The Medieval Academy Blog

We hope you had a fine summer and are enjoying our July issue! We’ve recently compiled some statistics that may be of interest to the MAA membership, showing exactly who publishes in Speculum. These statistics cover the 2024 through 2026 volumes, including the Centennial Issue but excluding Speculations. Each author of a co-authored article is considered separately.

In terms of nationality (current location, not country of origin), 60 authors or 68% were from the U.S., followed by 10 authors or 11% from the United Kingdom. We had four authors each from Ireland and Israel, and two each from Canada, France, and Norway. One author each came from Germany, Hungary, Iceland, and Switzerland. In reality, the demographics are even more diverse, since many authors who now teach or study in the U.S. and the U.K. are natives of other countries. The 2027 volume will include scholars from Denmark, Poland, and Spain.

We also tracked career status. The great majority of authors (62 or 70%) were tenured or tenure-track faculty. But we also had a generous showing of early-career scholars: 8 postdocs, 7 Ph.D. candidates, and 1 visiting assistant professor. (These statistics may be misleading in a rather encouraging way: some articles by graduate students and postdocs were accepted and, by the time they reached publication, the authors had moved into tenure-track positions.) In addition, 3 authors were emeritus faculty, 2 were independent scholars, and 6 were employed in “alt/ac” careers such as publishing and museums.

So, wherever you are and whatever your status, all medievalists are welcome! Please consider publishing in Speculum.

Dear Medieval Academy Members,

It is my pleasure to report on the current status of the MAA’s Database of Medieval Digital Resources. Since taking on the role of coordinator in April, the backlog of projects waiting to be reviewed has been substantially reduced. In April 2026 there were thirty-seven projects waiting to be reviewed. Some of these had already been included in MDR, while others were not eligible for inclusion (or the site was no longer available). Quite a few were successfully reviewed, and currently of those thirty-seven projects only nine remain in the queue. Since May 2026 there are also four new submissions awaiting reviews, bringing the total to thirteen outstanding projects. Time to review has now decreased quite significantly, but is dependent on being able to find subject experts to review each project (on which more below).

MDR is host to a great number of digital projects and is an excellent “clearinghouse” for medieval digital projects. Over (roughly) the last year fifteen new projects were added. Some, such as the Monasterium Digital Archive or the Princeton Index of Medieval Art may be familiar, but there are many great projects to explore. For instance the Corpus Synodalium which is a database of extant local ecclesiastical legislation issued across Latin Christendom from ca. 1215-ca.1500. Two sites from the Germania Sacra online project provide databases of people and religious institutions. Several linguistic resources were also added, covering Middle English verse, medieval Spanish, and Byzantine Greek. If you have not yet explored the database, I strongly recommend that you do! Even if you have used it before, there are new projects to view and learn from.

The Standards for Web Publication have also been adapted to deal with AI-generated content and projects. The new policy can be found under Section One (“Scholarly Quality”) and reads: “Projects must unambiguously center human researchers who are accountable and responsible for all content. While AI or related technologies may be used as complementary tools—e.g., to assist transcription, pattern recognition, or data visualization—nominated projects must transparently document any AI-generated workflow or content to be included in MDR.” In short, an entirely AI generated website, without proper documentation and accessible human editors who can respond to issues, is not eligible. This policy is not a total ban on AI-generated workflows or processes, but ensures that AI is only to be incorporated in certain parts of the project and with clear documentation.

The successful continuation of MDR depends on new submissions and finding subject-expertise reviewers who are willing to evaluate those submissions. If you are interested in submitting a project, you can do so by going to: https://mdr-maa.org/about/suggest-a-resource. Please note, online journals or monographs are not eligible for inclusion.

Subject experts are critical to verifying the scholarly quality of these digital projects, and is a great service to the field and the MAA. These reviews are relatively simple to conduct and can be completed relatively quickly. If you are interested in being a reviewer for MDR please get in touch by filling out the MAA’s Service Nomination Form: https://www.medievalacademy.org/page/Committee_Service_Nomination_Form.

Anyone can reach out to me with questions or suggestions at jdellisola@themedievalacademy.org.

