For the past 26 years, the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association have been meeting to discuss the issues of the lives of speakers and Americans everywhere.
Though the conference is located in New Mexico, the organizations are planning on being a little closer to home than usual this year.
Three Master of Arts students, Jordan Bernsmeier, Steffi Shook and Sarah Maitland, have been selected by the committee to present papers at this year’s conference, which begins Feb. 13.
Focusing on the film adaptation of the graphic novel Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, Shook’s presentation will explore “the difference in tone between the novel and film that result from the material qualities of the respective mediums.”
“While both (the) film and novel hold the concept that the ‘personal is political,’ the graphic novel tends toward the political while the film adaptation holds a clearer account of Satrapi’s personal maturation,” said Shook.
Since this is the first time she has given a speech, Shook admits that she is anxious about speaking at the event, but has ways of coping.
“Honestly, I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m usually nervous about things so that’s nothing new,” said Shook. “After giving presentations in class and teaching as a graduate student, I know I’m prepared to present. I will just need to remind myself to stay calm and talk slowly.”
Peter C. Rollins, the co-founder of the SWTX PCA/ACA, said in addition to having unlimited access to all the conferences, all the speakers will gain the opportunity to explore the different perspectives of reality in both pop culture and general life.
Special presentations at the conference will include David Peterson, the language creator of shows like Game of Thrones and Defiance, and Jane Espenson and Brad Bell, co-creators of the web series Husbands.
“I hope that my work shifts the focus of film adaptations from fidelity and opens up possibilities for thinking of the nature of the film medium,” said Shook. “While the film holds a less political tone than its source work … I believe it is this very quality that causes it to hold a more personal feel than the novel on which it’s based.”
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