Editor’s note: Today’s post is by SSP Fellows Glory Akwa, Ransford Asamoah, Iliana Cosme-Brooks, Haley Dittbrenner, Yamaya Jean, Chyanne Turner, Rebecca Griffiths, and Sarah Wright. Many thanks to Tricia Miller-Chareun (Project MUSE, Johns Hopkins University Press) for coordinating these reflections by SSP Fellows.

For over a decade, SSP has supported and fostered student and early-career professionals in our industry with our annual Fellowship program. The Fellowship is a competitive program, accepting only a fraction of applicants each year. The Fellowship runs from November to June each year.

One of the many benefits for the Fellows, and the culmination of the work they’ve done throughout, is the opportunity to attend the SSP Annual Meeting and showcase a poster of the research they’ve worked on together. We hope that the SSP membership realizes the value of our mission to strengthen the next generation of scholarly communication professionals and takes away a greater understanding of our role in sustaining our future.

Today, we offer reflections on the Annual Meeting from our 2026 Fellowship cohort. We asked this year’s Fellows to reflect on the question: What was the highlight of attending SSP 2026 for you?

Glory Akwa, Indiana University Bloomington iSchool

I was drawn to SSP because of its global reputation, strong networking culture, and supportive professional environment. The 2026 SSP Annual Meeting was the first industry gathering that I attended, and it was a welcoming and all-inclusive experience. I had the opportunity to connect with professionals across different sectors of the industry, learn about their work, gain insights from their experiences, and engage in meaningful conversations about the field. It was so rewarding to meet inspiring leaders and mentors whose perspectives and willingness to share their knowledge left a great impression on me. The connections I made and the conversations I had strengthened my commitment to becoming more actively involved in the SSP community.

The discussions surrounding AI (artificial intelligence) broadened my perspective and provided great insights about AI and its use. It all started at the keynote session, where Dr. Chinasa Okolo unpacked the global landscape and perspective of AI innovation, and emphasized the context-specific application of AI, which resonates with my research focus. It was an enriching experience and a valuable opportunity to listen and learn from different sessions and panels, and gain more exposure to emerging applications of AI within the field, making this one great highlight in my professional development. An opportunity to learn about the many latest digital technologies, including AI tools, used in the scholarly publishing field gave me a different perspective. SSP is more than a community; it is where experts and developers come together to share and build.

Presenting my team’s poster as the 2026 SSP Fellow was so exciting. Having received thoughtful feedback and perspectives about my research makes the experience even more meaningful. My goal has always been to conduct different and socially relevant research. SSP gave me an amazing opportunity. I am eager to attend the next annual meeting, building on the networks, experiences, and opportunities provided to develop further in the field.

Ransford Asamoah, CSIR-CROPS Research Institute

As lovely as the last six months have been, attending the SSP 2026 Annual Meeting was undoubtedly the highlight of my Fellowship journey. Coming from Ghana and working as a Research Librarian at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, I found the opportunity to engage with scholars, publishers, librarians, technologists, and industry leaders from around the world both inspiring and transformative.

One of the most memorable aspects of SSP 2026 was the sense of community. Although our Fellows cohort and mentors had spent months interacting virtually, meeting in person felt remarkably natural.

The conference sessions challenged me to think beyond my traditional understanding of scholarly publishing. Discussions around artificial intelligence, research integrity, accessibility, and the future of knowledge dissemination revealed an industry that is evolving rapidly yet deeply committed to trust and credibility. I was particularly struck by conversations around AI and research integrity. Rather than viewing AI simply as a threat or a solution, speakers emphasized the importance of responsible implementation, transparency, and human oversight.

Another highlight was the focus on inclusion and equity with conversations around the importance of diverse voices and equitable participation in shaping the future of scholarly communication.

Beyond the sessions themselves, SSP reminded me that the future of publishing is ultimately about people. Whether discussing technological innovation, research integrity, accessibility, or workplace inclusion, a common theme emerged: meaningful progress requires collaboration, empathy, and a willingness to learn from one another.

I leave SSP 2026 with new friendships, valuable professional connections, and a renewed sense of purpose. More importantly, I leave with the conviction that librarians, publishers, researchers, and technology partners share a responsibility to build a scholarly communications ecosystem that is innovative, inclusive, and trustworthy. For that reason, SSP 2026 will remain one of the most impactful professional experiences of my career.

