This past October I attended my first ever conference at the German Studies Association annual conference in Portland, Oregon. My paper, “‘Zuckungen’ and ‘Gefühlsader’: The Desire and Impossibility of Literary Realism in Georg Büchner’s Lenz,” was well-received and I enjoyed the ensuing discussion. The seminar series, “Realism in the Age of Goethe and Its Legacy” (a GSNA-sponsored seminar series), included many interesting papers from both faculty and graduate students, engendering a pleasant atmosphere in which constructive criticism and collaboration gave rise to new perspectives and possibilities on research in fields such as Goethe Studies and German Literary Realism. The wider conference was likewise packed full of events, special guest speakers (including a talk by Frido Mann, the grandson of Thomas Mann), and seminars and panels covering a variety of topics. In addition, while in Portland, I was able to conduct some research on the local culinary scene, and I can say with certainty that Voodoo Doughnut is indeed the best place to go for everyone’s favorite breakfast sweet treat.