News and Notes

NEWS

2017 Mid-winter Directors Meeting

Neil Fraistat, President of the Association, called the meeting of January 27, 2017, to order at 11:00 a.m. at Fordham University in New York City. In attendance and constituting a quorum were Stuart Curran, Doucet Devin Fisher, Sonia Hofkosh, Robert A. Hartley, Alice Levine, Marsha Manns, Leslie Morris, Jeanne Moskal, Grant Scott, and Sarah M. Zimmerman. Guests Graham Henderson, Kate Singer, and Andy Stauffer were also present. Absent with excuse were William T. Buice III, Tony Knerr, George Krupp, David Stam, and Susan J. Wolfson.

The President introduced three guests: Andy Stauffer, President of The Byron Society of America, to discuss the Romantics 200 Bicentennials and the Networked Events; Graham Henderson, a Canadian entertainment lawyer with a passion for Percy Shelley, who will stand for election to the Board of Directors in May; and Kate Singer, who will stand for election for Secretary.

The meeting began with the review and approval of the minutes of the 2016 Annual Directors' Meeting and the 2016 Annual Members' Meeting, and continued with the regular reports.

Membership Report. (Robert Hartley) Compared to January 2016, individual memberships as of January 2017 are 10% higher. Final individual member numbers for 2016 were 9% lower than 2015. Institutional print subscriptions finished 2016 down 15% from 2015 as libraries continued to shift to the digital version of the Keats-Shelley Journal in Project MUSE, a pattern that appears to be continuing as of January 2017.

Treasurer's Report. (Robert Hartley) The Association's finances remain sound. Generous gifts from George Krupp and Carl H. Pforzheimer III in support of the Romantic Bicentennials project have increased cash balances significantly. Overall, for 2017 and 2018, funds appear adequate to support publication of the Keats-Shelley Journal, program and project commitments, the Annual Awards Dinner, and normal operational expenses. Investments continue to perform well enough to fund the Carl H. Pforzheimer, Jr., Research Grant for the years to come.

President's Report. (Neil Fraistat) The President proposed a two-year strategic vision for scaling up the Association's infrastructure and governance structures, its communication, its transparency and inclusivity, and its ability to build capacity for public and academic engagement. He exhorted the Directors to take advantage of the Romantics 200 Bicentennial and Frankenreads events to encourage membership and increase international partnerships. He noted the Association might likewise expand our support for early-career and independent Romanticists, including repackaging and better advertising the existing opportunities.

The President finished his report by outlining a number of concrete goals for this year, including establishing the physical and digital archive, redefining the roles of Treasurer and Secretary, moving to an annual budget approved by the board, and developing a more in-depth website and social media presence. The President noted that he is in conversation with James Chandler about potentially hosting a 2019 event at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

Report on the Keats-Shelley Journal. (Jeanne Moskal, Editor) The President applauded Jeanne Moskal's long service to the Keats-Shelley Journal as Editor and, previously, as Book Review Editor, with the news that she will be stepping down in 2018. He noted the charge to select a new Editor, and more immediately, a Book Review Editor, consonant with our developing vision of the Journal. The Editor expressed her gratefulness to the Association for entrusting the Journal to her. She then reported on the 2016 issue, which is late due to the non-appearance of the bibliography, and she expects it to be published in March or April 2017. The next two issues consider the Romantic bicentennials, with the 2017 volume devoted to the Geneva Summer and the 2018 to Keats's 1817 volume. She then noted that the lower level of submissions this year concerned her—a total of sixteen with five invited. Curran felt this situation was not anomalous with other years and should not be seen as a problem given the high quality of the articles.

Grant Scott reported that the Keats-Shelley Journal...