Overview

The Mythopoeic Society’s Online Midyear Seminar (OMS), sometimes in January/February, sometimes in the summer when no in-person Mythcon is being held that year, is intended to supplement our (more or less) annual in-person conference (Mythcon): first of all by providing an additional opportunity for presenting papers and holding discussions, and secondly by allowing for attendance by those who find it difficult to attend in person, whether for reasons of travel options, disabilities, or financial issues.

The first OMS, in 2022, grew out of our experience with Mythcon 51, which was originally scheduled for 2020 as an in-person conference, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then transformed into an online event when it became apparent that the pandemic would still be a problem in 2021. The convention committee did an admirable job in pivoting to the online format in relatively short order, making use of Zoom for presentations and Discord for discussions and informal activities. The OMS has continued the practice of using Zoom and Discord in this way.

Unlike Mythcon, which has four days of multiple tracks of programming covering a myriad of subjects, the OMS focuses instead on a single topic, and encourages presentations that most closely address the conference theme. But like traditional Mythcons, other topics are frequently discussed as well.

The Mythopoeic Society has always encouraged scholarship in mythopoeic and Inklings studies by providing a venue in which scholars, new and old, may present papers which may in turn be considered for publication in Mythlore. Whether you are interested in presenting, or just wishing to hear the topics discussed, please consider attending either Mythcon or the OMS, or both.

If you (or your group) are interested in hosting an OMS, please contact the Steward for Mythopoeic Conferences, , at mythcon @ mythsoc.org for information and help.

---

Current Seminar

Online Midwinter Seminar 2024