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CEA ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS
An Alternative to a Traditional Conference Paper
A conference paper is both a written document and an oral presentation. It should be polished, although it need not be perfect. And it should be complete. At CEA, panel presentations are usually 15 minutes. As general rule, one double-spaced page takes 2-2.5 minutes to read out loud. Thus, you are looking at @ 8 pages double-spaced. Collegiality means you adhere to the time limit. And that means you have practiced.
If your presentation is more of a noodling on ideas and not a complete paper, then you should consider submitting it for a roundtable rather than a panel. (As with traditional panels, the Conference Chair will organize roundtable submissions by topic.)
Roundtables are less formal than panels. Roundtable presentations are generally shorter than papers—we call them "flash essays" of about 500-750 words. Here, the speakers engage in discussion with each other, and the audience is usually invited to engage more directly than at panels. A roundtable is more of an open conversation: speakers come with their own insights and points of view, but not necessarily with a topic to analyze or a thesis to defend.
Not sure where you fit? Reach out and we can help you. Email us at cea.english@gmail.com.
