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Mod/Con

The Mod/Con Working Group is coordinated and funded by the Department of English. 

Mod/Con, Penn English's Modernist and Contemporary Literatures Reading Group, is a working group devoted to the discussion of cultural and literary problematics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Our critical and historical interests range from the late nineteenth century through to the present day, across early and high moderism, postmodernism, and beyond. Each semester, we work to develop ways of thinking about these period markers—how they differ, what they share—through invited lectures and works-in-progress by graduate students and faculty in and outside of the Penn English community. In tandem with these works-in-progress, Mod/Con frequently hosts reading events of scholarly monographs as well as works of short fiction and poetry. We hope you can join us for an event!

For more information or to be placed on the Mods listserv, please contact Christos Kalli (kallic@sas.upenn.edu) and Rylee Smith (rylees@sas.upenn.edu).


Upcoming Events

  • Austin Svedjan WIP

    Of Dunces, Class Clowns, and Other Bad Attitudes: Sex Ed in the Willa Cather School for Sexual Immorality
    February 26, 2026 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm
  • Michael Watkins WIP

    April 9, 2026 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm
  • Ailin Jain WIP

    April 24, 2026 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm




Past Events