Upcoming Conference
The 58th annual meeting will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, September 17-19, 2026, hosted by the University of New Mexico Institute for Medieval Studies in a hybrid format.
58th Annual Conference in Albuquerque, NM, Sep. 17-19, 2026
Conference Schedule
Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association Annual Meeting
September 17–19, 2026
Hosted by the University of New Mexico Institute for Medieval Studies
All times are MST (Mountain Standard Time, UTC-7). Time zone converter
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Opening Reception — 5:00–7:00 pm Location: Lescombes Family Vineyards, 901 Rio Grande Blvd NW B100, Albuquerque
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Registration — 8:30 am–4:00 pm | Location: SUB Atrium
Session I — 9:00–10:30 am
1. Theorizing Beowulf: Medieval Christian Imagination and Modern Approaches 1 Organizer: Cody West, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/94367670434 (Passcode: 074110) Presider: Tristan Rebe, Arizona State University
- Emotional Environment: An Ecocritical Approach to Spaces in Beowulf — Sydney Brazil, University of New Mexico
- Sounding Civilization: Acoustic Erasure and Sonic Monstrosity in Beowulf — Luke J. Sheppard, University of New Mexico
- Grendel's Soul as a Medieval Model of the Monstrous: An Augustinian Reading — Cody West, University of New Mexico
2. Middle Ages: Commerce Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/92747791445 (Passcode: 997725) Presider: Charles R. Smith, Colorado State University, Emeritus
- The Sheriff of Time and Space — Seeta Chaganti, University of California, Davis
- Chaucer's Guildsmen and Attitudes toward the Flemish in London — Darin Merrill, Brigham Young University, Idaho
- "Ut communes habeant proprietates . . .": The Teutonic Knights and the Amber Trade during the Crusades, c. 1140–1410 — Todd Upton, Metropolitan State University of Denver
3. Textual Studies and Digital Humanities 1 Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/96215060587(Passcode: 911486) Presider: Sean Babbs, University of Colorado Boulder
- Making the Open-Access Ormulum — Carla Maria Thomas, Florida Atlantic University
- In and out of Context: Biblioclasm and the Circulation of Manuscript Leaves in the 20th-Century US — Allison McCormack, University of Utah
- What's in a Brand? Printers Marks and Public Marketing — Lyuba Basin, University of Utah
Break: 10:30–11:00 am | Location: Santa Ana A
Session II — 11:00 am–12:30 pm
4. Arthuriana Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/94367670434 (Passcode: 074110) Presider: Kurt Haas, Colorado Mesa University
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Tolkien, and the Critics — Steven Hrdlicka, Great Basin College
- From Caladbolg to Excalibur: King's Swords in Celtic Lore and Arthuriana — Averie Basch, University of New Mexico
- Witchcraft and the Crown: Morgan le Fay and Kingship in Le Morte Darthur — Sunshine Simmons, Brigham Young University
5. Transformations and Religious Bodies Organizers: Shannen Escote, University of California, Davis, and Elisha Hamlin, University of California, Davis Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/92747791445 (Passcode: 997725) Presider: Katherine Clark Walter, SUNY Brockport
- The Good Saracen Knight: Assemblage, Performance, and the Rituals of Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur — T. J. De Los Angeles, University of California, Davis
- "Immaterial Girls, Immaterial Boys": Contagious Miracles in A Virgin of Antioch — Shannen Escote, University of California, Davis
- Birth Envy in The King of Tars — Elisha Hamlin, University of California, Davis
6. Textual Studies and Digital Humanities 2 Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/96215060587(Passcode: 911486) Presider: Jane Woodruff, William Jewell College
- The Transformations of Cathedral Martyrology Manuscripts: Use, Reuse, and Revaluation in Medieval and Early Modern Provence — Sean Babbs, University of Colorado Boulder
- Trash as Treasure: Cataloging Lost Manuscript Waste Fragments — Bailey Hart, University of California, Los Angeles
- Teaching and Touching Old Books on a Budget: Pedagogical Strategies and Resources — Jessica Brown, Adams State University
Lunch — 12:30–2:00 pm (Non-catered; see handout at registration)
Executive Board Lunch — 12:30–2:00 pm | Location: Santa Ana A
Session III — 2:00–3:30 pm
7. Narrative, Nationhood, and Devotion: Late-Medieval Expression of Venetian Identity throughout the Mediterranean World Organizer: Emily Heimerman, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/94367670434 (Passcode: 074110) Presider: Michael A. Ryan, University of New Mexico
- A Medieval Nation: Venetian Identity, Community, and Privileges in the Late Medieval Mediterranean — Jet Davis, University of New Mexico
