” All are welcome, especially younger and international scholars. It will be Session 1730 on the last day of the Congress: Thursday, July 9, from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m. The presenters are Managing Editor Ben Weil, Editorial Board member Gregor Kalas, and former Editorial Board member Michael Bailey. Come one, come all!

We hope to see you there!

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MAA News – Good News From Our Members

Sarah McNamer (Georgetown Univ.), Jamie Kreiner (UCLA), and Nicole Rice (St. John’s Univ.) have all recently been awarded Guggenheim Fellowships.

Monica Green has been given the honor of addressing the American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM) meeting, the first medievalist in 30 years to do so. The announcement for the talk is posted here, on the AAHM program page: https://aahm2026.sched.com/event/2GnPs. The title of the talk is: “Straining the History of Infectious Diseases: Europe’s Two Black Deaths.”

Congratulations! If you have good news to share, please send it to Executive Director Lisa Fagin Davis.

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MAA News – Upcoming MAA Webinars and Workshops

Writing Like Monks and Nuns: a Writing Community by the Graduate Student Committee
Tuesday, June 9th, 3pm EDT

“He who does not know how to write does not think that it is a labor. Three fingers write, the whole body labors. Whoever has read this book, pray for me”. (Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 9561, fol. 81v.)

Does this scribal plea—found by Thijs Porck (Universiteit Leiden)—resonate with your writing practice? Crying out in pain from an eighth century copy of Gregory’s Pastoral Care this scribe asks for an intercession familiar to dissertation writers, “pray for me”. Clacking away, hunched over a computer screen we toil physically as well.

Toil alone no longer! The Graduate Student Committee of the MAA invites you to our writing community pilot, Writing Like Monks and Nuns.

Informed by research on the benefits of writing groups for early career researchers and inspired by medieval writing practices, we aim to create a space of accountability, community, and fun.

Each 75-minute writing session begins with a medieval writing warm-up, followed by dedicated writing time and a short debrief. Attendees will be entered in a drawing to win a free year of MAA membership. 

Questions can be directed to organizers Camila Roxana Marcone (camila.marcone@yale.edu) and Summer Block Lizer (summer.lizer@cgu.edu)

Dates and times
June 9 – 3pm EST
June 23 – 3pm EST

Register here to receive the zoom link.

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Digital Scriptorium Workshops on Linked Open Data and SPARQL

Digital Scriptorium (DS) is pleased to offer a series of online workshops exploring Linked Open Data and the use of the query language SPARQL in the context of the DS Catalog Wikibase. Workshops will be led by L.P. Coladangelo, DS Catalog Project and Data Manager, and are scheduled for Thursdays in July from 1pm to 2:30pm ET over Zoom. The workshop series is intended for those with beginning to intermediate knowledge of SPARQL. Descriptions follow:

July 2: Introduction to Linked Open Data and Wikibase
Participants will be introduced to the concept and structure of Linked Data in the context of Wikibase technology, including Resource Description Framework (RDF), triple syntax, and human readable serialization formats like Turtle (TTL). The workshop will also give an overview of the DS data model and way it is implemented in Wikibase. We will conclude by talking about important vocabularies and ontologies that help structure Linked Open Data (LOD).

July 9: SPARQL Basics
Participants will apply what they learned in the previous workshop to begin drafting basic SPARQL queries. Concepts to be explored will be the use of prefixes, SELECT and WHERE clauses, the assignment of variables, and the use of triples to define desired graph patterns.

July 16: Modifying SPARQL Queries
Having learned to write basic queries in the previous workshop, participants will now learn how to build on and modify queries through additional clauses for actions like filtering, sorting, grouping, and limiting. 

July 23: Exploring Graph Patterns and Property Paths
After learning methods to modify queries from the previous week, participants will explore more advanced ways to query data, including alternative graph paths, variable value assignments through BIND and VALUES clauses, and an introduction to nested queries.

July 30: Extending and Combining Linked Data
In this final workshop, participants will build on their previous workshop experiences to begin using complex clauses to explore existing data and generate new datasets. Participants will also be introduced to methods for combining data from disparate datasets through federated querying and tools such as OpenRefine.

Thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the series is free and open to the public. To learn more and register, click here. Please note that space is limited!

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Jobs For Medievalists

The Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, invites applications for two
grant-funded Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Dictionary of Old English.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Editorial, Dictionary of Old English
The Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, invites applications for a grant-
funded, two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Dictionary of Old English.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in English, Medieval Studies, or a comparable
discipline by the time of appointment. Applicants must have expertise in Old English
language, familiarity with the corpus of Old English, and excellent research ability.
Proficiency in Latin and experience with Old English paleography are essential, and
familiarity with basic lexicographical principles is highly desirable. The successful
candidate will work with the editors in drafting entries for the Dictionary of Old English
and will also pursue an independent research project of their choice under the
supervision of the editors.

This position offers a rare opportunity to participate in team research in the humanities
and therefore requires the ability to work well with other members of the project.

Salary: CAD $50,000 per year

Application instructions: Applicants are directed to send the following materials
to admin.doe@utoronto.ca by June 12, 2026:

* a cover letter, which includes a brief description of the individual research the
applicant proposes to undertake at the DOE
* an up-to-date CV
* the names of two academic references, to be contacted for shortlisted candidates

Candidates selected for interviews will be asked how they would support and contribute
to the University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Supervisors: Drs. Robert Getz and Stephen Pelle

Expected start date: October 1, 2026 (or soon thereafter)

Term: two years (non-renewable)
FTE: 1.0

The normal hours of work are 40 hours per week for a full-time postdoctoral fellow,
recognizing that the needs of the employee’s research and training and the needs of the
supervisors’ research program may require flexibility in the performance of the
employee’s duties and hours of work.

Postdoctoral Fellowship, DEfOE, Dictionary of Old English
The Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, invites applications for a grant-
funded Postdoctoral Fellowship based at the Dictionary of Old English (DOE), for DEfOE
(Data Engineering for Old English), a partnership between the DOE and the Ansund
project at Trinity College Dublin.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in English, Medieval Studies, or a comparable
discipline by the time of appointment. Applicants must have expertise in Old English
language, familiarity with the corpus of Old English, and excellent research ability.
Proficiency in Latin and experience with Old English paleography are highly desirable.
Familiarity with computational methods (such as text processing, data cleaning and
transformation, etc.) may also be an advantage.

The successful candidate will work with the DOE and Ansund staff on a multifaceted
project aimed at updating the Dictionary of Old English Corpus, improving the utility of
the DOE’s List of Texts, and facilitating alignment between DOE texts and variant
manuscript versions. The position will be based in Toronto, with some training taking
place in Dublin during the first year of the fellowship.

This position offers a rare opportunity to participate in international team research in
the humanities and therefore requires the ability to work well with other members of
the DOE and Ansund projects.

Salary: CAD $50,000 per year

Application instructions: Applicants are directed to send the following materials
to admin.doe@utoronto.ca by June 19, 2026:

* a cover letter
* an up-to-date CV
* the names of two academic references, to be contacted for shortlisted candidates

Candidates selected for interviews will be asked how they would support and contribute
to the University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Pelle

Expected start date: October 1 2026

Term: two years (with a possibility of an additional year)

FTE: 1.0
The normal hours of work are 40 hours per week for a full-time postdoctoral fellow (pro-
rated for those holding a partial appointment), recognizing that the needs of the
employee’s research and training and the needs of the supervisor’s research program
may require flexibility in the performance of the employee’s duties and hours of work.
Application materials may be sent to admin.doe@utoronto.ca. Applicants should
specify which postdoctoral position (editorial [deadline June 12] or DEfOE [deadline
June 19]) they wish to be considered for. Candidates who wish to apply to both
positions should submit separate applications for each.

Employment as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto is covered by the
terms of the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement. This job is posted in accordance
with the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement.

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Call for Papers – British Archaeological Association Post Graduate Conference

The British Archaeological Association invites proposals by postgraduate and early career
researchers in the field of medieval art history, architecture and archaeology. Papers can be on any aspect of the medieval period, from antiquity to the Later Middle Ages, across all
geographical regions.

