The entire SJMC team was busy this month hosting several major events on campus and around town. We started October with the Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference on campus. We hosted scholars and popular culture critics for a three-day event that featured several presentations from SJMC faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
Brian Ekdale and Sarah Witmer presenting at MPCA
We followed the MPCA/ACA conference with a co-hosted visit from John Warner, author of More than Words: How to Think about Writing in the Age of AI. Warner visited SJMC and Iowa City as part of the Iowa City Book Festival and presented to a full house at the Iowa City Public Library. Professor Venise Berry participated in the Festival on a panel that discussed her recent co-authored anthology, The Black Superwoman & Mental Health: Power & Pain.
We kept the discussion of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies going at the 2025 Mobile Me & You: Technology and Journalism conference on October 9-10. SJMC hosted the annual event for the first time. Thanks to Kevin Ripka for leading the charge and organizing a thought-provoking conference. Presenters visited classes and participated in public talks over two days engaging with students, faculty, and area professionals.
Finally, we wrapped up the month with the 2025 Iowa High School Press Association Fall Conference. The fall conference welcomed more than 900 students and educators from 48 schools to campus. This was the largest IHSPA fall conference in recent years and included participants from Iowa and Illinois schools. Congratulations to Michelle Sillman, Erin Goss, and the entire IHSPA team for another successful event! Thanks to everyone who participated and contributed to the program.
If you have a story to share, please send it to sjmc@uiowa.edu.
Melissa Tully, Director