Natures Conference’s seventh year attracts large turnout

The crowd of La Sierra University students, staff members and administrators, and students and scholars from other higher education institutions gathered to hear a plenary presentation by Rebecca Davis, assistant professor of English from the University of California, Irvine. Using PowerPoint slides for visual emphasis, the medieval literature specialist spoke about “Being Kynde: Nature, Creativity, and Ethics in Middle English Literature.” Her talk examined the way the word ‘nature’ entered the English language through the word ‘kynde.’ An hour later she gave a second plenary talk about her role as co-editor of the academic journal, “Yearbook of Langland Studies,” and answered questions about best strategies for academics seeking publication of their research.

Davis’ talks served as the centerpiece for La Sierra’s seventh annual Natures Conference, an interdisciplinary humanities event that draws graduate students and scholars from around Southern California and the United States, and sometimes from even further distances. This year’s conference, themed “Reading the Books of Nature,” consisted of concurrent morning and afternoon sessions during which 19 graduate students and scholars from 14 institutions and three nations gave talks on their analyses of the role environment plays in various works of literature, as well as in film and television. Such analysis comprises a relatively new field referred to as ecocriticism.

“I would say this was our best year yet. With just one exception, all 11 sessions held in the Humanities Hall classrooms and [Visual Art Center classroom] were standing-room only,” said Dr. Lora Geriguis, founder of the annual Natures Conference events and English Department chair. Additionally, “the quality of presentations and liveliness of the question-and-answer sessions, and the value provided by our plenary speaker” all combined to create an outstanding conference experience, she said.

Examples of wide-ranging presentation topics include “Dreaming of A Rood: Understanding the Meaning of the Elm Tree in Early Modern England,” by La Sierra faculty member Katherine A. Parsons; “I Didn’t Know Whose Side the River was On: Man, Nature & Violence in Caryl Churchill’s Far Away” by Southern Illinois University faculty member Elizabeth Dyrud Lyman; and “A Study of Toxic Discourse in Japanese Animation Films” by Shinji Iwamasa, a faculty member of Shirayuris College in Tokyo. 

Iwamasa, an American literature and culture associate professor traveled the furthest of conference attendees to participate in the Natures conference. It was his second time at the yearly event. For his presentation paper, Iwamasa examined Japanese and American disaster films, from “Godzilla,” “China Syndrome,” “Princess Mononoke,” to the “Simpsons Movie,” “clarifying that there is a lineage of toxic discourse in those films in terms of their usage of radioactive as a metaphor, suggesting possible disaster happening in future. This was realized in Fukushima, Japan when Tsunami hit the nuclear reactor,” he said.

Iwamasa learned about La Sierra University through his cousin who works at nearby Norco Community College, he said. He heard about this year’s Natures Conference through the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. The event in Riverside coincided with his work responsibilities in the United States. “As I escorted my students to [San Diego State University] where they study intensive English course, I could sneak out from taking care of my students to enjoy round trip to La Sierra,” he said.

Over seven years the conference has built up a mailing list of presenters and attracted a following of humanities students and scholars, contributing to this year’s high attendance. 

“The event was a resounding success, truly embodying the internationality and cross-academic roots of ecocriticism,” said Amy Shine, writing center director at La Sierra and 2015 Natures Conference chair. She presented on a panel along with Geriguis who shared a portion of her upcoming book, “Wit From Nature’s Store: Reading Texts for/of Environmental Consciousness, 1653-1734.” Shine presented a paper titled “Votress to Nature’: Convent of Pleasure as Mad Madge’s Gateway to (the) Enlightenment.” She argued that Margaret Cavendish’s play, “Convent of Pleasure” “provides the author a venue to declare the pursuit of understanding of nature, of science and reason, as a pleasure to be worshiped, a clear shift from the ideals of the Renaissance and ushering in the coming values of the Enlightenment.”

“When conference organizers put a [call for papers] out into the world, they have no idea of knowing what will be submitted in response,” said Shine. “This year we had a curious collection of papers come in that discussed environmental issues found in the contemporary popular culture of comic books, television, and movies. It’s not surprising to find these issues taken on in various works of science fiction, suspense, or horror as our earth and our stewardship of it, or lack thereof is, a concern for all that live here and count on things such as clean air and water to survive.”

Next year’s Natures Conference 2016 will take place in February and will feature Dr. Elizabeth Heckendorn Cook from the University of California, Santa Barbara as plenary speaker.