A panel of leading scholars on rhetoric and queer studies will discuss the recently published book Queering Romantic Engagement in the Postal Age: A Rhetorical Education by Pamela VanHaitsma, assistant professor of communication arts and sciences and of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, as well as the interim director of the Center for Humanities and Information and Douglas S. and Joyce L. Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute. The virtual event, which is free and open to the public, will take place Monday, February 8, at 6:00 p.m. To register for the event, visit http://bit.ly/VanHaitsmaAMC2821.  

Published by the University of South Carolina Press, Queering Romantic Engagement in the Postal Age looks at romantic letter writing in the nineteenth century to gain insights into past same-sex relationships and the creative ways people challenged cultural norms at the time. Research for this project received the Rhetoric Society of America’s 2015 Charles Kneupper Award. 

Joining VanHaitsma on the February 8 panel to discuss her book will be Ames Hawkins, professor of English and creative writing at Columbia College Chicago, and Charles Morris III, professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University. Michele Kennerly, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies at Penn State, will moderate the panel. Together the panelists will explore themes raised in VanHaitsma’s book, such as how queer rhetorical practices evolved through romantic letters and the relationship between rhetorical training and civic life. 

Penn State’s Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Rock Ethics Institute, Humanities Institute, and Center for Humanities and Information are sponsoring this event. Everyone is welcome to attend and can register here to watch the panel online. Please contact Rock Ethics Institute Assistant Director Ben Jones at btj7@psu.edu if you have questions.