Essays

From the moment the last four letters of its name were chosen, OOPSLA has been a place where members of diverse communities bring their special obsessions, toss them into a rich nutrient bath of attendees, and watch what grows. The Essays track, new for 2005, aims to enhance that ongoing experiment by using the special characteristics of the essay form. An essay demonstrates or describes the way an interesting mind grapples with an idea. The mind and the process of grappling are as important as the idea. Our ideal essay displays an unfamiliar way of thinking being applied to a topic that deserves the attention of the OOPSLA community.

At the conference, essay presentations will prompt listeners to approach the rest of the conference in a slightly different way, wondering, "How would a person who thought that way approach the issue we're talking about?" To that end, each essayist's presentation will be followed by a discussant's invited reaction to the essay, and then discussion with the audience.