Article I: Name

Sec. 1. The name of this organization shall be the Don DeLillo Society.

Article II: Purpose

Sec. 1. The purpose of this Society shall be to encourage the scholarly study of and general interest in the work of Don DeLillo, and to facilitate ways in which all people interested in his writings — scholars, critics, teachers, students, and general readers — may learn from one another, meet together, contact each other, and help one another.Sec. 2. An important function of the Society shall be the sponsorship of the Don DeLillo Society Sessions at the annual ALA Conferences.

Article III: Membership

Sec. 1. Any individual, business, educational institution, or corporation interested in the aims of the Don DeLillo Society may join it.Sec. 2. Membership in this Society shall be through payment of annual dues, according to schedules determined by the Annual General Meeting of the Society.

Sec. 3. A member who has not paid dues for two years shall be classified as not in good standing.

Article IV: Privileges

Sec. 1. All members in good standing shall have the right to stand for office, vote for officers of the Society and for session proposals for the ALA Conferences, serve as a chair or organizer of an ALA session, and receive all publications issued by the Society, in accordance with the scale of dues set by the Annual General Meeting.

Article V: Officers

Sec. 1. The officers of the Society shall be a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and an Editor (of the newsletter).Sec. 2. Officers shall serve without compensation. They shall be entitled to reimbursement for legitimate Society expenses.

Sec. 3. A vacancy in any of these offices occurring during the incumbent’s term of office because of illness, death, resignation, or any other reason shall be filled by a volunteer chosen by the remaining officers of the Society until such time as a new election can be held.

Sec. 4. The officers shall perform the following duties:

a. The President shall preside at the Annual General Meeting unless unable to do so. The President shall be responsible for organizing the Don DeLillo Society Sessions at the annual ALA Conferences.b. The Treasurer shall keep a record of Moneys received and dispersed and prepare an annual report of the Society’s Finances.

c. The Secretary shall maintain an on-going history of the organization. He or she shall also work with the Editor in distribution of the Society’s annual newsletter.

d. The Editor shall prepare and edit the Society’s annual newsletter, working with the Secretary.Working with the secretary, the Editor shall prepare and edit the Society’s annual newsletter. The Editor will:

i. Assemble a yearly calendar of appropriate conferences (see Article IX, Sec. 2d and 2e) and their deadlines;

ii. List new publications on DeLillo;

iii. Publish any open CFPs;

iv. Report pertinent news regarding Don DeLillo and/or his writings.

v. The newsletter may also include brief reviews and articles.

e. The Listserv Manager maintain the DeLillo Society Listserv, adding email addresses of new members, and subtracting email addresses of expired members.

f. The Webmaster-Bibliographer shall compile and distribute the annual bibliography of DeLillo Studies, and maintain the website.

Sec. 5. Officers shall be elected triannually by the Society membership, by mail, e-mail, or vote at the Annual General Meeting, from a slate of nominees. Names of nominees may be submitted by any member of the Society. Terms of office shall be three years, beginning May 30.

Article VI: Meetings

Sec. 1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in conjunction with the MLA Convention. Special meetings may be called by the President, for social and/or business purposes.

Article VII: Funds and Liabilities

Sec. 1. The funds of this Society shall be collected and dispersed by the Treasurer, for the Society’s needs and lawful expenditures. Disbursement of the Society’s funds will be in accordance with Article Five of the Articles of Incorporation of the Don DeLillo Society.Sec. 2. No member of the Society shall be liable except for the payment of dues.

Article IX: Procedures

Sec. 1. Amendment to these By-laws shall be voted upon, by mail, e-mail, or vote at the Annual General Meeting, by the full membership; approval will need a two-thirds majority of those voting. Amendments may be proposed by the officers of the Society, or by petition signed by twenty or more Society members in good standing.Sec. 2. The Don DeLillo Society will post Calls for Papers (CFPs) online whenever a member wishes to chair a panel at a conference, edit a collection or journal issue.

a. Any member seeking to post a CFP on the Don DeLillo Society website must secure the permission of the Don DeLillo Society officers before doing so. Each CFP should briefly (250 words or fewer) describe the topic, announce the deadline and provide an address for submissions. These CFPs will be publicized in the Don DeLillo Society Newsletter.

b. If more than one member wishes to post a call for a single conference, the membership will vote to select which CFP the Don DeLillo Society will sponsor.

c. Anyone desiring to post a CFP must do so no later than a month before the submission deadline.

d. The Don DeLillo Society particularly seeks to maintain a presence at the annual American Literature Association convention.

e. The Don DeLillo Society also encourages yearly participation at the regional MLA conferences; the MLA convention, and the Twentieth-Century Literature Conference (Louisville, KY).