{"id":11195,"date":"2020-02-07T19:47:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-08T02:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=11195"},"modified":"2020-02-11T13:47:47","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T20:47:47","slug":"conference-on-contemporary-pagan-studies-1-the-southwest-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=11195","title":{"rendered":"Conference on Current Pagan Studies 1: The Southwest Chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Off-season, the train was only half full, which meant that there were armchairs and tables for the taking in the lounge car. I bought a beer at the snack bar downstairs and watched northern New Mexico go past.<\/p><\/div>\n

I was honored this year to be asked to give a keynote address at the Conference on Current Pagan Studies<\/a>.((The other keynoter was the feminist writer and poet Judy Grahn<\/a>. Yes, the website badly needs an upgrade.)) For journeys under 500 miles \u2014 and sometimes more \u2014 I would rather drive. If the trip is longer, I look first to see if Amtrak will get me there. If all else fails, I end up jammed into a metal cylinder with a bunch of strangers, which is about as much fun as being stuck in an elevator.<\/p>\n

Southern Colorado to southern California is a combination of the first two \u2014 drive a bit, and then catch Amtrak’s Southwest Chief<\/a>, get off in San Bernardino, and catch a Metrolink commuter train<\/a> west to Claremont, where the conference was to be held at Claremont Graduate University.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Santo Domingo Pueblo, north of Albuquerque, New Mexico.<\/p><\/div>\n

I booked a coach seat on the way out, which would be easier on the organizers’ travel budget ($112), and used Amtrak reward points to get a roomette (sleeper) on the way back.((The best way to accrue reward points is to use Amtrak’s Guest Rewards Mastercard.))<\/p>\n

Understand that a coach seat on the train is huger than first-class on an airplane. Muchly huger. You have a foot rest and<\/em> a leg rest. You can recline your seat without bashing the passenger behind you. Smart passengers bring a small blanket and a pillow and make themselves quite comfortable.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Refueling in Albuquerque. Basically, one locomotive pulls the train while the other powers all the onboard electrical systems \u2014\u00a0refrigeration, HVAC, toilets, lights, etc.<\/p><\/div>\n

Me, I had a warm jacket, but I forgot the inflatable neck pillow, So it goes. I made myself comfortable, stretched across two seats\u2014the car was only half-full. After a burger at the station snack bar in Albquerque, followed by a little whiskey from my flask, I opened an episode of the Strange Familiars <\/em>podcast<\/a> on my phone and rode west into the night.<\/p>\n

I usually can sleep anywhere, but not this time. I don’t blame all the podcast discussion of fairy orbs, Bigfoot, “hell gates,” ghosts, etc., but rather the fact that I would have to get off at 5:30 a.m. I knew<\/em> that either the coach attendant or the conductor would make sure that I made my stop.((I had ridden this way multiple times before, but always getting off at Fullerton or else Los Angeles Union Station, in the daylight.)) They are usually good about that. But the monkey mind would not settle down. So when the conductor came down the dimly lit aisle, I was already sitting there with my jacket zipped and my carry-on bag at hand, watching the highway next to us.<\/p>\n

You know you are in southern California when the freeway traffic \u2014 in the dark, at 5:30 a.m. \u2014 is already stop-and-go. The train whistles on past, into the San Bernardino station, a Mission-style edifice four times bigger than it needs to be. (Did the town ever need that station?) Across the tracks is a huge intermodal operation<\/a>, acres of bright lights and freight containers being stacked onto rail cars.<\/p>\n

\"\"For a kind of California-gothic touch \u2014 think of an abandoned amusement park \u2014 the “information booth” on the platform is staffed by this static mannequin, like the old coin-operated “Madame Esmeralda Tells Your Fortune” arcade machines.<\/a> If you drop in a quarter, will he tell you when the next train is coming? Nope.<\/p>\n

On the platform,\u00a0 a robot voice reminds you that “We care.” It’s about a suicide hotline.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the pre-dawn students and commuters line the platform, staring at their coffee cups or into the middle distance, until the brightly-lit double-decker Metrolink train rattles in and, after forty minutes, deposits me at Claremont station on its way west to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The chessboard is at the far left end of the counter.<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ve done my research: about four blocks away is a coffeehouse that advertises it opens at 6 a.m., and it is now 6:30. I walk into Augie’s Coffee, which sets a high bar for industrial-spartan design, with walls of hexagonal tiles like a 1920s bathroom. The baristas interrupt their chess game (Awww!) to get me a cappuccino and chocolate croissant. Outside, the palm trees are turning from black-and-white and color. I am here.<\/p>\n

Next stop: Claremont, California<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was honored this year to be asked to give a keynote address at the Conference on Current Pagan Studies.((The other keynoter was the feminist writer and poet Judy Grahn. Yes, the website badly needs an upgrade.)) For journeys under 500 miles \u2014 and sometimes more \u2014 I would rather drive. If the trip is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[75,299,13],"class_list":["post-11195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-california","tag-pagan-studies","tag-travel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6xQTg-2Uz","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11832,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=11832","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":0},"title":"Conference on Current Pagan Studies Seeks Presenters","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"October 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year I had the honor to give a keynote address at the Conference on Current Pagan Studies in Claremont, California. Last year's conference involved a train trip. This year, like everything else, it's virtual. Dates are January 16\u201317, 2021. The keynote speakers are scholar Michael York\u00a0 and writer and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"academia\"","block_context":{"text":"academia","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=academia"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Pagan-Studies-conference-logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12648,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=12648","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":1},"title":"Not Too Late to Register for the Conference on Current Pagan Studies","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"January 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The organizers of the Conference on Current Pagan Studies have an excellent line-up of speakers (list here) for the conference this weekend. As in 2021, it's by Zoom. I hope this will be the last time \u2014 or at least that they will be able to do a hybrid next\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/albrecht.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12000,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=12000","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":2},"title":"Conference on Current Pagan Studies Moves Online","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"January 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This year's Conference on Contemporary on Contermporary Pagan Studies will be an online event, the weekend of 16\u201317 January. The theme is \"Brave New World: Contemporary Paganisms During Extreme Change,\" and the keynote speakers, pictured above, are Diana Paxson and Michael York. Basic registration is $40 for all sessions, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Conference-flyer-updated-12-28-2020-232x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11233,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=11233","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":3},"title":"Conference on Current Pagan Studies 3: Harper Hall","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"February 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Part 1: The Southwest Chief Part 2: Holing up in Claremont It was a 20-minute walk from the hotel to Claremont Graduate University, where the Conference on Current Pagan Studies rents space during CGU's winter break. CGU is one of the seven \"Claremont Colleges\" \u2014 five undergrad, two graduate schools\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"academia\"","block_context":{"text":"academia","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=academia"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.chasclifton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/black-phillip-at-pagan-conference.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2023,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=2023","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":4},"title":"Pagan Conference CFP Deadline Extended","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"November 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The deadline for the call for papers (CFP) for next January's Conference on Current Pagan Studies at Claremont Graduate University has been extended to November 26.","rel":"","context":"In \"scholarship\"","block_context":{"text":"scholarship","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=scholarship"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4163,"url":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=4163","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":5},"title":"9th Claremont Pagan Studies Conference","author":"Chas S. Clifton","date":"April 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Conference on Current Pagan Studies: Pagan Sensibilities in Action January 26 & 27, 2013, Claremont, California Call for Papers \u00a0This year we will focus on Pagan Sensibilities in Action. We welcome papers that discuss how our pagan perspectives manifest as our lived experiences in artistic expression, personal and collective practice,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11195"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11232,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11195\/revisions\/11232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}