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General Announcements

News Circular, Webinar Reminder

The following email was sent to ASECS members on May 15, 2025. Dear ASECS Members and Friends, The ASECS Spring/Summer News Circular is here! Check out news and updates on upcoming events, the Call for Session Proposals for the 56th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, advocacy work in the humanities, and more! Please also remember to attend the new Webinar series! Friday, May 16, noon-1pm EDT: Webinar. You’re invited to the new webinar series, organized by ASECS President Paola Bertucci and Executive Board Members Brian Cowan and Meghan Roberts, highlighting the importance of the 18th century today! Registration required: Webinar… Read More »News Circular, Webinar Reminder

Launch of the Beta version of the new English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC)

The ESTC team is delighted to launch the Beta version of the new English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), the most comprehensive resource available for the output of the printing press in the English-speaking world before 1801. ESTC is now part of the Consortium of European Research Libraries’ (CERL) ecosystem and accessible for free at https://datb.cerl.org/estc/. ESTC is a bibliography that aims to record every distinct letterpress item produced during the hand-press era in the English-speaking world. It is also a union catalogue that lists copies of those items held by libraries and other owners around the world… Read More »Launch of the Beta version of the new English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC)

New ASECS Webinar Series, “The 18th Century in the Present”

Friday, May 16, noon-1pm EDT: Webinar. You’re invited to the new webinar series, organized by ASECS President Paola Bertucci and Executive Board Members Brian Cowan and Meghan Roberts, highlighting the importance of the 18th century today! Registration required: Webinar 18th Century Today   “Citizenship, Political Dissent, and Presidential Power in the Early Republic.” Speakers:

ASECS Community Discussion, “Advocating for the Humanities”

Please join us for a community discussion where members can talk about how federal policies have impacted their scholarship, exchange information, and discuss how individuals and ASECS can engage in effective advocacy. Monday, May 12, noon-1pm EDT/9-10am PDT: Community Discussion, “Advocating for the Humanities.” Registration required: Member Discussion Federal funding cuts and threats to the free exchange of ideas have directly and indirectly affected a number of members. ASECS has created a resources and updates section on the new “News and Updates” page, including links to the statements that the Society has co-signed from larger… Read More »ASECS Community Discussion, “Advocating for the Humanities”

ACLS, AHA and MLA File Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Dismantling of National Endowment For The Humanities

ASECS shares this important press release regarding the ACLS, AHA, and MLA joint lawsuit regarding the cuts to the NEH. ASECS is an institutional affiliate of the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association. Press release can be found here: ACLS MLA AHA LawsuitThe full text of the complaint can be found at the body of this document. NEW YORK, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the American Historical Association (AHA), and the Modern Language Association (MLA) filed a lawsuit in federal district court today, seeking to reverse the recent… Read More »ACLS, AHA and MLA File Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Dismantling of National Endowment For The Humanities

Levan Book Chat—Emily Hodgson Anderson, Shadow Work

May 8, 2025 12:00 PM PDT A discussion of Emily Hodgson Anderson’s new book, Shadow Work: Loneliness and the Literary Life (Columbia University Press, 2025). The author will be joined in conversation by Julia Lee (Loyola Marymount University) and Anahid Nersessian (UCLA), moderated by Dana Johnson (USC). Organized in partnership with the Department of English and the Early Modern Studies Institute. More information HERE. Registration is required. REGISTER HERE.

National Humanities Alliance Update, NEH Grants

ASECS is a member of the National Humanities Alliance. The NHA has provided this Memo to Members for distribution, dated April 3, 2025. From: National Humanities AllianceApril 3, 2025URGENT UPDATE: DOGE Rescinds NEH Grants We learned this morning (April 3) that DOGE has begun terminating previously awarded NEH grants. We understand that this includes operating grants to the state and jurisdictional humanities councils, scholarly societies, community organizations, and individuals. While we know that grants are being terminated, we do not yet know the full scope of terminations. At this moment, our understanding is that the… Read More »National Humanities Alliance Update, NEH Grants

ASECS co-signs NHA Statement on Threats to the NEH

ASECS has signed onto the statement from the National Humanities Alliance (NHA, of which ASECS is a member) on threats to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The full text of the statement can be found here: NHA Statement on Threats to the NEH Members can find further information on the NHA’s efforts on their website: Save the NEH

Historically Speaking: “The Feast of Genius and the Play of Art”: The Legacies and Communities of Phillis Wheatley Peters at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Please join Sarah Ruffing Robbins, Mona Narain (TCU) and Barbara Mccaskill (UGA) on Tuesday, April 8, beginning at 3:00 Eastern, 2:00 Central, and noon Pacific. The series of presentations and discussion, sponsored by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) of the Smithsonian, will spotlight the museum’s recently acquired collection of materials linked to poet Phillis Wheatley (Peters). McCaskill, Narain, and Robbins will be featured speakers for the April 8 online event, where they will be joined by archivists, curators, and program coordinators of NMAAHC. You will have a chance to see Wheatley Peters artifacts as part of… Read More »Historically Speaking: “The Feast of Genius and the Play of Art”: The Legacies and Communities of Phillis Wheatley Peters at the National Museum of African American History and Culture