Proposals of around 250 words for a 20-minute paper, along with a CV, should be sent by 31 July 2026 to postgradconf@thebaa.org.

You can also find the Call for Papers on our website:
https://thebaa.org/events/2026-baa-postgraduate-conference/.

The conference will take place online on Thursday 26 November 2026.

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Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean. Second International Workshop

Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean. Second International Workshop

Date: 4 June 2026

Venue: Balliol College, Gillis Lecture Theatre and Massey Room (Oxford OX1 3BJ) & online

Convenors: Daniel Gallaher and Ugo Mondini (University of Oxford)

The workshop explores how and why languages were taught, learned, and sustained across the diverse and shifting socio-cultural landscapes of the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean. Integrating history with historical sociolinguistics and adopting a comparative and cross-disciplinary perspective, the workshop aims to identify shared trends, comparable elements, and distinctive features in language learning and transmission. This approach offers a renewed perspective on the interconnected Mediterranean world—a region where multilingualism, mobility, and intercultural exchange were and are central to daily life. The impact of these dynamics on language teaching, preservation, and use has often been underestimated.

The event will include dedicated time for discussion and reflection, allowing participants to engage in a broader conversation about language, identity, and cultural transmission. At its core, the project reimagines the medieval and early modern Mediterranean, not merely as a space of teaching, learning, and multilingual exchange.

Speakers: Marina Bazzani (University of Oxford); Valentina Calzolari (University of Geneva); Benedetta Contin (Austrian Academy of Sciences); Andrea Cuomo (Ghent University); Karen Hamada (University of Tokyo); Anthony Kaldellis (University of Chicago); Markéta Kulhánková (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

For more information: https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/events/2026/june/04/transmitting-and-preserving-languages-medieval-and-early-modern-mediterranean

 

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Jobs for Medievalists

Open position: Rare Materials Project Cataloger, Smith College

Smith College Special Collections is currently seeking a Rare Materials Project Cataloger.

Reporting to the Head of Technical Services for Special Collections and working closely with the Curator of Rare Books, the Rare Books Project Cataloger will create original or copy records for a wide variety of rare and/or unique bibliographic materials in the Mortimer Rare Book Collection, the Sophia Smith Collection, and College Archives. The project cataloger also will improve existing stub records to further facilitate discovery and access. This position may supervise a student worker. This is a limited-term position expected to run for three years from the date of hire and is covered by a collective bargaining unit.

Compensation:
This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement with a progressive wage schedule. The Step 1 annualized pay is $70,558.75. New hires are typically placed at Step 1.

Additional information can be found at
https://smithcollege.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/smithcollege/job/Smith-College/Rare-Materials-Project-Cataloguer_R-202600199-1

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Rare Book School Summer Courses


Rare Book School is still accepting applications for its Summer 2026 courses! Details at rarebookschool.org/courses. The courses listed below still have a few available seats and may be of interest to medievalists:

In Charlottesville:

  • The History of Printed Book Illustration in the West (I-10)
  • Rare Book Cataloging (L-30)
  • Seminar in Western Codicology (M-20)
  • The Handwriting and Culture of Early Modern English Manuscripts (M-70)

At RBS partner institutions:

  • Fifteenth-Century Books in Print and Manuscript (H-25 at Princeton)
  • Censorship from the Inquisition to the Present (H-205 in Chicago)
  • The Culture and Craft of Wood Type (T-65 in York, England)

Online:

  • The Printing Press in Spanish America: 1500–1830 (H-175v)

Given the unforeseen spike in fuel prices and anticipated rising costs for ground and air transportation this year, RBS is making a pool of $25,000 in one-time travel assistance funds available for awards of either $100 or $250, depending on financial need, for students accepted into 2026 summer courses. Requests should be submitted via email to rbsprograms@virginia.edu.

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Call for Papers: Ninth International Piers Plowman Society Conference

Call for Papers: Ninth International Piers Plowman Society Conference
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
1–3 April 2027

The program committee for the Ninth Meeting of the International Piers Plowman Society seeks submissions for our quadrennial conference, co-sponsored by Boston College and Harvard University, and hosted on Boston College’s campus in Chestnut Hill, MA, located six miles west of downtown Boston.

