Reimagining the Rachel Carson Conference, 12 Years Later
On Saturday, March 26, 2022, the Rachel Carson Academic and Creative Writing Conference is returning to Chatham twelve years after its initial founding by Chatham alumna and Assistant Professor of Humanities, Dr. Allie Reznik. The Carson Conference was designed as a space for undergraduate and graduate writers to gain confidence in presenting academic and/or creative work at academic conferences, thus, students are given the opportunity to read their written work aloud before an audience of their peers. Below, we talk with founder of the conference, Dr. Allie Reznik and current English major and co-conference organizer, Abigail Yeager about how this unique event came to be and what students can expect from the new & improved Carson Conference—
Dr. Allie Reznik
As a talented and ambitious undergraduate English major at Chatham, Allie Reznik (she/they) attended the Shepherdstown University Conference in West Virginia and the National Sigma Tau Delta Conference to present her scholarly work. Though she was initially intimidated at the prospect of reading her work aloud in a conference setting, retired Professor of English, Bill Lenz pushed Allie to attend anyway. As a result, she made enduring friendships and started to build a confidence in her work that still serves her today.
While participating as an active member of Alpha Delta Lambda, Chatham’s campus conference of Sigma Tau Delta—an English honor society— Allie wanted to develop a conference at Chatham that would help undergraduates like herself feel better prepared to present their work at large-scale academic conferences. In 2010, Allie’s senior year, she founded the Rachel Carson Academic and Creative Writing Conference for undergraduate and graduate students to present their written work to peers.
The inaugural Rachel Carson Academic and Creative Writing Conference was hosted on September 26, 2010. Its theme was ‘Revising the World’ and it was a rousing success. The conference featured the academic introspection of Chatham faculty, a keynote speaker, and the fledgling academic presentations of many an undergraduate. Allie reflected on the experience in a blog written for Alpha Delta Lambda:
“Students participated in lively conversations on panels…that discussed threads of environmentalism, international awareness, and women’s leadership. While planning an entire conference from start to finish can be immensely stressful, it is essential to…keep the goal in mind—in this case, revising the world around us. Dr. William Lenz asked us to keep in mind the work of alumna Rachel Carson. He said, ‘Having the courage to challenge and revise the world around us is what we must aspire to.’”
Now, twelve years after that spectacular feat of undergraduate tenacity, senior English major, Allie Reznik is now Chatham’s Assistant Professor of Humanities, Dr. Allie Reznik. Though the Carson Conference ran for the five years following her graduation, it has been on hiatus for the last several. Luckily, Dr. Reznik and a team of undergraduate students, including Madeline Hennessey and Abigail Yeager are currently in the process of reviving and reinvigorating the conference at Eden Hall Campus for March 2022
“I used to joke when I was an undergrad that I would love to retire at Chatham. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I would get to come back as a professor. The charter for when Alpha Delta Lambda started at Chatham is hanging in Lindsay House and Dr. Heather McNaugher’s name is on it. It’s really nice to see how big of an influence being in the English department and part of Sigma Tau Delta can be. I get to be back here now to continue collaborating with students to try to solidify that legacy.”
Above are a selection of Dr. Reznik’s photos from the inaugural Rachel Carson Conference
Dr. Reznik describes the original mission statement of the Carson Conference as such: “The Carson Conference was created for undergraduates and even graduate students to get a first taste of what an academic conference is like in a smaller, more supportive environment where it's easier to network, try things out, make mistakes, and learn from them. It's low stakes, but it's a really big deal.” Accepted students, including those from universities outside of Chatham, are invited to present academic papers, creative works (including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), or both. And in an effort to promote further relaxation and mindfulness for conference participants, Madeline and Abigail have opted to included several self-care centered activities throughout the day.
Though enhanced by these additional benefits, Dr. Reznik’s original goal for the conference remains intact: “For me, the [ideal] outcome is for students to determine whether they like to share their work with the world via conferences. It's a chance for presenters to get a sense of, Do I enjoy doing this or is this something that I'm not necessarily interested in? Chatham has a really good track record of humanities students going off to grad school and getting fully funded offers. This is a great professionalizing opportunity that [students can include on their CV].”
The Need-to-Knows of Alpha Delta Lambda with Abigail Yeager, Marketing & Creative Writing major (she/her)
as told to Abbi Kneuss, Marketing & Communications major
What is Alpha Delta Lambda?
Abigail Yeager
Abigail Yeager: Alpha Delta Lambda is the Chatham University chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. It's an honor society, so students from any major with an interest in writing or English who have completed two English credits beyond ENG105, if they maintain a good enough GPA, are invited to apply. Our goal is to create community with English and writing-focused people on campus through our events. Last semester, we had a book club for The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and a dress up as your favorite literary character event. This semester, our big event is the Rachel Carson Conference.
What are the benefits of joining?
AY: There are larger national conferences that members are invited to submit to where they can network and share their work. There are specific internships, that if you are enrolled in Sigma Tau Delta, you get priority access to, including with Penguin Random House and Dolly Parton’s Dream Library. There are also opportunities for stipends if you're doing an unpaid internship.
How did Alpha Delta Lambda come to be established at Chatham?
AY: It has been around for a while, but it was revitalized last semester after a lull in active members. Last semester, myself and a few new inductees felt isolated, especially with COVID-19. We wanted to make a community of people to share our interests with.
How does the Rachel Carson Conference continue this goal?
AY: One thing that we’ve really emphasized is that this conference is low stakes and welcoming in order to provide students with the space to present a paper at a conference for the first time. We want to give a space for people to talk about their work, their passions, and their interests with people who genuinely want to be there and listen. It's not about having a groundbreaking paper that shatters academia; it's about giving people a space [that will] foster discussion.
The upcoming Rachel Carson Conference, hosted by the Alpha Delta Lambda chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, will be held at our Eden Hall Campus on Saturday, March 26 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Though submissions have now closed, interested writers can contact Madeline Hennessey, Abigail Yeager, or Dr. Allie Reznik for more information about getting involved with Alpha Delta Lambda. And if you’re curious about the hype behind earning your English degree at Chatham, you’re going to want to check out our website.