Document
Elysia Balavage
Election
Position
Name
Elysia Balavage
Candidate statement
Visiting Assistant Professor, Slippery Rock University
The Membership and Elections Chair wears many hats: a pork pie as they facilitate the nomination and election processes; a beret for managing the social media presence for our vibrant community; a flat cap while linking special interest groups with the broader association. In short, the M&E Chair connects the different, unique parts of MSA together and ensures an inclusive, informed culture.
I am well-suited for this role because I have an impressive collection of hats. The service roles I take on require dexterity and a commitment to collective action. For instance, as a member of my union chapter’s Adjunct Committee, it is my job to be an advocate, manage our listserv, disseminate information about professional development opportunities, and act as a liaison between contingent faculty, the university, and our union’s Executive Committee.
Further, I am committed to the growth and longevity of MSA and modernist studies in general. For our conferences, I have organized two panels and one peer seminar over the past few years and have proposed a panel for the BAMS/MSA joint conference in July. And in January, I took over as the Book Reviews Editor for The Space Between: Literature and Culture, 1914-1945 and am proud to help guide the journal in new, exciting directions.
I am indebted to the MSA, and I’d be grateful to give back to our organization by serving as M&E Chair.
Modernist Studies Publications:
-“Too Progressive Not to Be Precarious: Chicago’s Dil Pickle Club,” The Space Between: Literature and Culture 1914–1945 special issue on “Contingency, Precarity, and Jeopardy: Labor in the Space Between.” Forthcoming Nov. 2026.
-“‘Nothingness in All Directions’: Modernism, Sci-Fi, and Radiant Space.” Modernism/Modernity Print Plus, Volume 6, Cycle 3 (16 May 2022).
“Divinity and Nihilism in W. B. Yeats’s A Vision.” The Review of English Studies, 73.310 (June 2022), 568-581.
-“Illumination, Transformation, and Nihilism: T. S. Eliot’s Empty Spaces.” Journal of Modern Literature, 44.3 (Spring 2021), 35-48.
The Membership and Elections Chair wears many hats: a pork pie as they facilitate the nomination and election processes; a beret for managing the social media presence for our vibrant community; a flat cap while linking special interest groups with the broader association. In short, the M&E Chair connects the different, unique parts of MSA together and ensures an inclusive, informed culture.
I am well-suited for this role because I have an impressive collection of hats. The service roles I take on require dexterity and a commitment to collective action. For instance, as a member of my union chapter’s Adjunct Committee, it is my job to be an advocate, manage our listserv, disseminate information about professional development opportunities, and act as a liaison between contingent faculty, the university, and our union’s Executive Committee.
Further, I am committed to the growth and longevity of MSA and modernist studies in general. For our conferences, I have organized two panels and one peer seminar over the past few years and have proposed a panel for the BAMS/MSA joint conference in July. And in January, I took over as the Book Reviews Editor for The Space Between: Literature and Culture, 1914-1945 and am proud to help guide the journal in new, exciting directions.
I am indebted to the MSA, and I’d be grateful to give back to our organization by serving as M&E Chair.
Modernist Studies Publications:
-“Too Progressive Not to Be Precarious: Chicago’s Dil Pickle Club,” The Space Between: Literature and Culture 1914–1945 special issue on “Contingency, Precarity, and Jeopardy: Labor in the Space Between.” Forthcoming Nov. 2026.
-“‘Nothingness in All Directions’: Modernism, Sci-Fi, and Radiant Space.” Modernism/Modernity Print Plus, Volume 6, Cycle 3 (16 May 2022).
“Divinity and Nihilism in W. B. Yeats’s A Vision.” The Review of English Studies, 73.310 (June 2022), 568-581.
-“Illumination, Transformation, and Nihilism: T. S. Eliot’s Empty Spaces.” Journal of Modern Literature, 44.3 (Spring 2021), 35-48.
Candidate CV