As of October 2019 the International Spenser Society will resume the charging of annual membership dues, ending a trial period of relying entirely on voluntary donations. We would also like to share with you some of the current and future projects and activities that becoming a dues-paying member of the Society will support. Dues are charged annually in October.
The International Spenser Society works in various ways to further the study and appreciation of Spenser:
- Prizes including the Colin Clout Award for lifetime achievement, the Isabel MacCaffrey Award for the best new article or book on Spenser, and the new Anne Lake Prescott Graduate Student Conference Paper Prize recognize and encourage scholarly excellence at all stages of an academic career.
- Dedicated conference sessions—at the Sixteenth-Century Studies Conference and at the annual meetings of the Renaissance Society of America and the Modern Language Association—promote new scholarship on Spenser and help to build a sense of community.
- International conferences and workshops on Spenser (most recently the Dublin conference in 2015 and the Shakespeare’s Globe Research in Action workshop on Spenser and Shakespeare in 2017) likewise support new work on Spenser and foster conversation among Spenserians. The Society is currently at work planning the next international Spenser conference.
- Other community-building events including the joint happy hour event with the Milton Society of America at RSA and our annual general membership meeting, which features the Hugh Maclean Lecture, to be delivered in 2020 at MLA by William Oram.
But these activities require money. In 2013, the Society began an experiment with a funding model involving voluntary contributions instead of annual dues. Not only has this change led to a severe decline in income, it also endangers the Society’s status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For these reasons, the International Spenser Society has decided to return to the system of dues laid out in the bylaws of the Society, that is, $28/year for membership, with a discounted price of $18/year for students, emeriti/ae faculty, and independent scholars.
Please note that while it is still possible to create a login to read and comment on the Spenser Review without becoming a dues-paying member, we encourage those who can to join as members by paying the annual dues.
Best wishes and thank you for your support,
Officers of the International Spenser Society
- Tiffany Jo Werth, President
- Ayesha Ramachandran, Vice President
- Sarah Van der Laan, Treasurer
- Rachel Hile, Secretary
Annual memberships and donations to the International Spenser Society are welcome.
| Regular membership: | ||
| Membership for students, emeriti/ae faculty, and independent scholars: | ||
| Donate to Anne Lake Prescott Graduate Student Paper Prize: | ||
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| You will receive an email receipt from PayPal with the details of your membership dues and, if applicable, donation. Although we will email receipts for tax purposes to all members in January, please keep this receipt for your tax records. The International Spenser Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, and dues and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. | ||