Sincerely,

Jon Dell Isola

Special Projects Assistant and Coordinator, Database of Medieval Digital Resources

Season 6 Call for Proposals | The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast
Submission Deadline: October 15, 2026

After five successful seasons, The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast (MMA) will return for its sixth in 2027. Sponsored by the Medieval Academy of America (MAA), the MMA is an anthology-style podcast that seeks to continue conversations and generate new avenues of inquiry related to the Middle Ages that emphasize the period’s diversity and the scholarship related to it. We highlight thoughtful reflections on culturally responsible approaches to the study of the Middle Ages (expansive beyond western Europe) and its afterlives.

We invite proposals from individuals and collaborators of all ranks and disciplines, especially graduate students, for single podcast episodes aimed at fellow medievalists as well as the wider public.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

· innovative methodological and interdisciplinary approaches to the Middle Ages

· the future of medieval studies

· research on the multicultural, multiracial, and multiethnic Middle Ages

· discussions of recent scholarship and publications

· archival discoveries

· academic activism and responses to misappropriations of the Middle Ages

· pedagogical approaches

· medievalisms

· medieval culture in contemporary political and public discourse

· cultural heritage and approaches to curating exhibitions of the Middle Ages

Possible formats include narrative expositions, interviews, panel discussions, textual and material analyses, and oral performances.

No previous experience with podcasting is required. The Graduate Student Committee of the MAA has hosted several workshops on podcasting for beginners, which are now available on the MAA YouTube channel, and if accepted, an MMA producer will support you through the episode development and post-production process. We do not turn away contributors due to a lack of podcasting expertise!

To help us assess the project’s potential, your submission must include a brief description (500 words), noting the following:

· chosen topic, its relevance to the podcast, and a working title

· plan for adapting to the podcast medium (35–45 min. episodes are encouraged, but proposals of shorter or longer durations are also welcome)

· format (interview, roundtable, etc.) with an outline of anticipated structure

· assistance needed to realize the episode (note: we handle final editing, but please let us know if you would also need help recording or facilitating an interview, etc.)

Please also include each episode author’s name, CV, and email address.

Submit your proposals and any questions to mmapodcast1@gmail.com by 15 October 2026.

The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast Production Team
Will Beattie
Reed O’Mara
Logan Quigley
Jonathan Correa Reyes
Loren Easterday Lee Cantrell

Submissions for the 2027 MAA Publication Prizes are now being accepted. Submissions and dossiers must be submitted by Oct. 15 using our Publication Prize portal.

Through its Publication Prize program, the Medieval Academy of America aims to accomplish three goals:

1) Honoring and promoting outstanding scholarship produced by medievalists;

2) Supporting authors in any medieval field and at all career levels by raising the visibility of their scholarship;

3) Acknowledging the work of publishers of all kinds.

Award-winning publications scholarship should function as a model of current best practices in Medieval Studies and as a model for the future of the field. Although the various Prizes have specific eligibility criteria, general procedures and requirements are as follows:

1) In contrast to past years, authors of submitted books need not be members of the Medieval Academy of America.

2) All prize winners will receive a complimentary one-year MAA membership in addition to the prize.

3) All publishers are eligible, whether non-profit or for-profit.

4) Nominations may be submitted by authors or by publishers, but all submissions must use the central Publications Prize Portal. Please note that incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

5) Ordinarily a nomination should go forward in a single category for a given year. Authors and publishers should contact the Executive Director LFD@TheMedievalAcademy.org for queries about exceptions to this policy.

6) Monographs that have previously been awarded an MAA Publication Prize are not eligible for other MAA Publication Prizes except for the Haskins Medal.

7) Submissions may be by hardcopy and/or eBook but eBook is preferred.

8) All submissions and supporting documents must be received by 15 October.

9) Prizes will be announced in February and awarded during the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America.

10) Authors need not be residents of North America, but all submissions must be written in English.

Monograph Prizes:

John Nicholas Brown Prize: Best First Monograph

Byzantine Studies Prize: Best Monograph in Byzantine Studies

Karen Gould Prize: Best Medieval Art History Monograph

Haskins Medal: Best Monograph in Medieval Studies

Jerome Singerman Prize: Best Second Monograph

Article Prizes:

Article Prize in Critical Race Studies: Best Article in the field of Medieval Critical Race Studies

Van Courtlandt Elliott Prize: Best Early-Career Article

Other Formats:

Digital Humanities and Multimedia Studies Prize: Best DH Project

Monica Green Prize: For an exceptional project (for example, a publication, exhibit, performance, or DH project) that shows the importance of studying the medieval past to understand the present.