- Exporting History: Narrative, Method, and the Printed Text in Late Medieval Venice — Jackson Andress, University of New Mexico
- Kidnapped, Forged, and Circulated: St. Roch, Venetian Identity, and Pilgrimage in the Later Middle Ages — Emily Heimerman, University of New Mexico
8. Celebrating Geraldine Heng: Race, Racialization, and Whiteness before and after The Invention of RaceOrganizer: Nahir Otaño-Gracia, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/92747791445 (Passcode: 997725) Presider and Respondent: Seeta Chaganti, University of California, Davis
A roundtable with Tiffany N. Florvil (University of New Mexico), Nahir Otaño Gracia (University of New Mexico), Alex Ponomareff (University of South Florida), Kathy Powers (University of New Mexico), and Jonathan Correa Reyes (Clemson University)
9. If Lions Painted: Women Commissioning, Owning, and Consuming Illumination Organizer: Katherine Clark Walter, SUNY Brockport Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/96215060587 (Passcode: 911486) Presider: Jessica Brown, Adams State University
- Household Treasures: Visualizing Romance Culture in England's Late Medieval Mercantile Economy — Reagan Paris, Independent Scholar
- She Who Laughs Last: Early Modern Women, the Female Gaze, and Print Art of Phyllis and Aristotle — Barbara E. Logan, University of Wyoming
- Women, Books, and Representation in Papal Avignon — Katherine Clark Walter, SUNY Brockport
Break: 3:30–4:00 pm | Location: Santa Ana A
Session IV — 4:00–5:30 pm
10. Theorizing Beowulf: Medieval Christian Imagination and Modern Approaches 2 Organizer: Cody West, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/94367670434 (Passcode: 074110) Presider: Meghan Worth, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Queering the Exchange: Grendel's Mother's Gifts in Beowulf — Steph Norwood, University of New Mexico
- Beowulf's Allusive Poet: Eddic Poetry within a Genre of Anglo-Scandinavian Poetics — Chandler Veal, University of New Mexico
11. Female Narratives in the Medieval and Early Modern World Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/92747791445 (Passcode: 997725) Presider: Jessie Bonafede, University of New Mexico
- Pain Insists You Pay Attention: Medieval Female Mystics and the Divine Nature of Pain — Madison Hogans, University of New Mexico
- Popular Politics: Theorizing Consent in the Cambridge University Pregnancy Laments — Sarah Baechle, University of Mississippi
- Yver's Appropriation of Pliny — Margaret Harp, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
12. Medieval Otherworlds Organizer: Nahir Otaño-Gracia, University of New Mexico Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/96215060587 (Passcode: 911486) Presider and Respondent: Nahir Otaño-Gracia, University of New Mexico
- Intellectual Otherworlds: Virgilius Maro Grammaticus and the Politics of Modern Memes — Ford Peay, Arizona State University
- Bodies Out of Line: Queer Phenomenology and the Otherworld in Yonec — Michael Howard, University of New Mexico
- Dreaming the Otherworld: Mediation, Perception, and Meaning in Malory's Le Morte Darthur — Tristan Rebe, Arizona State University
Bus Pickup Back to the Best Western — UNM Bookstore, 5:45 pm
Friday, September 18, 2026
Registration — 8:30 am–3:00 pm | Location: SUB Atrium
Session V — 9:00–10:45 am
13. Medieval Travel Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/95790751521 (Passcode: 464241) Presider: Katie E. Despeaux, University of New Mexico
- "But Where's Their Stadium?": Maps and Connecting the Past and Present in the Classroom — Meghan Worth, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Marvels of the Medieval World: Travels and Travelers in the Middle Ages — Kim Klimek, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- The Bytes Must Flow: Silk Road Divination as Proto-Computation — George Sieg, Luna Community College
- Figures in the Doorway: Ghostly Apparitions and Fear of Death in Times of Global Pestilence — Robert Welch, Marquette University
14. Prescient Intersections of Women, Bodies, and Space in Premodernity Organizer: Andrea Borunda, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/97071909896 (Passcode: 167035) Presider: Dalicia Raymond, Spartanburg Methodist College
- Milton, Memoir, Disability — Marissa Greenberg, University of New Mexico
- Audacious Women in Medieval Space — Euan McCartney Robson, Academy of Art, San Francisco
- Shakespeare's New Mestiza — Andrea Borunda, University of New Mexico
- The Hysterical Mystic and Her Feminine Ways — Kaitlyn Caggiano, University of New Mexico
15. Voices from Inside: A Panel of Incarcerated Undergraduate Students Organizer: Donald Burke, Grays Harbor College Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/97960290705 (Passcode: 394830) Presider: Donald Burke, Grays Harbor College
