On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the 12th Annual Voices in Literature and Culture Conference was hosted by the interdisciplinary, themed course Perspectives in Literature. This year, Perspectives’ theme is Monstrosity, and more than 30 students, both in and out of the class, presented their interpretations of the theme. From poems and passionate PowerPoints to paintings and drawings, students shared their take on monstrosity through many different mediums. 

The conference began in the afternoon with a keynote address from former journalist and current screenwriter and producer Dana Calvo, who notably created Good Girls Revolt and worked on Narcos. In her speech, she highlighted how in her work experience—both news writing and television show production—she had always seen strong women depicted as monsters or having qualities that, when seen in women, are monstrous, such as having strong opinions. After her speech, Ms. Calvo told Spyglass, “Whenever you are reading or writing depictions of women, whether they are real or fictional, you pretty quickly get the memo that we do not like women to expand out of a certain role that they are assigned.”

Following Ms. Calvo’s speech, several students presented their work on a panel, moderated by Spyglass staff writer Sylvie S-J. ’24. Heidi R. ’24, who presented her project, “The Female Body in Art: Objectification and Idealization,” on the panel said, “It was really exciting to see the connections between my theme and some of the other themes on the panel, of course the keynote speaker as well. Seeing it all wrapped together was pretty nice.” 

Many students found the address more than just interesting. Ms. Calvo’s speech connected the theme of monstrosity to her own work experience, tying in another idea that many students may have not even considered. Lauren C. ’26 said the speech was “really engaging and very relevant in present times.

The conference also included five themed rooms spread out in the English and Rothenberg Humanities Buildings, each with about seven students presenting their projects. The students in Perspectives in Literature curated their projects in connection to the books they read in class. When asked about linking the text to the larger world, Clarissa P. ’24 mentioned how it was important to “find different ways in which recurrence, ideas, and society connect to so many different aspects [in the real world].” 

While reflecting on the event, English Department Chair and Perspectives in Literature Teacher Ms. Tarra Stevenson noted that there was “so much depth and complexity in dealing with different interpretations of the theme.” Ms. Stevenson also said, “It was impressive, as always. It was so much bigger [than in years prior].”

The only downside? The event was so big that Ms. Stevenson was unable to see all of the presentations.