I'm back from RSA in Memphis and all I can tell you is that the Peabody Hotel likes ducks. Duck parade, duck mouthwash, duck shampoo, duck towels, duck soap, even duck swizzle sticks in your drink at the bar. The obsession with the duck theme seems have leaked to the rest of the conference, which was similarly obsessed with slogans and themes. Judging from the ads in the conference program, for example, graduate programs are now required to have their own slogan. Iowa says it has "Deep Traditions, Revolutionary Force," while Penn State proudly proclaims, "The best of both traditions" (rhet/comp and comm, that is). Friday night on a patio overlooking Beale Street, several of us tried to come up with options for our own programs. For Illinois, we tried out, "Affordable housing, racist mascot" before somebody, I can't remember who, simply said, "Illinois, the *very* best of both traditions." Eureka, that's it!
And then there's the business of conference themes. This year's was "Sizing Up Rhetoric," which suggests multiple meanings -- some of which are, well, more *masculine* than others. Debbie and I wracked our brains all weekend to try to come up with a comparably *feminine* theme. Finally, I hit on it: "Rhetoric's cleavage." If any RSA board members are reading this, I offer this officially as a potential theme for Seattle 2008. Several of us are already hard at work on the t-shirt design.
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