March Meeting of the Pym Society

Greetings! The 2012 North American conference in March was a huge success, with record attendance and lots of new faces joining the regulars. The conference report and photos will be in the Spring issue of Green Leaves, which should be going to the printer in the next few days, and the papers have been posted on our web site. Photos are available on our Facebook page -- please Like us if you have not already done so! We have had 30 new members join so far this year, which brings the active membership in North America up to almost 250. Remember that memberships must be renewed every April, so if you have not already done so, please renew today for 2012. You can do this online or fill out and print a form to mail in with your check; details are on the web site. Note that we have added a new category of reduced-rate Student memberships. Our next event will be a garden fête for BPS members and their guests on Sunday June 24th from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. at my home in Cambridge, MA. You can bring finger food to share, or contribute $10 for beverages and supplies. RSVP by June 20; I'll send detailed directions to everyone who signs up. One of the benefits of membership is the right to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at Barbara's Oxford college, St Hilda's. This year's AGM will be 31 August through 3 September and the theme is "Barbara Pym and Gardens"; details and the booking form will be posted on the web site in the next few weeks. Call for Papers: The fifteenth annual North American conference will be held on 15–17 March 2013 at Harvard University. The theme is ‘100 Years of Pym’. The North American organizing committee is soliciting proposals for talks at the conference. Please send a 100-150 word proposal by 19 November 2012 to barbarapymsociety@gmail.com, and include the words ‘NA conference proposal’ in the subject line. Conference registration and meals will be paid for speakers; and there is a $350 honorarium. If you have any academic friends or colleagues who might be interested, please pass this along to them. The record-setting conference attendance meant that we had a healthy surplus after all the bills were paid, and we'll use that money for special events at next year's centenary conference, including a service of Solemn Evensong and Benediction on Friday night and a champagne and birthday cake reception on Saturday afternoon. We will do our very best to make the 2013 conference the Best Ever, so plan to be there if you can! We'll announce the program and open registration in early December. Best wishes, Tom Sopko, North American Organizer The Barbara Pym Society