Proposing a Special Session

2025 MLA Annual Convention

The deadline for proposing a special session for the 2025 MLA Annual Convention in New Orleans has passed. If you are interested in proposing a special session for a future convention, please review the information below.

Proposal Basics

Completed proposals must be submitted on the proposal form by 1 April.
Special sessions are submitted by individual MLA members. If you are proposing a session for an entity (forum, allied organization, or committee), please visit our FAQ page.
Only current MLA members may propose a special session.
MLA members may propose one special session per convention.
Audiovisual equipment requests must be included on the proposal form.
Special session proposals may not be combined with other sessions or jointly submitted.
Session participants must be MLA members (or have their membership waived) by 7 April and must register for the convention. Waivers must be requested on the session proposal form and include a brief bio.
No more than two participants (including the session presider and respondent) may be from the same institution unless the institution itself is a key aspect of the session.
Each role must have a separate entry on the proposal. For example, if a person is both the session organizer (primary contact; not listed in the program) and the presider, that person must have two participant records: one as presider and one as organizer.
Proposals must be for complete sessions with confirmed panelists. Proposals that contain tentative panelists or a single panelist are not complete sessions and cannot be approved.
Proposals are reviewed by the Program Committee in May; session organizers are notified of the committee’s decision by early June.

The above is only a partial list of proposal instructions. We strongly recommend that you review the links below before beginning your proposal.

Proposing a Special Session

2025 MLA Annual Convention

Proposal Basics

Resources for Session Proposers