How Meetings Work
Meetings begin on a Friday afternoon and end at noon the next day, and usually include a shared meal and oral autobiography by a member on Friday evening. Several weeks before the Meeting, papers are made available so that each session can be devoted to the discussion of a paper and the issues it raises. A designated respondent first shares their impressions of a paper and then the Society members engage the paper presenter, the respondent, and each other in an often provocative and critical discussion. In general, four papers are presented during each biannual meeting with approximately an hour devoted to each one, though other formats, such as a panel, do occur. Because of the diversity and depth of expertise among members, new insights are inevitably brought out. As opportunity presents itself, papers may be brought together for publication.
Opportunities for informal but vital conversation occur through a shared banquet meal, and are often followed by an oral autobiography presented by one of the esteemed members of the Society.
