This is the early July MAPACA Newsletter The next conference is November 8-10, 2018 (Baltimore, MD).
In this newsletter, we have:
2018 Divine Impact Award Recipient Announcement
Information about a special event at #mapaca18: Mt. Vernon Ghost Tour
The announcement of the new issue of Response: the Digital Journal of Popular Culture Scholarship
Information about #mapaca18 proposal responses and conference registration
2018 Divine Impact Award Recipient: Rabia Chaudry
We are pleased to announce our 2018 winner of the Divine Impact Award, Rabia Chaudry. A longtime resident of Baltimore, Ms. Chaudry is a wife, mother, attorney, and a 2016 Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow at U.S. Institute of Peace, where she researched the intersection of religion and violent extremism. Ms. Chaudry brought Adnan Sayed’s story to the attention of Sarah Koenig, who turned it into the popular podcast Serial, launching the true crime podcast phenomenon. While working on Serial, Ms. Chaudry wanted to continue working for justice for Adnan Sayed and others like him, so she started her own podcast, Undisclosed, with two other lawyers. Undisclosed, which has reached over 2 million downloads, covers cases of wrongful conviction and police misconduct, and partners with the Innocence Project to overturn wrongful convictions. Ms. Chaudry is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Adnan’s Story, which delves further into the evidence in Sayed’s case. We are honored to present Ms. Chaudry with our 2018 Divine Impact Award. Ms. Chaudry will participate in a Q&A and reception at our November conference. For more information about Ms. Chaudry and Undisclosed, please see http://www.rabiachaudry.com/ and http://undisclosed-podcast.com/
Mt. Vernon Ghost Tour:
2018 Conference attendees are welcome to join us Friday evening, November 9 as we embark on a ghost walk of Baltimore’s oldest neighborhood, Mt. Vernon. Tour guides from Baltimore Ghost Tours℠ will be sure to scare up some frightening facts about this storied section of the city, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark District. The tour will begin at 8:30 pm in the lobby of the Belvedere Hotel, a short walk from our conference site. Ticket price ($13) includes a tip for the guide. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today for some fearsome fun! To register please go to: https://mapaca.net/store/2018/baltimore-ghost-tour
New Issue of Response
MAPACA’s journal, Response: the Digital Journal of Popular Culture Scholarship, has a new issue! This issue includes work on Japanese mascot Kumamon, American band the Magnetic Fields, and the award-winning work from last year’s conference.
Proposal Responses:
If you have not yet received your area chair’s response to your #mapaca18 conference proposal, you should soon. Don’t forget to check your spam filter, and whitelist @mapaca.net so that all of your MAPACA messages go into your inbox instead of your junk folder.
2018 Conference Registration
Registration for this year’s conference will begin shortly! Please keep an eye on the MAPACA newsletters, social media presence, and mapaca.net for the most current registration information.
Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA)
P.O. Box 25033
Philadelphia, PA 19147-0033