Sweet Memphis...

By popular request, here is a brief report of the conference in Memphis:

It went well! I was so nervous to be presenting (albeit in a session with other undergrad researchers) in front of professionals! But after watching various other presentations before my own, I realized that a) anthropologists are pretty laid-back, and b) only people who are really interested in the topic and excited to learn about it bother to come. There were only actually 3 or 4 people besides my fellow researchers who attended the session, and they had good comments. I really enjoyed sitting in on other people's projects. There is so much going on in applied anthropology that fits my interests. I found some awesome books on incorporating indigenous knowledge and participation in development work, and on water issues, and on human attachment and bonding... it was great!

After the presentation, we went as a group to Neely's (a barbeque place that has its own show on the Food Network, apparently...), where I polished off 3 lbs of barbequed rib tips, beans, cole slaw, and a slice of pecan pie. Later in the evening, we got to sit down with the project organizers and go over our papers so far (or chapters, I guess - looks like they'll all be published together in a book). It was awesome to get the feedback. I feel like I know where I'm headed with the write-up now.