Keynote speaker Carlyn Dinshaw reflects:

"The setting of the biannual SASMARS conference -- in the beautiful mountains of wine producing Stellenbosch -- is certainly a draw, but I found that the greatest benefit of the gathering came from the international mix of scholars at all levels of the profession. Students as well as more established scholars from a wide range of locations presented work concerned with everything from medieval travel narratives to contemporary jewelry making. As a newcomer to South Africa, I especially benefited from talking with medieval and renaissance studies colleagues from campuses across the country. I returned to the US with a wider view of the discipline and a renewed sense of possibilities for future study into the past."