The Medieval Academy Blog

The end of the year is fast approaching, and it is time to renew your MAA membership for 2026, if you haven’t already. In addition to a subscription to Speculum – the premier journal of medieval studies – and online access to the entire run of the journal, your MAA membership provides you with numerous exclusive benefits, including:

Eligibility for:
• grants and fellowships to support your research
• subventions to support your publications
• travel support to share your scholarship
• prizes acknowledging your work

Opportunities to:
• collaborate with others on committees that serve our field
• nominate yourself and others for leadership posts
• stand for election to governance
• participate in our Annual Meeting

Your membership dues also help others in the field, providing mentoring and financial support for graduate students, junior scholars, and medievalists outside the tenure track. As we work towards a more expansive Middle Ages, your dues work to build a more inclusive Medieval Studies and support the highest-quality research in all disciplines. We sincerely hope that you will renew your valued membership in the Academy as we continue this work in 2026. You can easily renew your membership online or by logging in to your account on our website. Thank you for your support. Please consider, if your circumstances allow, adding a donation as you renew your membership. We look forward to supporting you and working with you in 2026 and beyond.

Peggy McCracken, President
Lisa Fagin Davis, Executive Director

Self-Nominate for MAA Committee Service:
Nomination forms due Dec. 1

Volunteer committee service is critically important to our mission, and we welcome your expertise and efforts. Even if you have already checked the relevant box on your MAA Member Profile page or you self-nominated for service last year, please confirm your specific area of interest and provide additional information by filling out this form to self-nominate for committee service in the upcoming cycle. You may also nominate a colleague.

See our FAQ page for information about how Committee members are selected. Committee members seated in the upcoming cycle will begin their three-year term of service in March 2025.

Click here for more information and to submit a nomination.

Thank you for your interest!

We are very pleased to announce our new partnership with the American Trust for the British Library! MAA grantwinners who need to conduct research at the British Library will now be eligible for an additional $2,500 Fellowship from ATBL to support that research. When you apply for an MAA grant, you may check a box indicating your interest in being considered for this supplementary Fellowship, should your MAA application be funded. We are extremely grateful to the ATBL for supporting our members in such a generous way!

The Medieval Academy of America invites applications for the following grants. Please note that applicants must be members in good standing at the time of application.

Birgit Baldwin Fellowship

The Birgit Baldwin Fellowship in French Medieval History provides a grant of $20,000 to support a graduate student in a North American university who is researching and writing a significant dissertation for the Ph.D. on any subject in French medieval history that can be realized only by sustained research in the archives and libraries of France. The fellowship helps defray research and living expenses for the equivalent of an academic year of study. It may be renewed for a second year upon demonstration of satisfactory progress. Applications must be submitted by 15 November 2025 for funding beginning in September 2026.

Fellows Research Awards

The Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America have donated funds to support two research awards for members of the Medieval Academy who do not have access to research funding. Two Awards of $5,000 will be funded each year to Ph.D. candidates and/or non-tenure-track scholars to support research in medieval studies. The awards will help fund travel and/or access expenses to consult original sources, archives, manuscripts, works of art, or monuments in situ. To apply for a Fellows Research Award, submit the application form and attachment by October 15, 2025.

MAA/CARA Conference Grant

The MAA/CARA Conference Grant will be awarded annually to a regional or consortial Medieval Studies Program or Association to support an annual regional or consortial conference taking place the year after the application is submitted (for example, applications will be accepted in 2025 for conferences taking place in 2026). Awards will be based on proposals adjudicated by the Academy’s CARA Committee. One (1) grant of $1,000 will be awarded each year. (Deadline 15 October 2025)

Schallek Fellowship

Funded by the Richard III Society, American Branch. As of July 2024, the scope and amount of the Schallek program have changed in accordance with the Society’s instructions, as follows: “Applications will be solicited from graduate students whose work, in any relevant discipline, focuses primarily on the late medieval period in England or any of the British Isles, or which involves British connections to the European Continent in the late medieval period. ‘Late Medieval’ will be defined broadly as the period c.1350-1500 or so.” The Schallek Fellowship provides a one-year grant of $40,000 to support Ph.D. dissertation research. (Deadline 15 October 2025 for funding beginning in September 2026)

Travel Grants

The Medieval Academy provides a limited number of travel grants to help Academy members who hold PhDs but have no access to institutional travel funding, attend conferences to present their work. Exceptions to the PhD requirement may be made for unaffiliated or contingent scholars who are active in Medieval Studies (Deadline 1 November 2025 for meetings to be held between 16 February and 31 August 2026)

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.

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.

