Baymoot 2019

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Join Signum University and the Mythgard Institute on Saturday, November 23rd, 2019, for the second annual Baymoot at the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley in Berkeley, California.

This year’s theme will be “Feast of the Mind.” Dr. Corey Olsen will join as the guest of honor and keynote speaker.

To connect with the BayMoot organizers and community before and after the event, please join us on Facebook:

Registration

There are two registration options:

  • $35 for students
  • $40 for all other registrants

Register Now

In addition to admission to the moot, registration will include a catered lunch. Free wifi is also available at the venue.

Presenters will have access to audio/visual, but they must bring their own devices and connection cables.

Call for Papers/Panels/Presentations

Send your paper/panel/presentation proposal of under 200 words to [email protected] by November 15.

Call for Papers

Some authors provide so much detail and nuance in their stories that it fills the reader’s imagination. In a sense, this kind of filling is not unlike the way that we feast on family holidays where our favorite meals are provided in bounteous portions! In both instances we come to the gathering with desire in our hearts and a longing for connection, and in each case, we are filled beyond our expectations. Since our moot will take place just before the Thanksgiving holiday, we have decided that the theme shall be “Feast for the Mind!”

We seek proposals for flash-paper presentations (between 5 and 15 minutes) that explore or address the symposium topic: “Feast of the Mind.” Papers could investigate depictions of consumption or preparation of food, contemplation or visualization of the role of consumables, and/or symbolic interpretations of edibles in literature (especially speculative fiction). These comestibles can be literary or metaphorical. Questions and topics that may be considered include the following:

  • Why are some meals nourishing and others disappointing? This can refer to meals depicted in literature (like the tea in Alice in Wonderland), or to the sensation of fullness or emptiness left by certain books.
  • Do certain genres lend themselves to descriptions of food, feasts, or eating? Do some genres do more with the concept of food than others? Do certain genres ‘fill the mind’ more readily than others?
  • Does food in literature interact with depictions of community?
  • Does literature ever instigate, intensify, or contribute to the othering of certain meal customs or food products?

Call for Discussion Panels

If you and a couple of friends or colleagues would like to generate a dialogue about a topic which falls under the symposium theme, we encourage you to submit a discussion panel proposal. Discussion panel proposals should include the names of each panel member and a description (fewer than 200 words) of the panel topic.

Call for Creative Presentations

In addition to paper presentations and panel discussions, there will also be room for short, original creative presentations (up to 10 minutes each) that explore or demonstrate the same questions and topics listed above. These presentations may include:

  • Original creative writing, such as poetry, short fiction, or short creative nonfiction.
  • Performances of original musical compositions. 
  • Display and discussion of original works of visual art.

Creative Presentation proposals should provide a short description (fewer than 200 words) of the presentation – including genre, medium, technical requirements, and connection to the symposium’s theme – and should also include a sample of the creator’s original work in the same genre/medium.

Venue, Parking and Transportation

The church is located at 2420 Channing Way, Berkeley CA. It is approximately a 13-minute walk from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. The closest bus stops are the 51B or the 6.

There are two paid parking options:

  1. In the church lot under the building accessible from Channing Way – $10 for the day
  2. Across the street in the city lot – $16 for the day

From the Airport

 

Lodging

There are several hotels nearby. Two options attendees may wish to consider are:

  • Berkeley City Club would be a place to stay if “historic” or “charming” appeal to you in a hotel and is less than a 5 minute walk to First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. It has very pretty interiors and lots of places to sit as a group post-moot – however, it’s not the place to stay if you want a TV or air conditioning in your room.
  • Graduate Center is lively and vibrant and is only a 10 minute walk from First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley.

Food

A good list of nearby places to eat is available here.

From that list, the moot organizers recommend Uppudo, East Bay Spice Company, and Tupper & Reed. Comal and Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen both always have a crowd outside.

For cheap eats, Super Duper Burger (burgers shakes and fries) and Koja Kitchen (Korean-Japanese) are also recommended.

If you are willing go ~25 minutes (walking) from First Presbyterian Church, Cheeseboard pizza is very popular and very good. 

Baymoot

Join us on Saturday, November 23, 2019, for the second annual Baymoot.