This roundtable session will discuss mindfulness practices that instructors of writing and literature can incorporate into classrooms, and it will focus especially on the implications of mindfulness for the humanities and for its/their roles in education and society in honoring human, cultural, and global diversity in all its dimensions, enacting equity and inclusivity, and affecting change.

In recent years, the utility of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has gained significant attention in the study of pedagogy. Inspired by Eastern practices of concentration and attention, techniques that fall under the category of MBI prompt both students and instructors to become increasingly aware (without judgment) of the present moment and their reactions to it. Some instructors lead students in brief meditation as a preparation for writing exercises; others encourage students to free write their initial reactions to texts, observing and recording their inner monologue; still others employ descriptive writing assignments that require students to pay close attention to common objects, including the smallest details that might normally escape their notice. Some of these practices stay within the classroom experience, yet many can transcend it, creating bridges between learned and lived experiences.

Participants of this roundtable are welcome to discuss the theory and especially practice of mindfulness with attention to its benefits and drawbacks in the classroom, particularly with regard to the importance of mindfulness for the humanities and for humanity. We especially welcome presentations that consider how mindfulness techniques can help instructors deal with the challenges coming in the next several years, especially the proliferation of rapidly improving "artificial intelligence" writing technology, the increasing threats to humanities programs, and the contemporary forms of public and private discord, divisiveness, and lack of empathy.

Please submit short (300-400 word) abstracts online at https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/CFP by September 30, 2024.

For more information, please contact Matthew Leporati at matthew.leporati@mountsaintvincent.edu

NeMLA will be held March 6-9, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA.