The University of Virginia's College at Wise, Medieval-Renaissance Conference is pleased to announce a call for undergraduate papers for the upcoming Medieval-Renaissance Conference, September 24-26, 2009.

Papers by undergraduates covering any area of medieval and renaissance studies—including literature, language, history, philosophy, science, pedagogy, and the arts—are welcome. Abstracts for papers should be 250-300 words in length and should be accompanied by a brief letter of recommendation from a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts (and letters) should be submitted electronically or by regular mail by June 19, 2009 to:

Early Modern England was a benchmark for literary and political activity by women, from Anne Askew's Examinations in the first half of the sixteenth century to Anna Trapnel's political prophecies in the final decades of the seventeenth. While the lengthy reign and potency of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) certainly set a precedent for early modern women's writing, texts by women played a significant political role well before and after her rule, and arguably found their apogee in the ideological fervor that surrounded the reigns of her Stuart successors. More importantly, women authors actively participated in the early modern public sphere at a time when magistrates and divines were striving to situate women within the realm of the household.