- Those We Leave Behind: A Reexamination of Don Quixote — D. Ramos, Grays Harbor College
- Medieval Psychology of the Cartesian Witch — R. Ball, Grays Harbor College
- Power and the Social Class: The Influence of Money, Gender and Religion in the Acquisition and Retention of Power in Medieval Times — M. Munywe, Grays Harbor College
- Ironic Theatrical Satire: Historic Truth in the Limelight — M. Varnes, Grays Harbor College
Break: 10:45–11:15 am | Location: Santa Ana A
Session VI — 11:15 am–12:45 pm
16. Chivalry and Violence Organizer: Anita Obermeier, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/95790751521 (Passcode: 464241) Presider: Anita Obermeier, University of New Mexico
- Why Violence? Chivalric Decision-Making in The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain — Jessie Bonafede, University of New Mexico
- Prize and Penance: Corpse Interaction in a Pair of Le Morte Darthur Lancelot Adventures — Dalicia Raymond, Spartanburg Methodist College
- Chivalry as Looksmaxxing — Maia Farrar, University of Michigan
17. Nordic Studies Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/97071909896 (Passcode: 167035) Presider: Jennifer Lodine-Chafey, Montana State University Billings
- Blood, Bone, Flesh, Names: Disability, Kinship, and Embodied Narratives in Old Norse Literature — Erin Benton, University of Aberdeen
- The Disappearing North: Making Sense of Silence in 10th-Century Scandinavia — Daniel Melleno, University of Denver
18. Shakespeare Organizer: Kristin M. S. Bezio, University of Richmond Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/97960290705 (Passcode: 394830) Presider: Kristin M. S. Bezio, University of Richmond
- Shakespeare and Drama Therapy: The San Quentin Prison's Staging of Love's Labours Lost — Jolene Mendel, American Public University
- Why Does Hamlet Leap into Ophelia's Grave? Using Burke's Dramatistic Method to Teach Hamlet 5.1 — Kurt Haas, Colorado Mesa University
- Shakespeare's Medieval Goad: Lady Macbeth and Heroic Misprision — Wendolyn Weber, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Lunch — 12:45–2:00 pm (Non-catered; see handout at registration)
Session VII — 2:00–3:30 pm
19. Mediterranean Studies Location: Lobo A | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/95790751521 (Passcode: 464241) Presider: Maia Farrar, University of Michigan
- Calisto's Obsession: Performative Gender in the Romantic Love of La Celestina — Griffin Carty, University of Colorado Boulder
- There's Drama in the Probata: Scribes in Crisis in the Late Fourteenth-Century Crown of Aragon — Jonathan Seyfried, University of New Mexico
- Revisiting Medieval European Representations of Saladin through the Lenses of Aristotelian Philia, Ciceronian Amicitia, and al-Fārābi's Civil Friendship — Doaa Omran, University of New Mexico
20. Castration in Medieval England Organizer: Kylie Owens, University of New Mexico Location: Lobo B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/97071909896 (Passcode: 167035) Presider: Daniel Melleno, University of Denver
- The Specter of Judicial Castration in Medieval England — Anna K. Davis, The Ohio State University
- "Lat Cutte Hem Of": The Castration and Criminality of Chaucer's Pardoner — Emily S. York-Brown, Western Michigan University
- The Castration of Old English Saints — Kylie Owens, University of New Mexico
21. Provocative Readings in Middle English Literature Organizer: Anita Obermeier, University of New Mexico Location: Santa Ana B | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/97960290705 (Passcode: 394830) Presider: Averie Basch, University of New Mexico
- The Arming of Horn in Horn Childe & Maiden Rimnild: Courtly Commitment and Cultural Contexts — Andrew Fields, University of New Mexico
- The Neurodiverse Chaucer — Laurie Price, University of New Mexico
- Farting Mad: Two Fifteenth-Century Middle English Fabliaux — Ian Martin, University of New Mexico
Break: 3:30–4:00 pm | Location: Jackson Student Center
Session VIII: Plenary — 4:00–5:15 pm
Location: Jackson Student Center | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93986262132 (Passcode: 650474)
Welcome Margaret Harp, RMMRA President, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Lisa Myers, Co-Director, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of New Mexico
Performing Verónica: Image, Ritual, and Sacred Authority in Early Modern Spain Mary Quinn, University of New Mexico Introduced by Anita Obermeier, Co-Director, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of New Mexico
Plenary Reception — 5:15–7:15 pm | Location: University Club, 1921 Las Lomas Rd NE
Bus Pickup Back to the Best Western — Duck Pond, 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Registration — 8:30 am–2:00 pm | Location: Honors College Lobby
