My session at SBL is scheduled to conclude with the program unit’s business meeting. That gives me a hint of when I may be presenting. For the past several years, the session with the business meeting for Construction of Christian Identities has occurred on the Monday afternoon of the conference, either from 1:00pm-3:30pm or from 4:00pm-6:30pm.

I’m not expecting a “primetime” spot on Saturday or Sunday, but I would be happy if it is on Monday rather than Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning seems to be the lame duck slot of the conference–most everybody has left or is busy leaving. I’m afraid some of my friends wouldn’t be able to make it. This year the program unit has more sessions than in the past, so Tuesday morning may be a possibility. But I’m still holding out hope for Monday at the latest.

Good news! Just got this email from AAR. Hot off the press:

April 14, 2008

Dear Fellow Members of the American Academy of Religion:

I write today to alert you to an action taken by your Board of Directors at its meeting this past weekend.

In light of the scheduling and logistical problems connected with the proposed Independent Annual Meetings, and given the views our members expressed in our recent member survey, the Board, in its April 12, 2008 meeting, approved a recommendation that the AAR begin scheduling concurrent, yet independent Annual Meetings with the Society of Biblical Literature as soon as is feasible. Assuming that the SBL is agreeable to meeting concurrently, it is our intention that such meetings would feature:

1. A return to the traditional meeting time, on the weekend before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday;
2. An AAR Program (and Program Book) that is entirely separate from the SBL’s;
3. If desirable, a single, jointly sponsored Book Exhibit and a single, jointly sponsored employment interview center;
4. The invitation to and inclusion of other scholarly groups that may wish to meet concurrently with the AAR;
5. An arrangement whereby AAR members could participate freely in sessions and programs of the SBL (and other scholarly organizations with which the AAR has entered into concurrent meeting arrangements), and vice versa, with no additional registration fees; and
6. Consultation with the Finance Committee, prior to entering into jointly sponsored ventures with the SBL, to ensure that the AAR’s financial interests are protected.

The Board concluded that such a plan:

1. Supports the views of the majority of our members;
2. Represents a genuine compromise among the views of our members on this contentious subject;
3. Fosters many of the goals sought in Independent Annual Meetings;
4. Allows departments, schools, universities, and other societies to use concurrent meetings for breakfasts, receptions, and other special events aimed at both AAR and SBL members; and
5. Promotes the continuing health of our organization.

The text of this announcement is available on the AAR website.

I will share additional developments about concurrent meetings with you as they are available. Until then, thank you for your participation in the work of our Academy.

Sincerely yours

Jack Fitzmier
Executive Director

Sounds like a good compromise to me. It’s probably good for the organizations to keep their separate identity, but this solves so many practical problems that we were facing. I hope that SBL finds the proposal agreeable.

Jim West, the man of the perpetually transforming blog presentation, informs the public that we may indeed have a chance to be an official reception at SBL. Such an event would be great, considering the unwieldy nature of our massive biblioblogger lunch in San Diego. I think it would make for a better event, too, because it would be a set time and place advertised in print for all SBL members to see.

Is it too early to be excited about Boston? I did grow up in Massachusetts after all. It’s my home! By the way, this Friday is the last day to register for the meeting at the “early bird” rate. March 1st is the due date for paper proposals.

No, that’s not where one eats bibliobloggers for lunch, but rather the time during which one meets other bibliobloggers for conversation and food. It’s going to be at 11:30am on Sunday at the entrance to the book exhibit, so that all the people going to the book exhibit can say, “Who are all these crazies blocking the entrance to the book exhibit?”

Chris Brady is scoping out lunch options and Kevin Wilson encourages us all to get the word out. Hence, this post. This is not a closed session, by the way. All are welcome. It is unfortunate, though, that April DeConick can’t make it. I’ll have to find her elsewhere!

It’ll only be a little over an hour, so that people can head over to various presentations of interest that start around 1pm.

I would also like to mention just how grateful I only have a two-hour train ride to get to San Diego, unlike the massive journeys faced by Chris Tilling and James Crossley.