Kalamazoo (ICMS)
This is my page to include everything I’ve posted on the International Congress for Medieval Studies. I’m listing posts by year and then further dividing them into categories. My 2010 discussion is more comprehensive than 2011.
Pre-Kalamazoo Thoughts: Stream-of-Consciousness right before leaving. My version of “Dear Diary.”
Daily Updates: I seem to have enough gas left in the tank at the end of the evening to put up a quick summary of what I did that day.
Brief Kalamazoo Thoughts: This is more like a daily update since I usually post it after I get home, and after I sort through my book purchases. This was a little more important this year as I finished my session reports so late that I didn’t make a big final summary post like I usually do.
Other Kalamazoo Blog Posts: I tried to scan the web to find other bloggers who talked about Kalamazoo. Not really a daily update but I think it fits better here than as a session report.
Pirates? Not really about pirates, more about how Kalamazoo is misrepresented by the press. Hint: Kalamazoo is NOT a renaissance fair.
Session Reports: I’m not sure the quality of these are very good, or maybe I just think that because I was so late finishing them.
Getting There: More fairly random thoughts but I was impressed enough with my dorm room – and Wi-Fi in my room – that I wanted to post on it.
Friday Morning Session Report: In order to keep my posts from being too long, I split up daily reports. This one is only about Session 230, Late Antiquity I: Christianity and Culture in Western Late Antiquity
Friday Afternoon Session Report: Took me about five months to start posting the rest of these.
For 2011 I’m not including most of my “lead-up” posts as what I wrote in 2010 is more comprehensive. I’m also not adding a bunch of internal anchors as I didn’t make nearly as many posts.
Pre-2011 Post: This is the one exception to the first part of the above statement as I have included some links to what other people posted about Kalamazoo on their blogs.
Daily Updates: These are short update posts, generally put up at the end of each day.
Live Blog – Wednesday and Thursday Congress Updates: Now and then you try something and realize it won’t work in the middle of it. I was going to do a daily update and keep it in a single post but I don’t think blog subscribers receive notices when I update a post. I sincerely hope not anyway because I typically find typos and minor errors for some days after initially putting things up. I still like the general concept but in practice it didn’t make sense and I gave it up after Thursday.
Session Updates: Not as comprehensive as 2010, these are longer summaries of sessions and activities for each day.
Post-Congress Summaries: Just a few posts summing up my 2011 Congress Experience.
Books: This is a post about my book haul. I think I went a little crazy. But it was a good kind of crazy.
2011 Congress Summary: This is what it says it is — my final thoughts on the 2011 Congress.
I’ve divided those posts into three categories.
General Advice for Attendees:
These are two posts, one on what Congress has for amateurs and another with a few tips for first-timers.
Daily Updates and General Summary:
My daily Kalamazoo Updates and a final summary – most of these posts are pretty short.
Session Summaries:
I posted summaries of all of the sessions I attended with the exception of the Pseudo Session and a Friday evening session on a sword demonstration. I enjoyed the sword demonstration but I took no notes and know nothing about it – hence no report except it was fun.
General Advice for Attendees
Why Should Amateurs Attend? – I have no history training whatsoever. Don’t know Latin, Greek or Old English. But I’ve been going to Congress for years and having a great time while learning a lot.
First Timers Guide – Some tips for first timers, though it has a couple of errors – I only got 1 pillow in my room this year.
Daily Updates and General Summary
Sunday Congress Summary – This was posted after I got back home and includes the reason I expect to be living on soup and rice for the next couple of months.
Final Congress Summary – A bit introspective and may bore folks but these are my final Congress thoughts.
Session Summaries
Session Report I – Congress Session 4 – Carolingian Secular Culture I
Session Report II – Congress Session 59 – Carolingian Secular Culture II
Session Report III – Congress Session 148 – Carolingian Secular Culture III
Session Report IV – Congress Session 211 – Social and Political Practices in Late Antiquity
Session Report V – Congress Session 346 – The Archaeology of Early Medieval Europe II: Early Medieval Hillforts in Central Europe: Strongholds or Central Places?
Session Report VI – Congress Session 409 – Early Medieval Europe II
Session Report VII – Congress Session 457 – Early Medieval Europe III
Session Report VIII – Congress Session 508 – Early Medieval Europe IV
Session Report IX – Congress Session 536 – The Court and Courts in the Carolingian World
Session Report X – Congress Session 584 – Discerning the Divine in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
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