2019 Chapter Meeting at Queen's University

Dear AMS-NYSSL Members, 

My colleagues and I are really looking forward to welcoming you to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, for our annual meeting of the AMS-NYSSL chapter. The conference will run from Tuesday April 16 through Wednesday April 17. The schedule is posted below [click on image to enlarge].

• Location: The conference will be held in Room 329 at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston, Ontario (390 King St W, Kingston, ON K7L 2X4). There will be greeters at the main doors to direct you to the conference room.  
• Travel to Kingston: Kingston is less than 300 km from Montreal, 200 km from Ottawa, and about 250 km from Toronto. Megabus provides comfortable and affordable coach service from these cities. VIA Rail is probably the most comfortable way to travel. 
  
• Membership/ Conference fee: The AMS-NYSSL chapter no longer collects member dues; rather, we have moved to a "conference fee" model, where we have two rates: Regular ($20) and Other (student, contingent, etc. $10). You can pay this fee in cash upon arrival at the conference.
  
• Accommodations: Nearby B&Bs include the Hotel Belvedere and the Hochelaga Inn. There are also some great Air B&B options in Kingston.
  
• Schedule: While there may continue to be minor changes as the schedule is finalized, the meeting is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday 16 April to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday 17 April. See images below.
• Keynote: We are delighted to confirm that Lydia Hamessley will deliver a keynote address at our meeting entitled "Writing the Book on Dolly Parton."
• Concert: We invite you to join us at a performance entitled "Seven Deadly Sins" produced by Soundstreams Canada. This concert features a collection of songs that look at these taboos "across a spectrum of classical, jazz, and Judeo-Spanish styles, genres, and cultures." All conference attendees will pay reduced prices ($19/$22/$29 depending on section). Phone Kelly at the box office for tickets at 613-533-2424. Cite the AMS Conference Discount. Tickets are selling out, so please act quickly!
  
• Graduate Student Workshop: Mary Simonson is facilitating the Graduate Student Workshop, which Kimberly Francis initiated last year. This year's session will be on Tuesday over lunch, and will focus on cover letter writing for a variety of positions. Students are welcome to bring their lunch, meet other students, and learn about writing killer cover letters!
  
• Refreshments: We will provide coffee breaks in the morning and afternoons. Lunch will be on your own, and there is a wonderful cafe in the Tett Centre next to the Isabel (The Juniper Cafe), which serves delicious locally sourced homemade food. We will organize evening dinner downtown for the group between the conference and the concert on Tuesday.
  
• Graduate Student Prize: A $200 cash prize will be awarded to the best graduate student paper at the conclusion of the conference on Wednesday by the Graduate Student Paper Prize Committee. 

See you all soon in Kingston!

Warmly,

Colleen Renihan

Conference Chair