2025 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WELSH STUDIES

In July 2025, NAASWCH celebrates 30 years since our first meeting, and resumes action after the disruptions of the COVID pandemic. The 2025 conference returns us to where it all began, at the Madog Center for Welsh Studies, University of Rio Grande Community College, Rio Grande, OH.

Conference Schedule

Tuesday, 15 July: Optional Bus Tour and Opening Reception

Wednesday, 16 July: Sessions and Keynotes

Thursday, 17 July: Sessions and Keynotes

Friday, 18 July (until noon): Sessions

Keynote Speakers

Registration and Logistics

Registration Costs

$195 - Full Conference Registration

$75 - One-Day Registration

$10 - Conference Zoom Pass

Included in conference rates are meals (Tuesday evening through Friday morning), with an Italian-themed conference “banquet” dinner at the Greer Museum on Thursday evening July 17.

Columbus Airport Shuttles

Optional bus transportation will be provided between John Glenn Columbus Airport and University of Rio Grande campus ($35 return). Buses will depart Columbus airport for Rio Grande on Monday evening 14 July at 6pm; and on Tuesday afternoon 15 July at 4 pm. Return trip to Columbus airport will depart campus on Friday 18 July at noon.

Optional Tuesday Bus Tour ($40)

Those who arrive on campus on Monday evening may opt to purchase tickets for a day-long bus tour of the historic Welsh region in and around Rio Grande. The tour will include a boxed lunch. Sites to be visited on the tour include Buckeye Furnace; Lilian E. Jones Museum; Welsh American Heritage Museum; Moriah Church; Tyn Rhos Church; Madog Center for Welsh Studies; University of Rio Grande Archives. 

Book Registration, Airport Shuttles, and Optional Bus Tour Here

Accomodations

Conference accommodations are in an air-conditioned dormitory on the campus of the University of Rio Grande ($38/night). Dormitory rooms are arranged in suites shared by up to four people (single rooms with shared kitchenette and bath).

Book Campus Accommodations Here

Alternative lodging can be found through Gallia County Convention & Visitors Bureau Accommodations website: https://visitgallia.com/accommodations/.

Location

University of Rio Grande / Rio Grande Community College

The University’s contemporary 190-acre campus in Rio Grande, Ohio is nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of the southeastern region of the state.  A unique private / public institution of higher education, Rio Grande’s mission is to provide learners the opportunity to attain a high-quality, high-value education through personalized, learner-centered tuition that promotes successful lives, careers, and responsible citizenship.

The Madog Center for Welsh Studies

The Madog Center for Welsh Studies is located on the campus of the University of Rio Grande / Rio Grande Community College in an historic Welsh American community. It is the only center for Welsh studies in North America, serving both the US and Canada. Established by the University’s board in June 1996, the mission of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies is to foster understanding of and appreciation for Welsh heritage and contemporary Welsh culture.

The Madog Center for Welsh Studies was established following a conference on Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande in June 1995.  Conference participants, who came together from across North America and the UK, saw the need for a study center to support and promote knowledge of Welsh history and culture.  This 1996 conference was the inaugural meeting of NAASWCH, founded to facilitate the sharing of research and perspectives on the many facets of Welsh culture and history of interest to a North American audience.  NAASWCH conferences have welcomed the participation of academics, post / graduate and graduate students, and independent scholars from around the world, representing disciplines as various as history, literature, languages, art, social sciences, political science, pedagogy, philosophy, music, religion, and linguistics.

Call for papers - Now closed

Next summer, NAASWCH will celebrate 30 years since our inaugural meeting, and our return to action after the disruptions of the COVID pandemic. The 2025 conference returns us to where it all began, at the Madog Center for Welsh Studies, University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College, Rio Grande, OH. 

For the 2025 conference, the NAASWCH Program Committee seeks diverse perspectives on all aspects of Wales and Welsh culture and history – as well as proposals focused on the Welsh in North America – from many disciplines, including, but not limited to, history, literature, languages, art, social sciences, political science, pedagogy, philosophy, music, and religion. NAASWCH invites participation from academics, postgraduate/graduate students, and independent scholars from North America, the United Kingdom, and across the world.  

Those wishing to present a paper suitable for a 20-minute reading may submit an abstract (maximum one-page).  Proposals for thematic sessions, panel presentations, or other formats in English or Welsh are also welcome.  Please include a brief (one-page) c.v. and a brief (150 words) bio with your abstract submission. 

Submit abstracts or session proposals by no later than 5 March 2025 to Professor Daniel Williams, Chair, English Literature, Swansea University, at daniel.g.williams@swansea.ac.uk, with cc’s to melindagray99@gmail.com and drowbotham@rio.edu. Early submissions are encouraged. Submissions will be acknowledged promptly. If you have not received confirmation of your submission within a week, please resend the document. Presenters will be notified of acceptance in early March.  

A small number of bursaries will be available for students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program. Interested applicants should provide, together with a paper proposal, a 250-word explanation of how attendance at this conference will make a difference in the advancement of their work and career. 

Conference information will be available on the new NAASWCH website and updated periodically: www.naaswch.wales. Keynote presentations to be announced. Those who are not submitting proposals but who would like to receive conference information should contact Dr. Melinda Gray (NAASWCH Secretary/Treasurer), melindagray99@gmail.com and Dan Rowbotham (Director of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande, OH), drowbotham@rio.edu.