For our February MLA member spotlight, we’re highlighting the work of Víctor Sierra Matute, who has been an MLA member since 2015. Read about Víctor’s experience with the MLA and his time on the Program Committee:
“My first MLA convention was Austin 2016, when I was still a PhD candidate. With support from the MLA for graduate students, I received a travel award that made it possible for me to attend. That first convention had a lasting impact on me. I got generous feedback on my work and began building relationships with colleagues with whom I would later collaborate on projects and publications. Since then, I have attended every single MLA convention, whether in person or virtual.
On the Program Committee we see our work as a collective effort to give back to that same community by shaping a program that brings together rigorous scholarship and pedagogical innovation while representing a broad range of topics, languages, regions and traditions. One thing that continues to surprise me about the MLA is how the convention can feel intimate despite its scale (like a small conference within a larger one). Members can shape an experience aligned with their interests while also stepping into conversations beyond their usual areas of expertise and leaving energized by discussions they did not expect. This balance gives the MLA convention a distinctive character that is difficult to find elsewhere.”
Recommended resource: “The exhibit hall [at the convention]. It is a resource I always encourage members to take full advantage of. Beyond discovering new books, it provides spaces for the connections that are central to professional life. Returning to the exhibit hall each year has become a meaningful ritual for me (including planning my ‘book haul’ on the final day) and remains one of the places where the collaborative spirit of the MLA is most visible.”
Is there someone you’d like to nominate for the MLA member spotlight? Email suggestions to outreach@mla.org.