If you’ve noticed an upsurge in tweed blazers and hounds tooth glasses milling about the city recently, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a logical explanation. The annual MLA (Modern Language Association) Convention is in town, bringing over 6,000 attendees from around the world into Vancouver for the weekend.
All sorts of writers, professors, philosophers, and the like are descending upon downtown Vancouver for the conference running January 8-11 at the Vancouver Convention Center. Everybody who is anybody in the language and literature world is here, presenting in over 500 panels over four days, on topics ranging from “The Science of Memory” to “Immigration and Comics.” Many UBC and SFU professors and students (including me) are involved in the action.
Attendees must be registered with the MLA – unfortunately this is not open to the public, but rather is an event reserved for those of us who have submerged ourselves in a life of academia – but all Vancouverites play a role in hosting this prestigious event, currently celebrating its 130th year.
And whether you are an attendee or not, I’m sure many of downtown and Kitsilano hotspots will be overflowing with nerds each evening, so you can likely find some sought-after experts to debate lit with over a drink.
Last modified: January 9, 2015
