Conference Schedule

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Conference activities on THURSDAY and FRIDAY ONLY will take place at the “Main Street” campus in the Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex. (The physical address is 348 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.) Parking information will be emailed after registration.

2:00-3:30 PM The Lebenslauf Craft Talk and Write-a-Thon in PPHAC 116

Following Dr. Craig Atwood’s introduction of the Moravian Lebenslauf tradition, participants will work independently on personal projects. Community members and students are encouraged to join! This workshop is informal, so come and go as you please. There will be light refreshments available.

3:30 PM Conference Bookstore opens in PPHAC 103

Feel free to stop in and peruse some of the conference speakers’, presenters’, and directors’ books. Conference merchandise will also be available for purchase. Please note that our campus is cashless. Shoppers should plan to pay with credit/debit cards, Venmo or Paypal. Our bookstore will be open throughout the conference at different times and locations–see the rest of the schedule for details.

5:00-6:10 PM W@M Awards Gala in the PPHAC Atrium

Join us as we recognize outstanding writing from our Moravian students. Co-sponsored by the Writing at Moravian (W@M) program, we’ll have an Instagrammable background and light refreshments, as well as a short ceremony. We encourage you to dress up!

Friday, March 22, 2024

9:30-10:40 Storytellers Panel in PPHAC 116

This panel will feature Moravian faculty with experience in different professional milieu discussing the role of storytelling. Our panelists include Professor Kelly Denton-Borhaug representing the power of story in working with veterans, Rev. Dr. Catherine E. Williams on using story in sermons, and Professor Joon-Beom Chu discussing how lawyers employ storytelling techniques to persuade. This panel will be moderated by conference co-director Kate Brandes.

11:00AM to 12:10 PM Student Journalist Panel in PPHAC 102

Student journalists representing the Moravian University Comenian staff and editorial board as well as a guest journalists from The Morning Call will discuss student journalism, journalistic ethics, the place of "citizen journalists," and combating misinformation. The panel will be moderated by Professor Mark Harris.

2-3:10 PM Travel Journaling Techniques Workshop in PPHAC 117

Professor Liz Gray will lead this generative session with some ideas for approaching the travel journal and specific prompts tied to upcoming  Elevate trips. Everyone is invited to participate, including students who are planning to travel.

3:30-4:40 Open Mic for Conference participants in PPHAC 113

Come and share your work! Each pre-registrant will have five minutes to read 2-3 pages of their original work. These may include work that was written during or outside of the conference. This session will be emceed by our conference intern Liz Kameen.

3:30-4:40 PM (concurrent) Conference Bookstore remains open in PPHAC 103

Feel free to stop in and peruse some of the conference speakers’, presenters’, and directors’ books. Conference merchandise will also be available for purchase. Please note that our campus is cashless. Shoppers should plan to pay with credit/debit cards, Venmo or Paypal. Our bookstore will be open throughout the conference at different times and locations–see the rest of the schedule for details.

5:00-6:10 PM Shining Light Craft Talk in PPHAC 102

Retired Professor and conference founder Joyce Hinnefeld and Shining Light Academy Program Manager Nina Law will moderate a virtual performance and discussion with currently incarcerated individuals who reside in North Dakota. The performers will present spoken word pieces developed in a Shining Light Academy course, with a follow-up conversation focused on the power of writing.

6:30-7:30 PM No River Twice Group Performance in PPHAC 102

No River Twice will offer an improvised poetry reading where the audience and poets actively interact, poem by poem, to co-create a reading that is never the same twice. (The group doesn’t improvise poems, just everything else!) Where the reading begins and where the reading ends will be a surprise and discovery to all … and then they make a poem of it–built from the entire reading, a poem made by interaction between everyone! Professor and conference co-director Liz Gray (Chang) will be appearing as a member of this group. A brief Q&A with the poets will follow. 

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Conference activities on SATURDAY only are on “South Campus” at 1200 Main Street Bethlehem, PA 18018. Parking information will be emailed after registration. 

9:30-10:00 AM Complimentary Coffee bar in the Foy Lobby

Join us for some caffeinated refreshments and sweets! The Conference Bookstore will be available in the Foy Lobby later in the day.

11:00AM - 1:00 PM Story Sharing Workshop in SHILL310

Professor and conference co-director Kate Brandes will lead a workshop in which participants will practice developing shared stories using NPR’s free Story Corps app. She will also discuss the ethical implications of this process. 

2:00-3:10 PM Craft Talk/Workshop on Building Community through Story in SHILL310 

Drawing on her experiences with organizations including Narrative 4, Shining Light, and others, along with story exchanges conducted among college students, fellow Quakers, and incarcerated men and women throughout the U.S., Joyce Hinnefeld will make a case for shared writing as a practice that can build powerful new communities. Moving beyond what psychologists have termed “parochial empathy,” participants will be encouraged to imagine ways of bridging cultural, socio-economic, political, religious, and other divides through the sharing of personal stories.
 
Participants are asked to bring open minds and hearts, and a willingness to draft and share brief stories in response to prompts provided by the workshop/craft talk leader.

3:30-4:40 PM Craft Talk by Dr. Javier Ávila on “Page Poetry” versus “Performance Poetry” in the Foy Auditorium

Javier Ávila will discuss the process of writing poetry that is meant to be performed as part of a one-man show, and the journey of putting together a performance that blends poetry and storytelling for large audiences.

5-6:10 PM Conference cocktail hour in the Foy Lobby

We’ll host some informal mingling time with both alcoholic and soft drinks available. Appetizers and finger foods will also be served. Feel free to browse our conference bookstore as we gear up for the finale performance.

6:30-8:00 PM Performance by Dr. Javier Ávila “The Trouble With My Name” in the Foy Auditorium

The Trouble with My Name blends comedy and poetry to shed light on the American Latino experience. It is a show that delivers a unifying message about the value of education, history, and allyship. This performance will be followed by a brief Q&A.
 

Registration opens February 1, 2024.

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Moravian University welcomes and encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Campus Police at 610-861-1421.