The Manuscript Studies Interest Group (MSIG) is a regular meeting for people who want to get up close and personal with a variety of handwritten objects. We explore and celebrate the diversity of manuscript traditions from across time periods and geographical areas – Penn’s collections are especially strong with materials from the Middle East and Southeast Asia, but we have plenty from Western Europe as well. We welcome everyone—undergraduate, graduate students, staff and faculty alike—to contribute their insights, share their work, and share the joy of manuscripts. Together, we strive to make the study of manuscripts a joyful and inspiring experience.

Meetings will focus on looking at a variety of manuscripts from Penn’s collections on a theme. In honor of the 18th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age, which is happening the week after, the theme for November is Receiving the Classics and will include manuscripts containing copies, translations, and reinterpretations of classical literature and philosophy.

Registration is not required.