History of Camp Rhetoric

Camp Rhetoric originated in the 1990s under the auspices of Jack Selzer. Its first incarnation was as a beginning-of-the-year gathering. Initially, it was held at Blue Diamond State Park. Several years later, Camp Rhetoric was moved to State College.

In Camp Rhetoric’s second incarnation, it was moved later in the academic year, to late fall or early winter, with the goal of bringing English rhetoricians together with CAS rhetoricians. Initially, participants met for an overnight at Woodward Camp. After several years at Woodward, the conference moved to Toftrees. It was at this stage, around 2010, that AEIR got involved with organizing Camp Rhetoric.

Most Camp Rhetoric conferences in recent years have included keynotes and panels by faculty members and feedback sessions with graduate students from Penn State and other programs in the region. Here are some highlights from our conferences from 2010 to 2017.

Camp Rhetoric 2018

For Camp Rhetoric 2018, we investigated the theme “Precarious Times, Contested Identities.” We welcomed guest speakers Dr. Erin J. Rand and Dr. Cristina D. Ramírez, who delivered provocative speeches. Take a look at the program and at photos of the event.

Camp Rhetoric 2017

This Camp Rhetoric revolved around the theme “Mobile Rhetorics, Moving Identities.” We were fortunate to have Dr. J. David Cisneros and Dr. Rebecca Dingo deliver our headline lectures, as well as many other faculty members who designed stimulating presentations and led valuable feedback sessions. Check out the full program here: Camp Rhetoric 17