BY-LAWS OF THE EUDORA WELTY SOCIETY
(revised May 29, 2010; November 19, 2025.)

Article 1. Name:
The name of the Society shall be The Eudora Welty Society.

Article II. Purpose:
The purpose of the Society shall be to assist and coordinate Eudora Welty studies through (a) the organization of the Society’s general meetings and other special conferences and (b) the support of similar activities approved by the Society.

Article III. Membership:

A. The Society shall be composed of
1. The Officers: the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Website Editor. Any office may be shared with one other individual with the approval of the Advisory Board.
2. Honorary Members: Any person who, in the opinion of the Executive Board, merits Membership for outstanding service to Eudora Welty studies or for any other reason, may be
nominated by the Board and elected as an Honorary Member and may participate in all activities of the Society.
3. Member: Any person who subscribes to the Society’s by-laws and pays annual dues shall be a Member.
4. Student Member: Any student enrolled in an accredited college or university who subscribes to the by-laws and pays annual dues shall be a Student Member.

B. Privileges: All Members shall be entitled to:
1. Attend panels sponsored by the society at a variety of conferences.
2. Vote on issues at the Society’s business meetings held annually at the American Literature Association conference and on those conducted online (via electronic ballot) or at other venues, such as the Society for the Study of Southern Literature biennial event.
3. Hold office in the Society.
4. Receive news of the Society as authorized by the Executive Board.

Article IV. Organization:

A. The Executive Board: the President, the Vice-President, and the Secretary-Treasurer are elected by the members. The Website Editor shall be chosen by the Executive Board. The elected President shall serve for two years, to be succeeded by the Vice-President. The President will serve from January 1 of an even year until December 31 of the following odd year. The term of office for the Secretary-Treasurer will also be two years but, with the approval of the President and Vice-President, may continue for subsequent terms.

B. Nominations and self-nominations for Vice-President (and Secretary-Treasurer when needed) are due to the President of the Society by June 1st of odd-numbered years. A Nominating Committee, to consist of the Past President (Chair), Vice-President, and one additional member to be appointed by the President, shall, in consultation with members of the Advisory Board, solicit and consider nominations, and select one or more candidates to stand for each office. Election will be by simple majority vote of participating dues-paying members; the Chair of the Nominating Committee will conduct the election on-line, with voting to begin June 15 and close July 7 of odd-numbered years. Officers’ terms begin January 1 of even-numbered years.

C. Advisory Board: The Advisory Board consists of former officers (and others to be named as needed) in order to help provide direction for the organization through consultation on all matters pertaining to The Eudora Welty Society including nomination of candidates for Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer, special projects, committee appointments, etc.

D. Duties of the Officers:

1. The President
a. General: The President is responsible for keeping the Eudora Welty Society in good working order and publicizing the work of the Society. The President sets the agenda for business meetings, leads the meetings, and provides general oversight to ensure that business is handled efficiently and well. The President shall consult with the other officers at no less than one in person or online officers’ meeting each semester, and the President shall consult the Advisory Board on important matters as needed. The President shall also assist the Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Website Editor as needed. In the event of emergencies, the President steps in to make sure that the work of the Eudora Welty Society continues efficiently. The President, with the approval of the Advisory Committee, has the authority to delegate certain responsibilities of the office where necessary for efficiency.
b. Publications: The President shall write the annual society report published in the Eudora Welty Review.
c. Website: The President shall be the Eudora Welty Society’s liaison with the Website Editor to ensure posting of all necessary information about the Society and its activities on the website. When the Vice-President sends minutes and other information to the President, the President shall review these materials and send corrected copy to the Website Editor for posting on the website following distribution of information via the listserv. The President shall indicate to the Website Editor or their designated assistant where (on what page or section of the website) the material should appear and also indicate when the material should be moved to archives. The President is responsible for overseeing website content and should alert the Website Editor of any problems (delays in postings, delays in removing items, problems in archiving). Together the President and the Website Editor shall keep information on the website current, with the Website Editor’s responsibilities limited to technical matters of posting, etc.

