MERC 2024
On Saturday, February 10th, 2024 Salem State University hosted the 4th Annual Master’s in English Regional Conference (MERC) in-person in the Ellison Campus Center. Organized by Dr. Keja Valens and Graduate Research Assistant McKenna Tryson of Salem State University and Dr. Halina Adams of Bridgewater State University, the event highlighted the research, creativity, and passion of English graduate students from across New England. MERC featured 6 panels with 16 total presenters, all of whom were current graduate students. The students featured in the conference came from Salem State University, Bridgewater State University, Southern Connecticut State University, Boston College, Northeastern University, University of Maine, University of Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Boston, and University of Vermont. English graduate students Delia Cullity, Luiz da Costa, Dariana Guerrero, Ellen Pariser, Alex Romano, and James Rego and Holocaust and Genocide Studies Certificate candidate John Mullady represented Salem State.
The 6 panels represented topics as diverse as “Gender and Genre, Reinvention and Reading” and “Literatures of the Americas: Borders and Bridges” and all panels were moderated by a current faculty member of either Salem State University or Bridgewater State University. Presenters spoke for 15 minutes each followed by a 20 minute Q&A facilitated by the panel chairs.
This year's event garnered a total of 42 applicants, from a range of different New England universities. 45-50 individuals attended the conference. MERC was made possible by the generous support of Salem State University’s School of Graduate Studies, Department of English, and Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
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Keja Valens
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