Request for Input from Society Members: Reminder

All members of the Samuel Beckett Society are reminded that the deadline for responses to the President’s initiative on the Society’s mission statement and code of conduct is next Monday 15 January.

The president of the Samuel Beckett Society, Patrick Bixby, has written to all members iniviting their comments and observations in relation to two new initiatives. The text reads as follows:

‘To guide our organization into the future, the executive committee have undertaken to draft – for the first time – a mission statement and a code of conduct.

Our general ambition is to create an even more accessible, inclusive, and vibrant community of Beckett scholars, writers, translators, filmmakers, theater practitioners, visual artists, amateur enthusiasts, and others with an interest in Beckett’s life and work. Moreover, we seek to attract members at all career stages and from all corners of the globe.

With this in mind, we have begun to draft a mission statement that will not only guide our future activities, but (when published on our website) help potential members to understand our purpose and envision ways to participate in our activities.

Given the news coming from other literary societies and academic organizations, we also believe it is crucial to create and publish a code of conduct for our members. We hope that this will allow all of our members to feel safe and supported during Samuel Beckett Society events and activities.’

All members should have received the letter with the attched document outlining thoughts on the Mission Statement and on the aims of the Code of Conduct by now. Everyone is urged to check their email, including spam boxes, to view the document as you are invited to respond with your input (ideas, amendments, concerns, questions, etc.) during a comment period that will extend to 15 January 2024.

Following this period, a review of your input will be undertaken before revising and ratifying these documents, with the aim of finalizing them before our next conference in June.