2025 SoFCB Annual Meeting
Your membership in the Society of Fellows entitles you to free attendance at our annual gathering of leading critical bibliography scholars. Come join us for lively conversations about the history of the book, followed by great meals and evenings of convivial fun. Many fabulous academic collaborations have been forged within the four walls of our annual meeting – join us!
Welcome Reception
Come prepared to have some light bites together at sundown before getting some rest or heading to bars for local drinks.
Tuesday, May 20th 2025
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Join us at Renata’s Kitchen for the opening reception!
3940 Baltimore Ave
We will have a pre-selected range of nibbles and drinks for you, our treat.
Informal drinks downtown at local restaurants
Feel free to explore the city and enjoy fine friends and conversation.
Here are a few recommendations by neighborhood. Feel free to get in touch with Megan Robb (robbme@upenn.edu) for more tailored recommendations if you are staying elsewhere.
University City:
White Dog Cafe: 3420 Sansom Street
Co-Op Philly: 20 S 33rd St
Center City:
a.bar: 1737 Walnut Street
Andra Hem: 218 South 16th Street
South Philadelphia:
Pub & Kitchen: 1946 Lombard Street
Tuesday, May 20th 2025
8:00 pm – 10:00pm
Registration & Coffee
Come to pick up registration materials and gather for coffee and breakfast light bites before the first day of our annual meeting.
Wednesday, 22nd May 2024
Welcome
Michael Suarez, Director of Rare Book School, Professor of English, University Professor, and Honorary Curator of Special Collections at the University of Virginia since 2009.
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
9:00am–9:15am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
“What is Critical Bibliography?”
Dave Harper, Lecturer, University of York
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
9:15am–10:45am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Coffee Break
Enjoy coffee and conversation between events.
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
10:45 am – 11:15 am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Junior Fellow Presentations
We will be hearing from each of the junior fellows, who will introduce us briefly to their exciting research programs in short talks of 5 minutes, with 8 minutes for questions for each speaker about their work.
Julia Hernandez
Dotno Pount
Huiqiao Yao
Hampton Smith
Yeidy Rosa
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
11:15 am – 12:30 pm
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Lunch
There will be a selection of sandwiches at lunch provided by 12th Street Catering. The sandwich selections will include: Tofu Banh Mi, Grilled Chicken, Caprese Salad, and Roast Beef.
New Junior Research Fellows will take part in a “working lunch” in the last half of the lunch break to talk through new fellow requirements. This will be in the Classroom.
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
12:30 pm–2:00 pm
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Reception Room and Classroom (for new Fellows)
Junior Fellow Presentations
We will be hearing from each of the junior fellows, who will introduce us briefly to their exciting research programs in short talks of 5 minutes, with 8 minutes for questions for each speaker about their work.
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
2:00 pm–3:15 pm
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Coffee Break
Enjoy a rest and conversation between events. If you would like a coffee or tea, there is a Starbucks across the street at the corner of 36th Street and Walnut Street.
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Reception Room
Induction of Junior Fellows and Promotion of Senior Fellows
led by Zachary Hines (Head of Selections) and Damian Fleming (SoFCB Past President)
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
3:45 pm – 4:00 pm
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Zachary Hines
Damian Fleming
Plenary Panel: “Beyond Boundaries"
The first day of the meeting on May 21st will conclude with a plenary panel of senior fellows: Dr. Oishani Sengupta, Assistant Professor at English at University of Texas at El Paso; Dr. Steffi Dippold, Associate Professor at Montclair State University; Dr. Maria Ryan, Assistant Professor of Musicology at Florida State University.
The panel will be chaired by Dr. Glenda Goodman, Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Rhae Lynn Barnes, Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University.
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
4:00 pm – 5:45 pm
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Dinner
You will sign up for a dinner reservation in person on the first day of the annual meeting; sign-up sheets will be available for one of four local restaurants within walking distance. We will make reservations to make it easier to meet fellow Fellows, but please note that you will be responsible for the cost of this dinner.
The restaurants will include:
Sang Kee Noodle House ($)
Dim Sum House by Jane G’s ($$)
White Dog Cafe University City ($$)
Co-op Restaurant & Bar ($$$)
Louie Louie ($$$)
Wednesday, 21st May 2025
Please meet at the restaurant by 7:00 PM
Morning Coffee
Come a bit early to enjoy coffee and light bites as we get the second day of the annual meeting started.
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
8:30 am-9:00 am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Welcome and Presidential Address, by SoFCB President Devin Fitzgerald
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
9:00 am-9:15 am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Keynote Address by Professor Jinah Kim
Transporting Visions, Transcending Boundaries: Pothi-format books’ travels and transformations over the Himalayas and beyond
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
9:15 am-10:30 am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Coffee Break
Enjoy coffee and conversation between events.
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
10:30am–11 am
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Reception Hall
Workshops
Workshop A: [REGISTRATION CLOSED: THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW CLOSED BECAUSE IT IS FULL] Printing Workshop with Penn Common Press led by Penn Common Press Manager Jessica Peterson
While the Common Press workshop is now full, there will be an “open house” over the lunch hour for anyone who wants to go and pull a print in the Common Press! We will be printing a poster for the annual meeting for the first time.
Workshop B: Asian History of the Book Workshop led by SoFCB fellows Oishani Sengupta and Xiaoyu Xia
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
11 AM – 1 PM
Lunch
There will be a selection of sandwiches at lunch provided by 12th Street Catering. The sandwich selections will include: Tofu Banh Mi, Grilled Chicken, Caprese Salad, and Roast Beef.
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
1 PM – 2:15 PM
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Reception Hall
Workshops
Workshop C: Immersive Role-Playing Game of the History of Print in York, England with SoFCB fellow Jane Raisch. Read more about the game here!
Workshop D: Lea Library Kislak Center Workshop – Highlights of the University of Pennsylvania’s Special Collections with Dr. John Pollack
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
2:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Coffee Break
Take a quick break before our last event of the day. No coffee will be served, but the Starbucks across the street will still be open if you need a pick-me-up!
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
4:15 PM – 4:45 PM
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Reception Hall
Roundtable
Heng Du, Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Wellesley College
Helena Chen-Abair, PhD Candidate in Art History at the University of Florida
Amy Gore, Assistant Professor of English at North Dakota State University
Marissa Nicosia, Associate Professor of Renaissance Literature, Penn State Abingdon
Xiaoyu Xia, Cotsen Postdoctoral Fellow in East Asian Studies, Princeton Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts
Response: Megan Robb, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania
Moderator: Janelle Rebel, Seymour Adelman, Director of Special Collections at Bryn Mawr College
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM
McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Lecture Hall
Break
Take a break and head over to our concluding dinner.
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
6:00 PM -6:30 PM
Dinner
Join us for a concluding dinner to celebrate!
Thursday, 22nd May 2025
6:45-8:30 PM
Our Concluding Dinner will be at Han Dynasty, University City
