The 2023 MVSA conference will take place on the Washburn University campus, in Topeka, Kansas, from March 24-26. The conference program commences on Friday, March 24 at noon (Central time), with our Plenary Panel, highlighting a set of superb papers that feature a range of approaches to the conference theme. In addition to the customary array of excellent panels, other conference highlights include:
- a Lifetime Achievement Award event and pre-dinner reception on Friday, honoring the extraordinary work and career of Florence Boos;
- a luncheon on Saturday, at which the 2021 and 2022 Walter L. Arnstein Dissertation Prize winners will be announced;
- the plenary talk, “Revisiting the Right to Rule and the Rights of Women,” delivered by this year’s Stedman Lecturer, the inimitable Professor Arianne Chernock (Boston University, History department);
- a progressive dinner following Saturday’s plenary, strolling through the historic neighborhood surrounding the Washburn campus, where conference participants will be entertained in some of these lovely homes.
~ Registration. The early-bird conference registration fee is $175 for tenure-track faculty and $125 for graduate students, non-tenure-track faculty, and unaffiliated scholars. The registration fee covers all conference events. For purposes of local planning, we request that you register by March 8, 2023. Attendees are kindly asked to become MVSA members when registering ($40 for tenure-track faculty; $30 for graduate students, non-tenure-track faculty, and unaffiliated scholars). Please note: A late fee of $50 will be added to all registrations after March 8, 2023.
To register, please fill out this Registration Form, which includes places to enter information about dietary restrictions as well as any accommodations you might need during the conference. Then, use the “Pay now” button below to enter the registration and membership fees appropriate to your membership category, and complete the transaction securely online. Please note: it may take up to ten minutes for the system to process the payment and email your receipt. If you do not receive an emailed receipt, we can rectify that when you check in at the conference.
Some of our members make annual donations to MVSA, for which we are very grateful. If you would like to make a donation, that amount can be added to the same transaction as your registration payment.
~ Travel Information. The closest airport to Topeka is Kansas City (MCI). This is a major airport, which should enable direct flights. For your planning purposes: conference events commence at noon on Friday, March 24, and will end after dinner on Saturday, March 25, to enable ease of return travel on Sunday. Please note that it is approximately one hour by car from the Kansas City airport to the Washburn campus, so you should factor that in to your flight planning.
Conference organizers are working on arranging group transportation between Topeka and the Kansas City airport, to facilitate travel for those who prefer not to rent a car. There will be a limited number of free spots available on a first-come-first-served basis in vans on Thursday evening and Friday morning from the airport to Topeka; and again on Sunday morning from Topeka back to the airport. After those spots are claimed, we are happy to facilitate reservations for shared cars to/from the airport. Rates for those will be approximately $40-60 per person, each way (depending on how many people per car). If you are planning to fly and would like ground transportation help, please fill out this form with your contact and flight information. [Update March 18, 2023: The transportation form is now closed as all van spots are full.]
~ Accommodations. The conference hotel will be the Ramada, in downtown Topeka, at the rate of $91 per night, which includes breakfast. Please use this link to make your reservations. The room block will be held until March 8, 2023, so please be sure to make your reservation before that. The room rate includes breakfast and WiFi throughout the hotel. For those planning to drive to Topeka, or to rent a car from the airport: the hotel has a large parking lot and no parking fees.
The Washburn University campus is about 2.5 miles from the hotel. We will have shuttles at key times for transportation between the two. Further information on these will be available upon check-in at the hotel.
For information on past MVSA conferences, visit the Archives section of the website.
Midwest Victorian Studies Association 