Biennial Medieval and Renaissance Conference Features Inaugural Awarding of Snyder Prize

The 19th biennial New College Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Studies continues this weekend, with students and scholars from dozens of universities presenting and debating on topics from “Goths, Greeks and Romans: Romanitas in Early Medieval Italy” to “Theater and Material Culture in Early Modern England.”
Friday’s events included plenary speaker Thomas F.X. Noble, professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, and the presentation of the inaugural Snyder Prize, in honor of the late Prof. Lee Snyder, the conference’s founder.
The prize is awarded to the best paper by an untenured or part-time faculty member or graduate student, and the winner is selected by Prof. Noble. The first recipient is Katarzyna Lecky, assistant professor of early modern English at Arkansas State University, for her paper on the Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser, “Romancing the Map of Faerie in The Castle of Busyrane.”
Conference co-organizer Nova Myhill, associate professor of English at New College, presented the award, with Prof. Snyder’s wife Ann and son Timothy in attendance.
In 1978, the conference debuted as an opportunity for Prof. Snyder to bring together his northern friends, and featured a castle made of marzipan and a staged duel by the bayfront, said co-organizer, Carrie Beneš, associate professor of history at New College, in her opening remarks.
Since then, the conference has grown into one of the premier venues for medieval and renaissance scholars, particularly those who study Italy, to present their work. It also has adopted the spirit of New College.  
“The atmosphere of the conference is pretty unusual, in that it attracts a number of quite famous senior scholars but it maintains an intimate, informal feel, so it encourages the participation of younger scholars,” Beneš said.
There are papers from graduate students, and undergraduates are encouraged to attend, listen and talk with the attendees. “In that sense it’s an opportunity for students to see what being an academic or a professional medievalist looks like outside the classroom,” Beneš said. “Also, the collegial atmosphere encourages people to really talk to each other rather than just present *at* one other. The discussion periods after each session are often the most interesting part.”
The conference continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the College’s Sudakoff Conference Center, with plenary speaker Ruth Evans, the Dorothy McBride Orthwein Professor of English at St. Louis University at 10:45 a.m.
Among Saturday’s sessions are “Theory and Practice in Renaissance Music,” moderated by Mark Dancigers, visiting assistant professor of music at New College, and “Translating Form in Early Modern England,” moderated by Miriam Wallace, professor of English at New College, and including Snyder Prize winner Prof. Lecky.
Admission is free for New College students, faculty and staff, and all local high school students and undergraduates with ID. Discounted registration ($20) is available for local residents.