I originally asked this question back in 2007 – Is the Shakespeare Association of America for me?
Well it’s been almost 4 years now, and much has changed. If nothing else, I can now say that I’ve spent those last 4 years learning even more about Shakespeare. Plus, my audience has grown and changed, and there are many people here now that weren’t here then.
So I’ll ask it again (mostly because the question’s come up) : Given what you, dear readers, know about me… is the SAA for me?
I'd never heard of the SAA before (and I'm a newcomer to the blog, of course, so I hadn't seen your previous post). From what I read just now…
It looks like any other professional/academic group devoted to a particular subject. If you plan to write or do presentations on this subject for other like-minded people, or attend conferences in order to see people do such things, then it could be worth your time and money. If not, not.
Even in my own field (I belong to musicological societies, and attend their conferences when I can), I often skip this or that session in order to hang out with people whom I like and don't otherwise get to see. So that's a possible benefit too… building up a network of friends who enjoy the same stuff you do. But you've sort of done that here.
See, I don't think it's the audience for me doing presentations. I fully expect that most of the people listening to me have more experience and know more about the subject than I do. What I tend to do most often is pitch a question or idea that came to mind, or some experience (such as my kids' questions), and then get the discussion going. More often than not I learn a great deal in the process.
I can also say, however, that there've been times when the pros have contacted me. Somebody from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust hit me up with questions about Shakespeare on the web. So maybe there's something of value that I actually do bring to the table beyond just the role of moderator. Who knows.
I love the SAA, and I think it's for you. You don't have to present anything. You can just go and listen to brilliant people say brilliant stuff. There is loads of schmoozing and shop-talk during the weekend. You can chat with the greats (I got to talk briefly with Katherine Eisman Maus and David Bevington, for example!) There are also educational workshops that are amazing. I'm way pro-SAA.