Dear URPE Members,
The 2009 Left Forum (http://www.leftforum.org/) will take place April 17-19 at Pace University, One Pace Plaza (across from City Hall), NYC.  This year’s conference theme will be “Turning Points.”
The Left Forum is generally attended by a few thousand activists and academics, and there is always a strong interest in economic aspects of current issues. URPE people have a lot to contribute to the general Left discourse. We encourage all URPE members who are interested to think about participating in a panel!
The Left Forum would like to have panel submissions by January 15, 2009. They don’t have to be totally complete, but the more complete the more likely a panel is to be accepted. You can also indicate to them that you are available as an individual to participate in a panel on a specified topic, and of course then you will get to present only if there is a panel on the topic that you select, and it is missing a speaker.
In earlier years URPE was allocated two panels for us to build. The method for allocating panels has now changed: organizations are no longer guaranteed any panels. Organizations and individuals can submit proposals to the Left Forum organizers, and they will choose which panels are accepted. This year again space is limited; there will be about 100 panels altogether.
Again, we encourage all URPE members who are interested to submit a panel or individual proposal directly to the Left Forum organizers. Read the guidelines below and then email your proposal to:
leftforum@leftforum.org
Please cc to soapbox@comcast.net
so that we will know what panels URPE members are submitting. We can let you know about other URPE members who respond. This will also help us evaluate this year’s organizing procedure.
CONFERENCE THEME: “Turning Points” — What is to be done?
“Even before the financial meltdown and its spreading destruction to other sectors of the US economy and globally we have had a sense of a capitalism in deep trouble, unable not only to meet the needs of people (no new development) but unable to even reproduce its exploitative norms nor able to effectively force its once robust ideological hegemony on people. American capitalism has been deeply discredited in its failed wars, failed economy, and failure to meet the basic needs of people and the planet. The 2009 Left Forum poses the question, could we be at a historic juncture in the evolution of American power and politics?”
Read the rest of the description of the theme at: http://www.leftforum.org/?q=2009
PANEL REQUIREMENTS:
4 speakers maximum. You will need a chair — one of the speakers or an additional person.
The panel fee has not yet been determined. Last year’s panel fee was $120 for a total panel but that could change. The fee can be divided among panelists, and in the past has included admission for the whole weekend for all panelists. Stay tuned for more info on fees.
People who attend the LF are well-informed but most are not economists.  Panels should be on topics of general interest, and accessible to non-economists. It is a good idea to work closely with the LF organizing committee, to prevent duplication with other panels.
URPE people looking for additional speakers can get ideas in the following ways:
1. Contact Economy Connection at soapbox@comcast.net or 201-792-7459. We have a good speaker list and can provide suggestions that you can follow up.
2. Send a post to the URPE Listserv to see if anyone else is doing similar work:
urpe-announcements@lists.econ.utah.edu
3. Look on the URPE website (www.urpe.org). Under “Resources” the new Crisis page lists websites that include many articles URPE people have written recently.
4. URPE now has a Facebook site (join Facebook and search for URPE).
5. Ask the LF committee if they have extra speakers looking for a place on a panel. (The main organizer is Seth Adler, 212-817-2003, leftforum@leftforum.org.)
PANEL ORGANIZING SUGGESTIONS FROM THE LEFT FORUM:
“We ask that you consider age, gender, and racial balance to the extent you can and where there are differences on issues of controversy on the broad left that there be debate among your panelists. We hope many panels will critically engage the themes of the conference as they relate to our 2009 “Turning Points” Statement (see: www.leftforum.org).”
SUBMITTING A PANEL:
You will need:
A title
Names of participants (including a chair)
Their main affiliation (school, organization, etc.)
A paragraph or so explaining what you intend to do
Submit your panel to the Left Forum at leftforum@leftforum.org and please cc to soapbox@comcast.net.
**************************************
Ruthie Indeck
soapbox@comcast.net
201-792-7459