Session IX — 9:00–10:45 am
22. Alternate Physicalities Location: Honors College Forum | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93815980999 (Passcode: 205169) Presider: Margaret Harp, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- On Disability, the Archive, and Fragmentary Love in Petrarch — Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Brown University
- Embodied Spirituality: Teresa de Cartagena and the Theology of Disability — Sydney Wilson, University of New Mexico
- Monstrosity as Identity: The Shifting Locus of Control and the Transformation of Men in Bisclavret and The Wolf and His King — Ann Thomson, Idaho State University
- Warts and All: How "Folk Horror" Cinema Can Save Medievalism from Extremism — Donald Burke, Grays Harbor College
23. Readings in Medieval Texts Location: Honors College 1004 | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/99412215189 (Passcode: 696241) Presider: Cody West, University of New Mexico
- Richard of Ely and Laȝamon: Language as Resistance in Anglo-Norman England — Lisa Myers, University of New Mexico
- Beyond the Apocalypse: Fear, Death, and the Rhetoric of Crisis in Tenth- and Eleventh-Century England — Lauren Coghlan, University of New Mexico
- Is Heinrich Kramer a Demon? Malleus Maleficarum and Pedagogical Strategies for Teaching It as Literature — Asa Holcombe, University of New Mexico
24. Jacobean and 17th Century English Studies Location: Honors College 1020 | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93289852395 (Passcode: 797192) Presider: Robert Welch, Marquette University
- The Beagle and the Scot: Robert Cecil and the New Age of Intelligence Under James I — Kristin M. S. Bezio, University of Richmond
- The Verbal Pyrotechnics of John Donne's "The Crosse" — Paul J. Stapleton, North Carolina Central University
- From "William Grismond's Downfall" (1650) to "Knoxville Girl" (1956): Shifting Messages in the Murdered Sweetheart Ballad — Jennifer Lodine-Chafey, Montana State University Billings
- Between the Diabolical and the Natural: Printed Literature and the Course of Magic in the English Civil War — Sean-Sophia Taplin, Colorado Mesa University
25. Embodiment and Memory in the Premodern World and Beyond Organizer: Katie E. Despeaux, University of New Mexico Location: Honors College 1040 | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93742738838 (Passcode: 281619) Presider: Kim Klimek, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Teen Mom, Queen Mom: Perinatal Embodiment of So-Called Bad Royal Mothers — Katie E. Despeaux, University of New Mexico
- This Bog Isn't Big Enough for the Both of Us: A Case Study of Identity Entanglement and Cultural Memory in Vejle, Denmark — Jacquelyn Truitt, University of New Mexico
- Enemies at Peace: Apaches and Seventeenth-Century Spanish Archival Fictions — Joe Ukockis, Independent Scholar
Break: 10:45–11:15 am | Location: Honors College Forum
Session X — 11:15 am–12:30 pm
26. Workshop: Pedagogy Location: Honors College Forum | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93815980999 (Passcode: 205169) Facilitator: Sam Dressel, Chapman University
27. Workshop: Publications and Presentations Location: Honors College 1020 | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93289852395 (Passcode: 797192) Facilitators: Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Brown University; Margaret Harp, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
28. Workshop: The Ts and Ps Location: Honors College 1040 | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/93742738838 (Passcode: 281619) Facilitator: Kristin M. S. Bezio, University of Richmond
RMMRA Business Lunch — 12:30–2:00 pm | Location: UNM English Department, Parish B68
Session XI: Live Podcast — 2:15–3:30 pm
Location: Honors College Forum | Zoom: https://unm.zoom.us/j/95179338174 (Passcode: 931776)
Real Fantastic Beasts with Alexa Sand, Utah State University; Ian MacInnes, Albion College; and Emily Piersma Sharet, University of Northwestern, St. Paul
Closing Comments Margaret Harp, RMMRA President, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Bus Pickup Back to the Best Western — Duck Pond, 4:00 pm
Conference Information
Venue Except for the Wednesday Opening Reception, all activities take place on the main campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. General conference sessions on Thursday and Friday are in the Student Union Building (SUB). Friday's Plenary is in the Jackson Student Center, with the Plenary Reception in the University Club. Saturday sessions take place in the Honors College, with the Saturday Business Meeting and Lunch in the UNM English Department, Parish B68. A campus map is available at registration.
