2025 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Dr. Rachael Ryerson

"Oh, Bi the Way": Bisexual Rhetorics in Queer Webcomics

April 9, 1:00pm, Lumpkin Auditorium (2030 Lumpkin Hall)

While scholarship on queer rhetorics in queer comix remains sparse, deep rhetorical analyses of bisexual comics are even more rare. To address this gap, and to answer Pamela VanHaitsma’s call for more attention to bisexual rhetorics and the building of more bisexual archives, I curated and investigated several queer webcomics that feature bisexual lives and experiences. Thus, this keynote explores how bisexuality is represented, defined and/or troubled in bisexual webcomics like Oglaf, Power Ballad, and Questionable Content. Too, I consider what those representations mean rhetorically and ideologically, and how bisexual webcomics become a powerful site of queer community building. I synthesize representations of bisexuality from this webcomics archive— representations that are multimodal, digital, and narrative—to capture, in part, what bisexual rhetorics in webcomics mean for being, doing, and living queer(ly).

Eastern Illinois University’s English Studies Conference is an annual event held during the Spring Semester that showcases the exciting work being done by our students, faculty, alumni, and local community members in the various areas of English Studies. This year our main conference will be held once again in-person with a separate showcase the following night featuring additional virtual sessions highlighting work completed by our off-campus graduate and undergraduate students. 

This event is open to the entire university and the public and features a range of panels, roundtables, readings, poster sessions, and more in the areas of Creative Writing, Literary & Cultural Studies, Professional Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, and English Language Arts Pedagogy. Hear current students discuss their recent creative and scholarly projects and their experiences at internships, local & national conferences, and more. Gain important tips for the job hunt by attending alumni panels where participants will discuss the ways in which they marketed and applied their English Studies skills to various professions. Even sit in on faculty panels to learn about the diverse research trajectories being pursued by English Studies scholars. 

Past Conference Highlights:

• 2024 ESC Program
• 2023 ESCProgram
• 2022 ESCProgram
• 2021 ESC Program
• 2020 ESC Program
• 2019 ESC Program
• 2018 ESC Program
• 2017 ESC Program 
• 2016 ESC Program
• 2015 ESC Program
• 2014 ESC Program
• 2013 ESC Program
• 2012 ESC Program
• 2011 ESC Program
• 2010 ESC Program
• 2009 ESC Program
• 2008 ESC Program
• 2007 ESC Program
• 2006 ESC Program

Submission Process:

Students may submit proposals for individual presentations or pre-formed panels consisting of multiple presenters. The proposal deadline for next year's conference is Friday, March 14, 2025. Click HERE to submit your proposal to participate in the virtual conference sessions scheduled for 4/8! Click HERE to submit your proposal to the in-person conference scheduled for 4/9!

For inquiries concerning the main conference event, please contact Dr. Melissa Ames (mames@eiu.edu).  For inquiries concerning the virtual showcase, please contact Dr. Marjorie Worthington (mgworthington@eiu.edu).

View Select Featured Past Student Projects and Presentations