DUE TO MULTIPLE REQUESTS
DEADLINE EXTENDED 1 WEEK

PdMaxCon25~ submissions are now due May 23 (23:59 Pacific Time)

General info and submission guidelines: music.illinois.edu/pd-max-con/
Submission link: easychair.org/conferences/...

Traveling to the U.S. for ICMC2025? We’re here to help with visa docs—contact Anthony De Ritis ([email protected]). Join us as we celebrate 50 years of ICMC and honor David Wessel.

The submission page for PdMaxCon25 is now open. Please read the instructions carefully and use the guidelines/templates provided.

You can find it all here: music.illinois.edu/pd-max-con/

Please spread the word.

I’m taking a break from art and politics today for some 6 Nations rugby.

C’mon Ireland. F^#* England.

Okay, maybe a little politics today.

Obviously, my future life will be about treatment, prevention and vigilance. But the worst is over and prognosis is good. Celebrating tiny wins, I had to buy this for the first time in a year:

A year ago, a radiologist saw something. Dec 27 they confirmed cancer. The year has been about celebrating the tiny wins and bouncing back after the losses. Lucky for me, I had more wins than losses.

For the holiday season, consider donating to respected organizations like the American Cancer Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, or the one closest to home for me: Susan G. Komen.

Do you remember lolcats? I can has cheezeburger!

I'm reminded because I had to do something in German today, and that is the level of German I have.

I'm a German lolcat.

But im grateful for my privilege, too. I’m an upper-middle class, straight, white woman with no spouse or children. And I hope I can use that to be a safe ally for those in my circle who are facing the bleakest outlook for their personhood in 20 years.

As a token American, here are my things: my new job and colleagues are the absolute best. My students make me want to go to work. I’m almost done with the hardest parts of cancer treatment and the most recent tests show no evidence of disease.

Given the state of things in the US, it can be hard to see anything positive, more so things to be grateful for. But that means there is all the more reason to practice gratitude.

I think this is a good question if asked a little differently. I know there’s a lot of foo-foo-hooey around ‘practicing gratitude’ that comes as part of the mindfulness package. But when done right, mindfulness, meditation and gratitude have been shown to improve affect for a few mood disorders.

New chapter!
Hagan, K. "Electronics as a Member of the Ensemble." Collaboration, Engagement, and Tradition in Contemporary and Electronic Music: NoiseFloor Perspectives. M Estibeiro, D Payling, D Cotter, eds. New York: Routledge, 2025.
www.routledge.com/Collaboratio...

the Higgs whatever and The HPB Trio have upcoming concerts. Want to host us? We can be pretty cheap dates. Ping me.

More details: kerrylhagan.net or thehiggswhatever.xyz

See you in Columbus, OH; Urbana, IL; Colorado Springs, CO; Warrensburg, MO; Brooklyn, NY.

Unpopular opinion:
Loads of despicable people have made great art. We will still need to acknowledge these works. But now, we can stop lionizing the artists. Meanwhile, we actively seek out comparable works by underrepresented artists. And if the asshole is still alive, WE STOP BUYING THEIR WORK.

I like this platform. I’m empowered by this idea platform. I intend to rail against the system on this platform. Alas, the only news today is that I dropped my phone in a public toilet. It’s a metaphor, really, for the shitcan that are my social media feeds.

Happy New Year to my friends and the friends I haven’t met yet.

I already like BlueSky better. The ratio of cats to whinging is way better.

The Irish Independent on this Sunday’s gig: www.independent.ie/regionals/co...

some new gigs in December, January, February: www.kerrylhagan.net#events