Getting Medieval in Leeds
Donation protected
Starving student seeks academic patronage.
Hello! I'm an almost-finished PhD student in Wales studying medieval Welsh literature, and I'm asking for your help to get to the International Medieval Congress in Leeds this summer.
The fact is the resources for international postgrads in the UK are quite limited and a lot of people need them, so while I've saved up what I can, and applied to what sources there are, the fact is I'm still short a registration fee.
For more details, read on! Any questions, ask, though I think I've got it covered. :) And thank you!
1. What is this conference, then?
The IMC Leeds is a week-long medieval conference held in the summer. one of the biggest things going. There are multiple themes and strings--I think this year's is over 4000 papers--and the conference programme is the size of a hefty paperback. (Our panel is in #729 and it's only on Tuesday.)
2. Why are you going?
First, because I am, as I mentioned, an 'almost-finished' PhD student. This makes it extra important that I go be visible, meet and talk to people, and give a paper, because frankly, after this is done I really need a job.
Second, because I'm on a panel with two other people, and having committed to that, it would be pretty low to back out on them. Our panel is on 'renewing and reforming chivalry in Arthurian texts,' sponsored by the British Branch of the International Arthurian Society, and I'll be talking about tensions between different constructions of chivalry present in the Welsh text 'Geraint'. It should be fun--swordfights and sexiness and stuff. You should come.
3. Why can't you just pay for it yourself?
Mostly because of the rules governing what international students can do while they live here. Legally, I can only work half time at the most; it says so on my visa. Half time is almost, but not quite, enough to keep a person dry and fed. It is not enough for anything else.
Also, I work in the university library, which is awesome but has one teensy flaw: that it's only during term time and not the summer. On the upside, all that time will be spend thesis-ing, but if you have ever tried to build a savings on £300/month, you will see where things could go wrong.
The IMC does have bursaries, but as they are aimed more toward people coming from abroad, I did not get one. My department is without spare conference funds at the moment and most of what money is out there is for EU nationals.
4. So exactly what is my money going for?
A fair question! Basically, I have tried to find other ways to pay for this as much as possible before resorting to begging for money on the internet, but week-long conferences are pricey. The registration fee for postgraduates is £119 just by itself, which at the moment is roughly twice my monthly food budget. (To go for a day, which isn't very useful anyway, is £108, so there's really no point not going the whole week.)
Then there's the matter of a train ticket to Leeds from Aberystwyth. I have part of that covered, but not all. I can probably make this happen for about £40. I hope. If you have ever tried to take a train to or from Aberystwyth before, you will know it can be a fraught and epic journey.
Fortunately, one of my panel-mates lives locally and is letting me crash in her spare room, so a place to sleep is sorted. But I am still going to need some food, even if it's just a week's worth of coffee, bread and peanut butter. I'm hoping that £40 is enough for the incidentals of travelling--food, bus fare that kind of thing.
5. What do I get out of it?
My undying gratitude and blessings upon your name. An acknowledgement in the credits. I guess maybe a haiku? The last time I did something like this I offered praise poetry, but I still haven't finished all of them yet, so promising that seems like a bad idea.
In the unlikely event someone pitches in over £50, I can send that person a book. Possibly more than one, like a Lucky Dip of Books. I can make no promises on whether it will be a good book, or when they haven't already read, or if they will find it useful. But surprise books!
6. Anything else you have to say for yourself?
Mostly just thank you. And that if this somehow manages to go over at all, any extra money will go toward a similar cause, because the Celtic Studies Congress is the week after that in Glasgow, and I don't know yet how I'm going to eat through that yet either.
Any questions, please let me know - I'm sure to have forgotten something! And if you do pitch in, know that I really do appreciate it tremendously. Thanks so much for your support - diolch o galon.
Hello! I'm an almost-finished PhD student in Wales studying medieval Welsh literature, and I'm asking for your help to get to the International Medieval Congress in Leeds this summer.
The fact is the resources for international postgrads in the UK are quite limited and a lot of people need them, so while I've saved up what I can, and applied to what sources there are, the fact is I'm still short a registration fee.
For more details, read on! Any questions, ask, though I think I've got it covered. :) And thank you!
1. What is this conference, then?
The IMC Leeds is a week-long medieval conference held in the summer. one of the biggest things going. There are multiple themes and strings--I think this year's is over 4000 papers--and the conference programme is the size of a hefty paperback. (Our panel is in #729 and it's only on Tuesday.)
2. Why are you going?
First, because I am, as I mentioned, an 'almost-finished' PhD student. This makes it extra important that I go be visible, meet and talk to people, and give a paper, because frankly, after this is done I really need a job.
Second, because I'm on a panel with two other people, and having committed to that, it would be pretty low to back out on them. Our panel is on 'renewing and reforming chivalry in Arthurian texts,' sponsored by the British Branch of the International Arthurian Society, and I'll be talking about tensions between different constructions of chivalry present in the Welsh text 'Geraint'. It should be fun--swordfights and sexiness and stuff. You should come.
3. Why can't you just pay for it yourself?
Mostly because of the rules governing what international students can do while they live here. Legally, I can only work half time at the most; it says so on my visa. Half time is almost, but not quite, enough to keep a person dry and fed. It is not enough for anything else.
Also, I work in the university library, which is awesome but has one teensy flaw: that it's only during term time and not the summer. On the upside, all that time will be spend thesis-ing, but if you have ever tried to build a savings on £300/month, you will see where things could go wrong.
The IMC does have bursaries, but as they are aimed more toward people coming from abroad, I did not get one. My department is without spare conference funds at the moment and most of what money is out there is for EU nationals.
4. So exactly what is my money going for?
A fair question! Basically, I have tried to find other ways to pay for this as much as possible before resorting to begging for money on the internet, but week-long conferences are pricey. The registration fee for postgraduates is £119 just by itself, which at the moment is roughly twice my monthly food budget. (To go for a day, which isn't very useful anyway, is £108, so there's really no point not going the whole week.)
Then there's the matter of a train ticket to Leeds from Aberystwyth. I have part of that covered, but not all. I can probably make this happen for about £40. I hope. If you have ever tried to take a train to or from Aberystwyth before, you will know it can be a fraught and epic journey.
Fortunately, one of my panel-mates lives locally and is letting me crash in her spare room, so a place to sleep is sorted. But I am still going to need some food, even if it's just a week's worth of coffee, bread and peanut butter. I'm hoping that £40 is enough for the incidentals of travelling--food, bus fare that kind of thing.
5. What do I get out of it?
My undying gratitude and blessings upon your name. An acknowledgement in the credits. I guess maybe a haiku? The last time I did something like this I offered praise poetry, but I still haven't finished all of them yet, so promising that seems like a bad idea.
In the unlikely event someone pitches in over £50, I can send that person a book. Possibly more than one, like a Lucky Dip of Books. I can make no promises on whether it will be a good book, or when they haven't already read, or if they will find it useful. But surprise books!
6. Anything else you have to say for yourself?
Mostly just thank you. And that if this somehow manages to go over at all, any extra money will go toward a similar cause, because the Celtic Studies Congress is the week after that in Glasgow, and I don't know yet how I'm going to eat through that yet either.
Any questions, please let me know - I'm sure to have forgotten something! And if you do pitch in, know that I really do appreciate it tremendously. Thanks so much for your support - diolch o galon.
Organizer
Kit Kapphahn
Organizer
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