More contact between online and onsite students?

Last week, Rich Rice, Janie Santoy, Lennie Irvin and I presented a panel at the SITE conference in San Antonio. Prior to driving down to San Antonio in Rich's truck (there was a problem with the lights--old trucks, bad design--you know the drill) I got to hang out in the MULL with Rich. I wound up seeing Leanne Schroer-Motz, Christiana Christofides, Locke Carter, Becky Rickly, Kirk St. Amant, and Sam Dragga. So when combined with hanging out with my online classmates Lennie and Janie, and spending loads of times with Rich Rice, I had a real windfall. The conversations, both casual and professional, were outstanding. My juices got flowing and I started having all those intellectual inspirations one is supposed to have when studying for a doctorate.

So what's the upshot? Well, I was thinking we should organize a yearly conference for all the online and onsite students. It would be a conference with no theme, a writer's retreat. . .a Chatauqua, if you will, of TCR phd students. For those who couldn't make it, an online component would be easily added using the MOO and some IM chat sessions. Folks both at home and on location could drop in and out, making conversation and contributing and sharing ideas. Faculty would of course be invited (again--both online and in-person contributions would be welcome) so we could pick brains and make connections.

Anyhow, just an idea. The planning is the hard part--times, places, facilities, participants, etc. And selling the idea might not be too easy. Most of us have conference plans year-round, anyhow. But this one would be difference. We wouldn't have a theme that constrains what you do or talk about--we'd have a No-Theme Theme. Dirt cheap, too, if we can get the right facilities and rough it just a touch.