Transportation to Campus A shuttle bus will leave the Best Western at 8:00 am Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings, with a guide aboard to show the way to that day's opening venue.
- Thursday evening: shuttle leaves the UNM Bookstore for the hotel at 5:45 pm
- Friday evening: shuttle leaves the Duck Pond at 7:30 pm, following the Plenary Reception
- Saturday afternoon: shuttle leaves the Duck Pond at 4:00 pm
Albuquerque city buses are free of charge (cabq.gov/transit). Uber and Lyft are other affordable options.
Meals and Receptions Your registration packet includes tickets for the Friday evening Plenary Reception (including a drink ticket) and the Saturday Business Lunch, if you signed up for those events. Please have your tickets with you when attending. If you signed up for the Wednesday opening reception, you will receive your drink ticket at the venue. Participants at the receptions are free to order additional drinks on their own tab.
- The Wednesday evening reception takes place at Lescombes Family Vineyards, 901 Rio Grande Blvd NW B100, Albuquerque — within easy walking distance of the Best Western.
- The Friday reception takes place at the UNM University Club, across the street from the plenary location in the Jackson Student Center. Note: UNM enforces parking on Saturdays.
Coffee Service and Refreshments Coffee and tea will be served in SUB Santa Ana A on Thursday and Friday mornings, with other light refreshments during scheduled breaks. Coffee, tea, and light refreshments will be served in the Honors Forum on Saturday. The UNM Medieval Studies Student Association will have merchandise and medieval books for sale.
The UNM Institute for Medieval Studies thanks the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors College, the Department of English, the Department of History, and the Medieval Studies Student Association for their generous support of this year's conference.
Accommodations
The recommended hotel is the Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn, but there are a variety of hotels in the area.
1015 Rio Grande Boulevard NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104-2031 United States
Reservations: (800) 780-7234
Hotel Direct Number (505) 843-9500
Other options:
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town: upscale, very close to Rio Grande Inn
Casas de Suenos Old Town Historic Inn: charming historic B&B with unique rooms and patios
Econo Lodge Albuquerque Old Town: budget option, walkable to Old Town
ARRIVE Albuquerque: trendy, retro-styled, downtown near the convention area
The Clyde Hotel: Art Deco style, also downtown
Transportation
Getting there from Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
The Rio Grande Inn sits at 1015 Rio Grande Blvd NW, near Old Town, about 6–7 miles northwest of the airport (roughly a 15–20 minute drive depending on traffic).
- Rideshare/Taxi: Uber and Lyft both operate at ABQ (pickup is at a designated curbside area outside baggage claim). This is the easiest option. Expect around $20–30 depending on demand.
- Rental car: From I-40, exit at Rio Grande Blvd and head north. You'll see the hotel on the right just past Central Ave.
- Public transit: ABQ Ride bus Route 50 runs from the airport to Downtown, where you'd transfer to Route 66/Central heading west toward Old Town.
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Conference Leadership
President: Margaret Harp, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Treasurer: Sam Dressel, Chapman University
Secretary:Jessica Brown, Adams State University
Membership: Vincent Patarino, Colorado Mesa University
Affiliations and Associate Organizations: Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Brown University Communications: Corinne Wieben, University of Northern Colorado
Executive Board Members: Jessie Bonafede, Jolene Mendel, Maia Farrar, Jonathan Davis-Secord, Kim Klimek, Andrea Knox, Steven Hrdlicka, Allison McCormack, Bailey Hart, Breton Rodriguez, Jacob Thomas, Andrew Wells, Cody West
Program Committee: Lisa Myers (Chair), Kristin M. S. Bezio, Jonathan Davis-Secord, Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Anita Obermeier, Michael A. Ryan, Cody West
Host Institution: University of New Mexico Institute for Medieval Studies (ims.unm.edu) Justine M. Andrews, Jonathan Davis-Secord, Sarah Davis-Secord, Leslie A. Donovan, Timothy C. Graham, Lisa Myers (Co-Director), Anita Obermeier (Co-Director), Nahir Otaño Gracia, Michael A. Ryan, Nicholas Schwartz, Colleen Sheinberg