Fatigue in a Virtual Conference—Ninth Day of an Academic Conference in 2020
My first two sessions have been assigned to me as SBLAAR20 Tech Assist. I am pleased to say that participating in an assortment of sessions that I might not otherwise have been aware of has been an excellent experience. In addition, I have so far been exposed to groups and topics that demonstrate a great diversity in scholarship and interest.
Regardless of the brief excitement, I encountered in discovering another book recommendation, The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective (HBI Series on Jewish Women), and exposure to some new possibilities in reading Song of Songs, I am fatigued. In the final days of this conference, I find I need a vacation.
About this event
Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion (SBLAAR) is an Annual Academic Conference that extends Nationally, Internationally, and Regionally. This is the first year it is running online as a virtual conference. Usually, it is held in a large metropolitan city in the United States. Read about #SBLAAR presentations. Also, read about other academic conferences.
I’m interested in what you learned in the Song of Songs section!
The presenter had not prepared a full paper, but presented ideas about reading Song of Songs unbound by heteronormative gender presumptions. I believe that the proposed reading would fit nicely with some rabbinical commentary on SoS representing a relationship between God and Israel. I hope it gets developed into a paper. I think reading Hebrew poetry should inspire creativity and diversity of thought.