Herman Beavers, the 2026–27 president of the MLA, has chosen Emancipatory Narratives as the presidential theme for the 2027 MLA Annual Convention in Los Angeles. As you are no doubt aware, we find ourselves, as a democratic nation of laws and as a profession, at a crossroads. Now, the crossroads is a powerful metaphor; it symbolizes… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Feature
Educational Technologies and AI Agents
Published in the Winter 2025 MLA Newsletter In October 2025, the MLA Executive Council issued a statement, drafted by the MLA Task Force on AI in Research and Teaching, on educational technologies and AI agents. We interviewed two members of the task force, Matthew Kirschenbaum and Anna Mills, about the importance of the statement and… Read more »
Member Spotlight: Brittney M. Edmonds
This month’s member spotlight features Brittney M. Edmonds, who has been an MLA member since 2019. Learn about Brittney’s experience with the MLA and how MLA resources have supported her work: “I’ve benefited from many aspects of MLA as an organization, particularly its teaching-focused publications. One of my most recent experiences was writing an essay… Read more »
Member Spotlight: Joseph Ortiz
For our December member spotlight, we’re highlighting the work of Joseph Ortiz, who has been a member of the MLA for twenty-four years. Learn about Joseph’s time on the MLA Publications Committee and the resource he recommends to humanities leaders: “Serving on the MLA Publications Committee gave me enormous insight into the innovative research and… Read more »
2025 ADE and ALD Award Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Association of Departments of English and Association of Language Departments service awards, Teresa Mangum and Sheri Spaine Long. The awards will be presented during the MLA Awards Ceremony, which will take place on 9 January at the MLA Annual Convention in Toronto. Teresa Mangum’s service to the profession has… Read more »
Member Spotlight: Darin Jensen
This month’s member spotlight features Darin Jensen, a ten year member of the MLA who currently serves on the Ad Hoc Committee on the Academic Workforce in Languages and Literatures. Learn more about Darin’s experience with the MLA: “I have been surprised and delighted at how the MLA has pivoted to be more inclusive of… Read more »
Member Spotlight: Ignacio Sánchez Prado
For our October member spotlight, we’re highlighting Ignacio Sánchez Prado, a twenty-one-year member of the MLA. Read about Ignacio’s time on the Executive Council and which MLA resources he has found invaluable to his work: “[W]hen I became a member of the Executive Council, I was immensely and positively surprised about all the work the… Read more »
MLA Members Elected to the American Antiquarian Society
Congratulations to the six MLA members who were elected as members of the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) in October 2025! According to the AAS, members “are elected by their colleagues in recognition of their eminent works of scholarship, artistic endeavors, or public engagement in pre-twentieth-century American history and culture.”
Ramón Saldívar Receives Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Award
Ramón Saldívar, professor of English and comparative literature and the Hoagland Family Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, will receive the eleventh MLA Award for Lifetime Scholarly Achievement. The Executive Council selected Saldívar for the award on the recommendation of the Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Review Committee. Saldívar is renowned as a scholar of… Read more »
Member Spotlight: LeAnne Spino-Seijas
This month’s member spotlight highlights LeAnne Spino-Seijas, an MLA member since 2017. Read about LeAnne’s experience participating in the MLA Pathways program and how MLA resources have supported her work: “I am an associate professor of Spanish at the University of Rhode Island. I also direct the International Studies and Diplomacy (ISD) program at the… Read more »