1A—Poetry Session I, MUC 211/211A
- Stephanie Marcellus
- Charlene Pierce
- Angela Sievers
- Becky Zavada
Vermillion Writing and Literature Conference
The Vermillion Writing and Literature Conference is a national literary conference held at the University of South Dakota.
Boundaries: Preserving and Creating Space
Date: October 9 - October 11, 2025
Deadline for Submissions: 5 May, 2025
Organization: Vermillion Writing and Literature Conference at University of South Dakota
Contact Email: [email protected].
Call for Papers
How does your creative work and/or scholarship engage with boundaries? Which boundaries mark its edges? How extensive are its stakes? What limits—aesthetic, geographical, social, political, ethical—does your work challenge, secure, or redraw? What spaces do you seek to preserve? What spaces need creating—and for whom? And how porous will their boundaries be? Join us 9-11 October 2025 for the second biennial Vermillion Writing and Literature Conference at University of South Dakota (Vermillion, SD). The 2025 theme: "Boundaries: Preserving and Creating Space," encourages creative and/or scholarly submissions that engage with questions like those above (by no means exhaustive) from a variety of perspectives (a few listed below).We look forward to readings, presentations, and discussions that test boundaries while also remaining open to what boundaries might be necessary—even if they haven’t yet been drawn. We invite proposals for creative and/or scholarly panels, roundtables, or workshops as well as individual submissions engaging with the exploration of our conference theme. Possible areas of focus and approaches include, but are not limited to:
- Indigenous and Native American literature, history, and culture;
- Hybrid texts, blurred genres, autotheory, and/or other experimental forms;
- Teaching literature, creative writing, etc.;
- Discourses of marginalization, including race, ethnicity, multiculturalism, or ability;
- Women, gender, and/or sexuality;
- Representations of disability or mental illness in literature and/or popular culture;
- Postcolonial literature and/or theory;
- Western American literature, history, and culture;
- Media studies or pop culture studies;
- The relationship between specific boundaries/spaces and forms of identity;
- Writing’s ability to question/challenge spatial aspects of gender, race, or ability;
- Relationships between what texts represent and what they do
Deadline for Submissions: 5th May, 2025
Please send to: [email protected].
Submission Guidelines:
Scholarly Proposals:
If you intend to present scholarly work, please submit a 250-word abstract, along with a 50-word biographical note, by 5th May, 2025. While scholarship that explicitly engages with the conference theme is especially welcome, we will gladly consider all types of scholarly work—even if it is only tangentially related to the theme.Creative Proposals:
If you intend to present creative work, please provide 5 pages (maximum) of creative work along with a 50-word biographical note, by 5th May, 2025. While creative work that explicitly or implicitly engages with the conference theme is especially welcome, we will gladly consider all types of creative work on any theme and in any style for readings at the conference’s creative writing panels.Panel/Roundtable Proposals:
We welcome proposals for scholarly and/or creative panels (3-4 presenters) or roundtables (5-6 presenters). These proposals should include 50-word biographical notes for all presenters and a 400-word (maximum) description of the session and its papers.
Note: Individual panel/roundtable proposals may include both scholarly and creative work.
For More Information, write to: [email protected].
Conference Schedule & Registration
Keynote & Featured Presenters
Randilynn Boucher-Giago, Zitkána Duta Wiŋ, is Isaŋti/Sisíthuŋwaŋ Dakota and Diné. She carries the roles of a mother, wife, educator, artist, and relative to her communities. She has experience as a Lakota/Dakota Language Multi Immersion (3-5) Teacher, Curriculum Director and Edu Administrator. She received her Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University. She received her M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She is the Wikoskalaka Yuwitapi (Young Women’s Gathering) Healing Camp Coordinator. In 2018, she was named an Artist-In-Residence by the Minnesota Historical Society. She attended the Sisseton Wahpeton College’s Voices of our Ancestors Program. With extensive experience in immersion education(LBL, SCL), museum studies, arts education, and language and culture revitalization, Randilynn mobilizes and enhances Indigenous pedagogy across Native communities.
Plan Your Visit to Vermillion
To learn more about the city of Vermillion and the accommodations available to you, visit the Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company website.