The Medieval Academy of America’s Committee on Centers and Regional Organizations (CARA) invites nominations to fill an upcoming vacancy on its Executive Committee. With a special focus upon teaching at all levels, CARA strives to assist institutions and individual medievalists in meeting the challenges that face medieval studies in the classroom, the library, and other institutional settings locally and nationally.

Members of the Executive Committee serve four-year terms; in addition to working with the CARA Chair on programming, outreach, and curricular initiatives, each member serves on two of CARA’s four subcommittees responsible for the CARA Teaching Award, the CARA Robert Kendrick Service Prize, the CARA Regional Conference Grant, and the MAA-CARA Graduate Student Summer Scholarships. Members of the CARA Executive Committee also help organize the CARA plenary at the annual Medieval Academy meeting and various CARA zoom sessions throughout the academic year.

Service on the CARA Executive Committee is open to all members in good standing of the Medieval Academy of America, who may nominate themselves or be nominated by another individual. We are particularly interested in nominees who are familiar with medieval studies programs and curricula in Texas and the southwest United States. Nominations should include the following:

1. Name of nominee;
2. Nominee’s institutional or professional affiliation (including that of independent scholar);
3. A brief (c. 250-word) statement indicating the nominee’s qualifications for Executive Committee service, including their contributions to the areas of teaching, center or program administration, and/or professional collaboration and development in the field of Medieval Studies.

In accordance with CARA’s Policies and Procedures, nominations will be accepted until 1 November 2025 and reviewed thereafter by the CARA Executive Committee, which will forward its recommended candidate for approval by the Medieval Academy’s Council. The term of service for new members will begin at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in March 2026. Please send nominations, as well as any questions or requests for further information, to the CARA Chair, Lauren Mancia (laurenmancia@brooklyn.cuny.edu).

Robert L. Kindrick–CARA Award for Outstanding Service to Medieval Studies: The Medieval Academy of America’s Committee on Centers and Regional Associations (CARA) invites nominations for its annual service prize. The Robert L. Kindrick–CARA Award for Outstanding Service to Medieval Studies recognizes Academy members who have provided leadership in developing, organizing, promoting, and sponsoring medieval studies through their administrative work—work that is critical to the health of medieval studies, but that often goes unrecognized by the profession at large. This award of $1000 is presented at the Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy. The annual deadline for nominations is 15 November; please note that three nominators are required, all of whom should have first-hand knowledge of the nominee’s contributions to Medieval Studies. For more information, please visit the CARA Service Award web page.

CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching: The Medieval Academy’s Committee on Centers and Regional Associations (CARA) invites nominations for its annual teaching prize, which recognizes outstanding pedagogical achievement by Medieval Academy members. This can include:

• teaching inspiring courses at the undergraduate or graduate levels;
• creating innovative teaching materials (including textbooks);
• developing courses and curricula;
• scholarship of teaching and learning (including presentations at conferences as well as publications)
• support for K-12 pedagogy and curricula;
• community-oriented or publicly-directed educational initiatives.

Normally, one prize is given for undergraduate and one prize for graduate teaching, each in the amount of $1000. These will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy. The annual deadline for nominations is 15 November. For more information, please visit the CARA Teaching Award web page.

The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast welcomes proposals of single episodes for its fifth season.

After four successful seasons, The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast (MMA) will return for its fifth in 2026. Sponsored by the Medieval Academy of America, 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 and the wider public.

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

●     innovative methodological/disciplinary approaches to the Middle Ages
●     the future of medieval studies
●     research on the multicultural, multiracial, and multiethnic Middle Ages
●     discussions of recent scholarship
●     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 may include narrative expositions, interviews, textual analysis, visual analysis, oral performances, and panel discussions.

No previous experience with podcasting is required. The Graduate Student Committee of the MAA has hosted several podcasting workshops, which are now available on the MAA YouTube channel. If accepted, an MMA team member will support you through the episode development process and post-production.

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

●     the chosen topic and its relevance
●     the plan for adapting the topic to a podcast medium (we encourage 35–45 min. episodes but also welcome proposals for shorter or longer episodes)
●     the episode format (interview, narrative, etc.) with an outline of its structure
●     if you require technical assistance to realize the episode (by facilitating an interview, helping record the episode, or taking care of the audio editing)

Please also include each author’s name and CV.

Submit your proposals and any questions to mmapodcast1@gmail.com and Loren Cantrell (lorenlee325@gmail.com) by October 15, 2025.

The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast Production Team
Will Beattie | wbeattie@nd.edu
Jonathan Correa Reyes | jonatcr@clemson.edu
Loren Easterday Lee Cantrell | lorenlee325@gmail.com
Reed O’Mara | reed.omara@gmail.com
Logan Quigley | quigleylogan@gmail.com

Annual Fall CARA Discussion Circle on Zoom
Moderated by CARA executive board member Maya Soifer Irish
THIS Friday, October 3rd, 2pm-3pm (EDT)

Are you a director of a Medieval Studies program, major, or minor on your campus? Are you a coordinator of medievalists in your university and/or city and/or region? Are you an advocate for premodern/Medieval Studies in any way at your university?  Come join us! This is a discussion session for faculty members around the country, during which we hope to hear from you all and each other about what Medieval Studies looks like on your campus and in your region, what challenges you are facing, what victories you are winning, how you advocate for Medieval Studies on your campus, and what do you need in 2025. The goals of this session is (a) to find community among those of us who are working to advocate and program for Medieval Studies around the country and (b) to help CARA better serve your needs, so please do come let your voices be heard! Please join us, and invite people you know who are working to advocate and organize for Medieval Studies! And if you can’t go to these sessions, but have some feedback for us to consider, please do email CARA chair Lauren Mancia at laurenmancia@brooklyn.cuny.edu.

Presenters:
Maya Soifer Irish
Lauren Mancia

Please click here to register.

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Digital Humanities Showcase
17 October, 1-2 PM EDT

As part of the celebrations for the MAA’s Centennial Year, the Digital Humanities and Multimedia Studies Committee and the Graduate Student Committee have partnered to organize a year-long series of webinars showcasing exciting DH projects. Each session will feature a moderated discussion of two recent/ongoing DH projects followed by an audience Q&A. Beyond highlighting a diverse array of new and exciting projects in Medieval Studies, this series will also serve as an opportunity to share ideas and best practices within the medieval DH community.

Atria A. Larson
Associate Professor of Medieval Christianity, Associate Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Saint Louis University
Gallery of Glosses: A Two-Part Digital Humanities to Record and Publish Glosses in Medieval Manuscripts
Gallery of Glosses is a two-part digital humanities project that provides (1) a data-management platform for scholars to use to record and organize information about glosses in medieval manuscripts, and (2) a public website that aims to make those glosses on authoritative texts more accessible to scholars. While initially designed with glosses on biblical and legal texts in mind, the project is applicable to any discipline within medieval studies and hopes to be a useful tool and resource for any medievalist encountering and studying glosses.

Gene Lyman
The TJ Reader: Immersive Learning Experience and Scholarly Tool
This presentation introduces the TJ Reader, a custom-built digital manuscript viewer designed to support both immersive pedagogy and advanced scholarly research. Initially developed for the Ellesmere Manuscript of The Canterbury Tales, the tool responds to the material turn in medieval studies by foregrounding the codicological dimensions of medieval literary artifacts alongside transcriptions of the texts that they encode. The talk will demonstrate how the Reader invites students to engage with manuscript materiality while providing scholars with a platform for investigating the historical circumstances of textual production—including scribal practice, page design, and the social and visual conventions that shape medieval literary culture.

Click here to register.

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Revolting Nuns: A Reacting to the Past Microgame Workshop (on Zoom)
2pm-4pm EST, Thursday 10/23/25
Led by Jennifer Edwards (Manhattan University)
Moderated by Lucy Barnhouse (Arkansas State University)

Revolting Nuns: Rebellion at Sainte-Croix, 590 is a Reacting to the Past microgame that examines an exciting historical moment: from 589-590, a group of forty nuns at the Abbey of Sainte-Croix in Poitiers, France rebelled against their abbess for months. They hired troops, kidnapped their abbess, stole the abbey’s relic, and refused to disband until soldiers defeated them. This game places rival factions of Sainte-Croix’s nuns in the tribunal that followed the rebellion. Bishops hear from the abbess and the rebels to determine who was at fault, why, and what penalties should be imposed. The game examines powerful and active roles for early medieval women as they wrestled with questions about who should lead a prominent monastery. In this workshop we will play the microgame and discuss ways to use it in your classes.

Please click here to register.

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Integrating Gaming into the Medieval Classroom (on Zoom), with Lucy Barnhouse (Arkansas State), Jay Diehl (Long Island University—CW Post), Catherine Twomey (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), and more!
4pm-5pm EST on Thursday 11/13/25

Looking to teach the Middle Ages in new and fun ways? Interested in immersive active learning approaches in the classroom? Have you struggled with student engagement and AI-written assignments? Join CARA members of the Medieval Academy to discuss the use of student-centric games in specialized medieval as well as premodern units of survey courses. Panelists will briefly present how they have developed and integrated roleplaying games—such as Reacting to the Past—into their courses with substantial time for discussion and questions to follow. This panel and discussion will consider broad pedagogical approaches as well as practical how-tos in time for next semester’s course planning.

Please click here to register.

Brigitte Bedos-Rezak has been elected to membership in the American Philosophical Society.

If you have good news to share, please contact the Executive Director.