John, Grace Jones, and Scotland

Hi friends!

Last week or so, I found out that I was accepted to present original research at the Grace Jones Symposium, October 5-6--what an honor!  I'm so excited to share work with an exceptional group of scholars, and to talk about one of my favorite performers in my dissertation about Divas.

But here's the thing, the symposium is in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

As you may know, I'm a PhD student who attends a state institution of higher education, where belts are constantly getting tightened, particularly in the humanities.  There's absolutely no way that the English Department at the University of Illinois would be able to fund the expenses incurred by international travel. 

If you can, please consider supporting my campaign to send me to Edinburgh, so that I can continue to share and develop my research on Grace Jones!

Here's why I'm asking the amount I am:

estimated flight costs - between 1100-1200 USD
estimated hotel costs - between 400-500 USD

Thank you so much for your support!