Pop Culture Conference

Hello Students.

Professor: Here.

So...this week the Professor and Sidekick are off to the enchanting city of Albuquerque, the Duke City, for the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture Conference. I began attentding this conference about 6 years ago whilst I was working on my PhD. at UTD and had a blast. The first talk I gave there was about humor in Postmodern Theatre and I was on a panel with good friends Daniel Bartlett and Jay Ingrao. Now, years later, because of the hardwork and dedication of Sidekick, there is actually a theatre portion for the conference (which he is chairing).

Although it's only a stone's throw from Roswell USA (and by the way...a stone's throw to folks out here is a 4 hour drive) it's still a nice getaway at a typically fun conference. I don't know if I'll attend any of these particular panels, but here are some of my favorite paper titles on the schedule:

"American Women Explore Sexual Desire in Italy"
(uh...let me know when the Italian women do that here!)

"There’s Always Some Killing You Got to Do Around the Farm: The Monstrous Hillbilly in Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

"The Dead and the Frugal: Buffy, Angel, and the Economics of Demon Slaying"
(uh...because nothing is more realistic for our economy then killing demons)

"Karate Chopping Feminism: Miss Piggy, Feminism and The Muppet Show"
(she gave plus models a leg up)

"The Gendered Palate: The Role of Women in Japanese Culinary Comic Books"
(who knew?)

"Knitterati: West Coast Knitting Culture"
(again...who knew?)

"Will the Real Lamb Stew Please Stand Up: A Question of Authenticity"
(where do you think Obama and McCain stand on this?)

" The Power of the Rod: How Wands Function as Phallic Symbols in Harry Potter"
(see...it's much more than just blasphemous anti religious propaganda!)

and...

"The Cowboy Hat: Icon of America and Texas"
(giddy-up!)

So you think about those for a while and I'll be back to let y'all know how it all went down.

Dismissed!!!