Heading to Virginia for Mythmoot IV Literary Conference

caweyant (56)in #education • 7 years ago (edited)

Today, I'm traveling down to Leesburg, Virginia, to attend the (not quite) annual Mythmoot conference hosted by the Mythgard Institute. It's the fourth iteration of the conference, the first of which was held in 2013. I've been to every one, meaning that my attendance at the conference is possibly the most consistent thing I've done in my adult life.

This year's theme is "Invoking Wonder." But let me step back. For those who aren't aware – which I am assuming is most Steemians – the Mythgard Institute is dedicated furthering the study and enjoyment of imaginative literature, including fantasy, science fiction, fairy tales, folklore, and anything else that can fall under the term "imaginative" (which, I would argue, is pretty much all literature). Most of the Institute's activities are online, such as the weekly free Mythgard Academy literary seminars. But the Mythmoot conferences allow people to gather together in a physical location to present papers, exchange ideas, and interact socially.

I've met some of my best friends through the Mythgard Institute, and have solidified many of those friendships at Mythmoot conferences. As one example, the idea for my podcast Kat & Curt's TV Re-View came out of a discussion at the first Mythmoot conference with my friend Kat, whom I hadn't known very well before that time. Now, we've been podcasting for four years and have become great friends in the process.

So, all in all I'm very excited to travel down to Old Dominion to see what might come of this year's Mythmoot. I'll get to see many of the friends I've made over the last several years as a participant in events and activities hosted by the Mythgard Institute and as a student of Signum University (Mythgard's parent organization). I'll also get to meet face-to-face for the first time a number of people with whom I've only interacted online, and it will be nice to solidify those connections as well.

I'm also excited to see all of the great special guests who are coming to the event, including Dr. Verlyn Flieger, Dr. Michael Drout, John Di Bartolo, and Ted Nasmith – all of whom are incredibly talented and interesting people in their own ways. In one form or another, I've followed each of their works for years and am excited at the opportunity to hear from them and perhaps meet them in person.

Of course, I'm not just going down to have fun, but I'm also going to be presenting my recently completed Master's thesis on praxeology and literature. I'll be part of a panel (along with my podcasting partner Kat) on imagination and literature on Saturday. This is something of a necessity for me to participate in the graduation ceremony, which takes place later in the day. Yes, I am something of a procrastinator…

I will try to post a recap of each day at Mythmoot IV here on Steemit. However, I might have to catch up after the fact. (Remember the procrastinator part up above?)

Anyway, for those who want to know more about what's going on at the Mythmoot conference, you can check out the program online. Perhaps I'll see you at the next one!

In the meantime, you should definitely check out Mythgard Institute and Signum University.

Image: Official Mythmoot IV banner, based on “The White Ships of Valinor” by Ted Nasmith, used with permission.

Heading to Virginia for Mythmoot IV Literary Conference

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