Introduction

We prepare to engage in the yearly ritual of scholars in our field: the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), abbreviated AAR-SBL…or is it SBL-AAR? The order makes all the difference. Quality tips are shared to survive an academic conference of this type. Brian shares the tale of his first panic attack, and leaks crucial details from one of his conference presentations—about the Puritan leader Cotton Mather and his belief that the bones of biblical giants had been uncovered in America. 

The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL): https://www.sbl-site.org/ 

The American Academy of Religion (AAR): https://aarweb.org/

The annual meeting online program book (you can search presentations by last name and keyword): https://sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=43 

Cotton Mather: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Mather 

Bozeman, To Live Ancient Lives: https://uncpress.org/book/9780807896273/to-live-ancient-lives 

Bryce Traister: https://fccs.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/bryce-traister/ 

The text of Cotton Mather’s first letter to the Royal Society about the giant bones: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2936986?origin=crossref&seq=1