The Conference of College Teachers of English is a small (100-120 attendees) two-day conference that has panels in three broad areas: rhetoric, literature, and creative writing.
Literature includes sections on: British, American, popular culture, film, and pedagogy.
Creative Writing takes both poetry and prose. Prose can be creative nonfiction or fiction.
Rhetoric includes rhetoric, composition, technical writing, and language studies.
Proposals for papers are due in October, usually October 1, and conference presenters are informed within a month of their acceptance or rejection. While a large percentage of the proposals are accepted, the papers are all good. No poor proposals are accepted.
To be eligible for prizes, complete papers must be submitted by February 1. Presenters do not have to submit their papers for prizes; however, since the prizes include publication, winning is a plus in two ways for the Curriculum Vitae.
CCTE is a great conference with lots of wonderful people. The connections you can make at a small conference are significant. Two of the attendees this year received their job offers as a result of their connections at CCTE. So if you are going to be on the job market and want to work in Texas, CCTE is a good place to develop relationships.
I recommend attendance. It’s a good place to present, to learn about the profession, and to engage with other professionals.