2. The Vice-President:
a. Operations: The Vice-President of the organization is charged with record keeping. These duties include taking minutes (or delegating an Acting Secretary to do so) at the business meetings; collecting, helping to create, and organizing other records (working papers for example); collecting and helping session chairs prepare calls for papers in a timely manner; working with chairs of sessions to fill panels as necessary; and acting as liaison with the conference/convention venues to make sure that proposals are submitted correctly and on time. The Vice-President, with the approval of the Advisory Board, has the authority to delegate, when necessary for efficiency, certain responsibilities of the office.
b. Distribution: The Vice-President shall help to edit calls for papers, minutes, and any other written material before sending such material to the President for final proofing, corrections, and distribution.
c. Awards: Prepare the Phoenix Award plaque for presentation.

3. The Secretary-Treasurer:
a. Maintain and manage the financial accounts of the Society, including the Society’s Paypal and checking accounts. This includes adding and removing rotating Presidents and Vice-Presidents on and off the checking account as additional users in case of emergency.
b. Collect membership dues and maintain an updated roster of members in good standing.
c. Present a budgetary report to the Society annually at the American Literature Association.
d. Make all legal filings with the appropriate state and federal agencies.
e. Assist in correspondence, minutes, and communications as requested by the President, Vice-President, or Website Editor.
f. Submit financial reports and membership lists at the request of the President.

4. Website Editor:
a. Maintain and regularly update the website in consultation with the President.
b. Maintain and Manage Listserv: The Website editor shall be the gatekeeper of the listserv. In other words, members shall submit material to the listserv, and the website editor will approval appropriate communications for distribution. “Appropriate” communications include minutes, queries, announcements, calls for papers, ideas, updates on special projects, reports, and significant news from the membership. The website editor is responsible for keeping the names and addresses on the listserv current and to solve any problems connected with the listserv.

Article V: Publications, Communications, and Awards

A. Eudora Welty Society Annual Report: The President shall submit a yearly report of the Society’s activities by November 1st of each year to the Eudora Welty Review. As the need arises, the Executive Board may circulate additional publications tied to major projects and/or special bequests.

B. Pieces of News: Formerly the name of the newsletter of the Eudora Welty Society, “Pieces of News” remains the venue for publicizing Society announcements on the website.

C. Phoenix Award
1. Awarded at least once every two years for significant contributions to Welty Scholarship and Service.
2. Recipients will be selected by a Nominating Committee comprised of past Phoenix Awardees. The President of the Society will serve ex officio on the Nominating Committee and will initiate the discussions for nominations and selections. Nominations may be made to the President by any member of the Society for committee consideration as long as they are received by November 15th of odd years. The awardee can determine if they would like to receive the award at SSSL or ALA the following even year.

D. Ruth Vande Kieft Prize
1. Awarded annually for the best essay on Eudora Welty by a beginning scholar who has not held a full-time academic appointment for more than four years.
2. Anonymous submissions will be vetted and the winner selected by the Executive Board.
3. The winner will receive $300 in a cost-share arrangement between the Society and the Eudora Welty Review, and the essay will be published in the journal.

E. Other Awards may be initiated by members of the Society through nominations to the President and then pursued by the Advisory Board.

Article VI: Use of Funds:
Funds belonging to the Society shall be used only to support the charitable and educational purposes which define it. No part of the net earnings of the organization shall benefit any member, office, or member of the Advisory Board of the Society. Graduate student members may receive travel awards, if selected. The Society may also pay reasonable compensation for services rendered, and it may freely spend its resources to further the tax-exempt purposes listed above.

Article VII: Amendments to the By-Laws:
Amendments to the by-laws adopted by the Society shall be made upon the recommendation of the Advisory Board and adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members voting in a ballot to be conducted on-line.

Article VIII: Dissolution of the Society:
Any assets of the Eudora Welty Society shall, at the time of the group's dissolution, be used to discharge any and all outstanding debts. Assets left over shall then become the property of the Eudora Welty Foundation.