Rachel Carson Conference
Chatham University, Shadyside Campus | October 19, 2024
Stomping Grounds
A place of origin: where we grow up, ride bikes, and hunt mushrooms in our memories.
A claim to territory: favorite pastures, favorite books, favorite bars, cafes, and corners.
A place of exile: to, from, afar; willing and unwilling; political and familial.
A reclamation of territory: returning, rebuilding, or building anew.
“There are few studies more fascinating, and at the same time more neglected, than those of the teeming populations that exist in the dark realms of the soil, [of] the threads that bind the soil organisms to each other and to their world, and to the world above.”—Silent Spring, 1962
Stomping grounds are places, stories, and journeys. From eco-criticism to reminiscence to displacement, Rachel Carson’s poetic assertion holds true. As people around the world become more vigilant of current diaspora and colonization, scrutinizing the meaning of nation, home, land rights have exploded in academic curriculums. Still, it seems we know too little of the myriad threads that are human beings in the throes of displacement. And when we do know, what do we do with knowledge? Of course, “Stomping Grounds” isn’t exclusive to the urgent state of land politics. We hope to receive creative and academic submission covering every biome of place and feeling.
Alpha Delta Lambda invites submissions for the 9th Rachel Carson Academic and Creative Writing Conference hosted at Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, on the 19th of October 2024. 20-minute conference papers, performances and presentations, panels, and multimedia projects that seek to unravel the complex themes of home, movement, land, and identity. Academic and genres of creative writing will be considered regardless of institutional affiliation, and we look forward to seeing the interpretations that home can bring to a conference about the spirit of Rachel Carson. Completed works and abstract submissions are both eligible for consideration. We also encourage anyone with no previous convention experience to submit.
Claiming Forms: Investigating Poetic Techniques from Natalie Diaz's “When My Brother Was an Aztec”
Led by Charlie Dorlon ‘25, Will Grasso ‘24, and Dirk Wynn ‘24
Charlie Dorlon ‘25
Will Grasso ‘24
Dirk Wynn ‘24
Join Dirk, Will, and Charlie for a creative writing workshop themed around the 2024 Sigma Tau Delta Common Reader: When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz.
“A sister struggles with a brother’s addiction to meth, while everyone, from Antigone and Houdini to Huitzilopochtli and Jesus, is invited to have it out.”
From tight triplets to blocks of narrative, masquerading as prose, Diaz’s poetry speaks through a myriad of forms (and formlessness). Diaz illustrates that no story is a single story. All elements of grief, recovery, and creation require unique shapes of expression. In the spirit of Diaz, our workshop will not be exclusive to “poetry,” but will distinguish the role of poetic language beyond versed genre. We will discuss Diaz’s work, draft some of our own, and share to our levels of comfort!
Charlie Dorlon (they/them) is a junior Creative Writing major at Chatham University. They are the president of Chatham’s undergraduate Creative Writing Club and an editor for the up-and-coming scholarly journal Viaduct Dialogues.
Will Grasso (they/he) is a senior at Chatham University double-majoring in Visual Arts and Women & Gender Studies, with a minor in Jewish Studies. Seeped in Judaic iconography and queer theory, their undergraduate studies encouraged reimagining worlds and creating new ones.
Dirk Wynn (he/him) is a writer, aspiring scholar, and senior English major at Chatham University focusing on deconstruction in 20th century American literature. Currently, he is upstarting an academic journal, Viaduct Dialogues, and writing a short story about crab fishing.
Finalized Conference Schedule
All conference events will take place in Mellon Center.
Please access a map of Chatham University’s Shadyside Campus here.
Guests are invited to park in the East Parking lots, Library Parking lot, and the Terrace Parking lot.
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.— Breakfast and Registration
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.— Keynote Speaker
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.— Session 1
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.— Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.— Workshop
2:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.— Session 2
3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.— Session 3
5:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.— Closing Remarks
Topics Might Include:
Ecocritical readings
Queering critics
Conceptualizing the place of gender and sexuality, or locating psychological impulses in literature
Revealing anger, joy, or grief, recounting childhood, adolescence, or coming of age
Exploring spiritual grounding, investigating the body as place
Honoring and redefining— family, heritage, and community; stomping stereotypes
Analyzing landscape and land art; and/or any other creative or critical endeavor that you, the author, feel reflects the complex web of “Stomping Grounds.”
Submission Deadlines & Notifications
Who Can Submit
Sigma Tau Delta student members
Alpha Delta Lambda student members
Alumni Epsilon Chapter members
Community members and students who have an interest in and would be available to present at the Rachel Carson Conference
How to Submit & Submission Deadline
To submit, you can email abstracts of 500 words or less in the form of a Word Doc or PDF to sigmataudelta@chatham.edu by October 1, 2024.
Rachel Carson
Scientist. Author. Environmentalist. Pioneer. Student. Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University) graduate Rachel Carson '29 rose to prominence with her book, Silent Spring, as a trailblazing voice questioning the resulting impact of pesticides on people, animals, and the environment. This call to attention was a catalyst for the environmental movement that has helped bring awareness and action to the ecological problems our planet faces. Her inspiration guided Chatham to the creation of Eden Hall Campus, and her work has also served as a catalyst for our and the Falk School of Sustainability & Environment's commitment to advancing sustainability education, implementation, and research. Carson's big thinking and devotion to improve the world are just two of the qualities we work to bring to life through our students.