The conference will feature two invited keynote speakers: Rebecca A. Davis, Professor of English at the University of California at Irvine, will deliver the 2027 Morton W. Bloomfield Lecture, and Shannon Gayk, Professor of English at Indiana University, will deliver the 2027 Heinz Bluhm Memorial Lecture, both as conference plenaries.

The conference registration fee, to be announced later this year, will be designed to be affordable to each participant based on their career stage. Spanning a Thursday through a Saturday, the conference will include catered meals, coffee breaks, and a wine reception.

The International Piers Plowman Society is a professional organization of medievalists hosting a scholarly journal, the Yearbook of Langland Studies, and a quadrennial conference focused on William Langland’s dream vision Piers Plowman and its broader traditions of alliterative verse, social satire, and theological debate.

At the 2027 conference, we are keen to represent work from across the spectrum of late medieval English studies, poetics, and literary and cultural theory, not only work centrally focused on Piers Plowman. Possible threads include:

  • “Bodies and Embodiment”: Langland is a writer of and about bodies without ever stating, precisely, what a body looks like. We invite engagements that explore the ways in which bodies communicate meaning in Piers Plowman and its larger literary tradition. Submissions might address “bodies and embodiment” as part of a body-soul pair, as the vehicle of spiritual allegory, as the material version of an abstraction, etc., and blend medieval perspectives on embodiment with modern theoretical engagements (e.g. disability studies, feminist studies, trans studies, premodern race studies, queer of color critique, new formalism).
  • “Dreams and Visions”: Piers Plowman engages with a vast surround of medieval European visionary literature and dream interpretation. We invite submissions that address aspects of Langland’s poem related to its character as a dream poem or that discuss other texts in Latin, French, English, Welsh, or other medieval languages that have to do with dreaming, visionary experience, faculty psychology, or literary interpretation.
  • “Ethics and Action”: We invite submissions on any aspect of ethics and/or action in Piers Plowman or other relevant texts. Topics may consider ethics and/or action in relation to, for example: medieval virtue ethics, embodied virtue, active vs. contemplative life, ethical action, idleness or sloth, will and desire or appetite, drama and biblical pedagogy.
  • “Poetics and Stylistics”: We invite submissions on alliterative meter, personification allegory, sound studies, medieval or modern literary theory, and topics related to style. Submissions may treat Piers Plowman or other related or relevant poems, theorists, poetic manuals, etc.
  • “Study”: We invite submissions on how scholars study and teach the poem today, as well as the forms of study and learning that the poem itself depicts and thematizes. Submissions may offer practical approaches to teaching the poem or may ask or examine how the poem itself understands learning, reading, and interpretation.
  • “Langland and Theory”: We invite submissions on theoretical approaches to Piers Plowman and other relevant texts. Submissions may ask how Piers Plowman or other related texts offer their own “imaginative literary theory” through poetics, dramatization, or other textual or formal means. Or they might explore how these medieval texts resonate with or put pressure on a contemporary theoretical approach.

We invite single-paper submissions as well as submissions of pre-organized panels. Submissions can either be earmarked to one of the aforementioned threads or be at-large submissions. We particularly invite submissions from early-career researchers, including graduate candidates and untenured faculty members, as well as independent scholars at all career stages.

When submitting, please indicate whether you plan to attend the conference in person, or whether you prefer to (or are open to) participate in a fully-online panel.

Submissions should be emailed to piersplowman2027@gmail.com no later than 8 Sept 2026.

Find out more at https://piersplowman.org/

Organizing Committee:
Co-Organizers
Nicholas Watson (Harvard University)
Eric Weiskott (Boston College)

Local Planning Committee
Amy Appleford (Boston University)
Arthur Bahr (MIT)
Holly Crocker (Boston College)
Micah Goodrich (Boston University)
Adin Lears for IPPS (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Alex Mueller (University of Massachusetts at Boston)

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