Dear CSS Members,

We want to take this opportunity to recognize and congratulate two outstanding scholars who belong in our cohort of CSS awards winners. We are thrilled to share that Ravynn Stringfield was awarded an Honorable Mention for the Gilbert Seldes Prize for Public Scholarship.

We are also proud to announce that Christian Hines has been co-awarded the Frederick Luis Aldama Emerging BIPOC Comics Studies Leadership Award. We look forward to inviting Christian, alongside her co-winner Victoria Rahbar, to deliver individual talks about their extraordinary work.

We hope you will join us in giving these two scholars the accolades they deserve and that you will keep the celebrations going by attending our two Awards Winners Roundtables on Wednesday, 10/2/2024 at 11am (EST) and Friday, 10/4/2024 at 1pm (EST).

These congratulations are belated because, like so many aspects of CSS operations, this year’s awards cycle was negatively impacted by unforeseen vacancies and disorganization. As a result, we now find ourselves in the position of needing to address extended delays, miscommunications, and procedural inconsistencies in the 2023-2024 cycle. Doing so is of utmost importance not only so we can recognize the brilliant work of varied CSS scholars, but also so we can acknowledge and honor the labor of the members who agreed to volunteer on the awards committees.

To redress the problems that arose, and to ensure a fair, efficacious process going forward, the Executive Board is taking the following steps:

First, we are extending eligibility for unsuccessful 2023-2024 applicants for a year. Regardless of changes in student or professional status, any CSS member who applied for an award in the 2023-2024 academic year, and did not win an award or Honorable Mention, will be eligible for the same award in the 2024-2025 cycle.

Second, the Board will prioritize documenting a streamlined process for conducting awards beginning with the codification of the 2nd VP as the Awards Committee Chair, as stipulated in the Bylaws. The Board has also begun composing a Policies & Procedures Handbook, which will include CSS-wide timelines, thorough descriptions of every Board position, best practices for communications, and detailed processes for how to form and conduct committees charged with running everything from yearly events (i.e., the conference, elections, awards, etc.) to ad-hoc meetings. Further details about the Handbook, and additional improvements to the Executive Board, will be shared in the coming month.

As a relatively young organization, CSS has room for evolution and growth. We are committed to transparency as we attempt to further identify and resolve the structural issues that have hindered operations. As we address these issues, we hope concerned members will be willing to consider joining the board when we announce forthcoming positions. We welcome your support to forge a stronger CSS.