On April 26 2025, The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) hosted its first “Annual Forum for Research-in-Progress in the English Fields,” bringing together over 80 researchers and students of English literature, linguistics, translation, and education from as far North as Duhok and as far South as Babylon. Organized by AUIS faculty and students, this was the first event of its kind held in the Kurdistan Region. Through the Forum, both attendees and organizers alike expressed that they had gained experience and knowledge that they thought would prove helpful with their current and future endeavors.

The idea for the Forum was conceived of by English department chair Dr. Alistair Chetwynd. As Chetwynd describes it, “the forum was designed to fill a gap I’d noticed since coming to Iraq: usually in Britain or America humanities research conferences are for presenting work in progress and receiving feedback to help you revise it toward future publication, but here in Iraq most conferences are for the formal presentation of finished work that’s already about to be published.” Accordingly, the AUIS English department aimed to create a space in which researchers from the Kurdistan region and wider Iraq could present work in progress to “other researchers from around the country who they don’t usually get to interact with” and both give and receive developmental feedback on each other’s work.

This first version of what the faculty organisers hope will become a regular event hosted nineteen papers on six themed panels in three time-slots throughout the day, spanning several fields of study within the broader categories of Anglophone Literature, Linguistics, Translation, and Language Teaching. Presenters came from thirteen different universities around the country, and included faculty from AUIS’s Academic Preparatory Program and undergraduate English department. The event finally ended with presenters receiving certificates of participation given out by AUIS professors and the moderators of each respective panel.

Dr. Cowell– who presented a paper from his research on English Romantic literature and philosophy, titled “Promises and Forgiveness in Arendt and the Shelleys”, himself seems to be a testament to the forum succeeding in its goals, stating that he “had previously shared that work mainly with other Romanticists, but presenting at the Forum for a more general audience pushed me to reframe the material in a new way.” Additionally, Dr Cowell expressed that his work as lead coordinator for the Forum was a “valuable experience professionally” for it gave him both “the knowledge and confidence to coordinate other such events in the future.”

AUIS students benefited too. Sarah Sarbast, a third-year AUIS student minoring in English Literature, stated that witnessing some of the presentations encouraged her to “research stuff that hasn’t been researched before or at least start thinking about stuff more deeply,” in the hope of herself being among the presenters in future iterations.

The Forum’s positive impact extended beyond the AUIS community. Dr. Ansam Riyadh Abdullah Almaaroof, a presenter from the University of Tikrit, stated that the forum “offered inspiration and
confidence, reminding me of the value of cross-cultural academic exchange.” Adding that she “especially appreciated the workshops and panel discussions, which introduced new methodologies and practical insights that align closely with my research interests.” She also pointed out that “the Forum stood out for its inclusive, collaborative atmosphere.” And that “Unlike some conferences that feel formal and distant, the Forum was more interactive, fostering meaningful conversations between participants of different levels and
backgrounds.” Non-AUIS attendees also found the Forum to be unique. Dr. Hussain Hameed Mayuuf, a professor from the University of Babylon-Iraq, expressed that he found the Forum to be a “pioneer if compared to local ones.”

According to Dr. Chetwynd, “this year’s version was really just a small test-run to see if we could get people interested. We were hoping attendees would like the feedback-focus and ask us to do it again bigger and better.” And this seems to have been the case. Chetwynd reports that audience members expressed that they wanted another Forum organized “as soon as possible”, Dr. Cowell added  “The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, and everyone seemed eager to repeat the event next year.” Sentiments that will hopefully push for future iterations of the Forum.

Author’s Bio:
Daleen Farhad is currently a Journalism student at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani with a special interest in all things arts and culture related. Through her work, she hopes to aid in documenting stories otherwise forgotten.