Earlier this month at Saint Louis University's annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies, several AARHMS members participated in a new type of conference-within-a-conference which focused on what the Symposium is venturing to call "Special Topics." These conferences aimed to provide the focused discussion and intimate conversation of smaller seminars or conferences, while still providing all of the grand amenities of a larger scholarly gathering.

Among the Symposium's wise selection of sessions, AARHMS' panels and presentations were among the best attended, and were all hosted in the luxurious and stately Pere Marquette Gallery. The AARHMS members who participated were widely congratulated for the conference, and collectively acclaimed the conference a resounding success.

The AARHMS conference, which discussed the Kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso VIII (r. 1158-1214), was an unqualified success. Participants included Janna Bianchini, Miriam Shadis, José Cerda, Martín Alvira, Sam Conedera, Jim Todesca, Damian Smith, Linda Jones, Tom Burman and Miguel Gómez. The papers are being collected into a volume which is planned for appearance next year. 

Not only was the conference the first of its kind hosted at the Saint Louis University Symposium, but it was also the first commemorative conference to celebrate the 800th anniversary of King Alfonso and his Queen Leonor Plantagenet.

AARHMS members interested in hosting another such conference- on any topic within the organization's purview- at SLU's Symposium should email the Symposium directly (smrs@slu.edu) or can inquire internally with either AARHMS' Conference Organizer, Jim Todesca, or its Webmaster, Kyle Lincoln.