A variety of light breakfast options will be served prior to opening remarks. 

• Ray Rennard, Director of Academic Programs, Five College Consortium
• Hélène Visentin, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Dean for Faculty Development, Professor of French Studies, Smith College

Panel 1: The First Book 

How can you transform a dissertation into a monograph? What is the scholarly publishing process? How can you expand your audience after the dissertation? Overview of how to craft a book proposal, evaluate publishers, approach an editor, and get advice from mentors.

Moderator: Mary Dougherty, Director, University of Massachusetts Press

• Matt Becker, Editor in Chief, University of Massachusetts Press 
• Kathy Roberts Forde, Co-Editor of Journalism and Democracy, University of Massachusetts Press 
• Vanessa Rosa, Associate Professor of Latinx Studies, Co-Chair of the Department of Critical Race and Political Economy, Mount Holyoke College

Panel 2: Building Your Article Pipeline 

How can scholars keep multiple projects moving forward while balancing the other demands of academic careers? What systems have worked when projects are in various stages of development?

Moderator: Elizabeth Markovits, Associate Dean of Faculty, Professor of Politics on the Ford Foundation, Mount Holyoke College

• Iyko Day, Elizabeth C. Small Professor of English, Chair of the Department of English, Mount Holyoke College 
• ChangHui Pak, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 
• Sara A. Newland, Associate Professor of Government, Smith College 

A 15-minute break will take place in between morning sessions. 

Panel 3: Pivoting Where and What You Publish  

Exploring new research areas; publishing in a different way than you have previously; shifting from niche or more traditional academic publications to other types of publications or digital platforms. 

Moderator: Hélène Visentin, Associate Dean of the Faculty, Professor of French Studies, Smith College

• Alexander Barron, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, Smith College 
• Alicia J. Mireles Christoff,  Associate Professor of English, Amherst College 
• Joel Wolfe, Professor of History, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 

Panel 4: Book and Other Publishing Contracts 

Understanding book contracts, intellectual property, copyrights, translation rights, permissions for images, Creative Commons, and open access publication.

Moderator: Rebecca Dingo, Associate Director of the Office of Faculty Development, Professor of English, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 

• Christine Turner, Scholarly Communication Librarian, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 
• Laura Quilter, Copyright and Information Policy Librarian, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 
• Mary Dougherty, Director, University of Massachusetts Press 
• Jessica Ryan, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Smith College

Lunch will be served prior to afternoon sessions. 

Panel 5: Reimagining Genres: New Forms of Writing, Non-Conventional Digital Publishing 

How do you go about publishing a digital humanities project? What platforms are out there? What should you keep in mind in terms of design, durability, and sustainability? What kind of support and funding is needed to publish this kind of work? 

• Beth Bouloukos, Director, Amherst College Press 
• Allison Levy, Director, Brown University Digital Publications, Brown University 

Panel 6: Creative Writing 

Writing through creative or hybrid forms of writing; exploring options and venues on how to connect with the gatekeepers; writing out of your discipline into a new form of writing or experimenting with style; stepping outside your comfort zone. 

Moderator: Jennifer Acker, Editor in Chief, The Common, Amherst College 

• Matt Donavan, Director of The Boutelle-Day Poetry Center, Professor of Practice of English Language & Literature, Smith College 
• Nathalie Arnold, Dean of Decolonial and Global Studies and Transdisciplinary Social Inquiry, Hampshire College
• Andrea Lawlor, Associate Professor of English, Mount Holyoke College 
• Jeff Parker, Associate Professor of English, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 

A 15-minute break will take place in between afternoon sessions. 

Panel 7: Public Scholarship: Writing for a Wider Audience 

Reaching a general audience; how to break into "popular" audience publishing; writing for public scholarship; how to find and work with an agent; how your writing changes to tell the story.

Moderator: Leah Schmalzbauer, Interim Associate Provost, Clarence Francis 1910 Professor in the Social Sciences, Amherst College

• Carrie Baker, Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman Chair of American Studies and Professor of the Study of Women and Gender, Smith College 
• Paul Collins, Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 
• Pawan H. Dhingra, Interim Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank '55 Professor of U.S. Immigration Studies in American Studies, Amherst College 
• Brian J. Distelberg, VP Associate Publisher, Basic Books Group 
• Rebecca M.C. Spencer, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst  

Panel 8: Thoughts on The Future of Publishing 

What is the future of scholarly and trade publishing? How will books and journals continue to evolve as formats? How will AI shape publishing going forward? How will digital publishing evolve? Taking stock of where we are and considering where we might be heading. 

Moderator: Beth Bouloukos, Director, Amherst College Press 

• Ali Aslam, Associate Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College 
• Lloyd D. Barba, Assistant Professor of Religion and Core Faculty in Latinx and Latin American Studies, Amherst College, Amherst College Press Editorial Board Member 
• Mary Dougherty, Director, University of Massachusetts Press 
• Charles Watkinson, Associate University Librarian for Publishing at University of Michigan and Director of University of Michigan Press (via Zoom) 

A variety of light food and beverage options will be served to celebrate the end of the event.