Oregon State University will host the first Phish Studies academic conference in Corvallis, Oregon on May 17-19, 2019. The conference will showcase research about Phish, its fans, and culture. A wide variety of disciplinary approaches will be represented, featuring scholars from across the country.

Registration is open and a tentative list of presentations is available now. Stay tuned for announcements about schedule details and special guests.

There are a number of ways that you can support the conference and growing field of Phish Studies:

Register ASAP: Are you presenting? Attending the event as an audience member? Register now. Organizing an academic conference takes an enormous about of time, effort, and money. Early participant registration is essential for the planning and budgeting of a successful event. You can also take advantage of the early bird registration rate.

Participate in the Exhibition Fair: Are you an artist or business owner? Register as a vendor to display, promote, and sell your work in our Conference Exhibition Fair, located in the OSU Memorial Union, seconds away from the room in which presentations will take place.

Sponsor a conference event: You can promote your business and support Phish Studies scholarship by sponsoring an art exhibit, poster session, or reception at the conference.

Make a tax-deductible donation: If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support the event and help create a registration scholarship fund for students and underemployed scholars, you may do so via the OSU Foundation’s website. The form is prepopulated with the information necessary for our staff to process and earmark your donation for the Phish Studies conference.

Spread the word: Share conference information on social media. Tell friends and colleagues who might be interested about the event. Help us identify potential sponsors.

This conference is the first of its kind. The event will offer unique scholarship, networking, and educational opportunities for participants. Some examples include:

• Fan scholars will have the professional opportunity to combine their expertise in and passion for Phish.
• Student scholars will receive professional mentoring and close-up encounters with faculty research.
• Revised versions of selected presentations will be published in an edited volume following the conference.

The success of this first conference will legitimize the field of Phish Studies within academia and facilitate future growth in this new and exciting area of scholarship. With your help, the tree of knowledge in our souls will grow.

If you liked this blog post, one way you could "like" it is to make a donation to The Mockingbird Foundation, the sponsor of Phish.net. Support music education for children, and you just might change the world.