Iliana Cosme-Brooks, Virginia Tech Publishing & Press

Attending the Annual Meeting was quite an experience (in a good way, I assure you). It’s been a few years since I’ve attended an in-person conference, and what a way to get back into the swing of things! Most of my work has centered on book production and digital accessibility, but recently I’ve been dipping my toes into journal management, so this conference couldn’t have come at a better time.

It was wonderful getting to connect with those that I had only ever met with online, especially the other Fellows, but I also had fantastic conversations with lots of other new-to-me folks. I’d say I’m not one for networking, but the welcoming environment of the conference definitely made it easier for me.

I tried to attend a variety of sessions to get a feel for multiple angles of the industry, and they were all super interesting! My favorite was the panel discussion: “From Policy to Practice: Creating Inclusive Environments for Colleagues with Disabilities in Scholarly Publishing.” The panelists created a safe environment for everyone to listen and learn from each other; I’m usually a fly on the wall during presentation Q+A, but I felt comfortable enough to speak up during this session (exciting stuff!). I wasn’t expecting to attend such a heart-warming session, and I’m eager to see how I can incorporate the advice and perspectives shared by the panelists and attendees into my organization.

I really hope to attend next year — even though I wasn’t able to shake the jet lag, I left this year’s meeting feeling invigorated and excited to share what I learned and to see what’s next. Attending this year’s meeting reinspired me to further build relationships within the industry and keep a close eye on how technologies and techniques are developing.

Haley Dittbrenner, Syracuse University iSchool

My first impression of the conference came before I even reached the convention center, from the moment I stepped out of the San Diego airport. Blue skies, dozens of small ships on the bay, palm trees drooping under the weight of their own fronds. It was entirely new to me, a lifelong native of the East Coast. I looked down at the messages popping onto my phone screen — California was new for some of the other Fellows, too. In the rideshare to the hotel, I mentioned that I was a library student on the way to the SSP convention. My driver smiled and said I was the second person — second librarian, even — driving to the conference with them. My phone buzzed with updates from the other Fellows who had just landed. The sense of camaraderie was alive, and I already felt as if I was a part of a much larger community. This feeling of belonging was a constant thread throughout the conference, from casual breakfasts to information sessions to conference-wide keynotes.

One of the biggest highlights was the ability to meet with others in the industry. I was able to connect with editors, librarians, higher-ups in the copyright world, publishers, and even business people piloting their own startups. Meeting the other Fellows, especially those with whom I conducted research, was an especially notable high point. Each person I met was kind, thoughtful, and driven in their role. I not only learned a lot from them but drew from their excitement about the world of publishing.

Much of the conference itself concerned AI. This infant technology is growing day by day, and it’s prudent to understand it, regardless of whether or not you support it. The highly intelligent keynote by Chinasa T. Okolo spoke critically of AI in the way it often supports WEIRD (“Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic”) groups while neglecting the global majority. She brought forth arguments that are missing from the current AI conversation in ways that I greatly appreciated.

My advice for next year’s Fellows? Listen to those who speak. Each speaker, each participant, each Fellow was chosen for a reason. They all have something you can learn from.

Rebecca Griffiths, Emerald

As the first publishing conference I’ve ever attended, SSP 2026 did not disappoint! It was a fantastic opportunity to meet the rest of the SSP Fellows in person after getting to know them from behind a screen for the last six months. It was especially nice to finally meet my poster group Fellows, Haley and Ransford, whom I’ve worked so closely with. Alongside meeting the Fellows, the conference was a great opportunity to meet and network with new people, listen to panel discussions on current topics in scholarly publishing, present our posters, check out the Exhibitors Marketplace, enjoy sunny Chula Vista (a vast change from UK weather!) and so much more.

A standout highlight for me was the Keynote speech on that Wednesday morning by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo, entitled “Advancing Scientific Inquiry in AI: Epistemic Pluralism, the Majority World, and the Case for a Global Knowledge Commons”. Throughout the whole conference, the main topic of debate was by far artificial intelligence – with panels and debates usually focusing on AI in terms of business models, workflows, and the financial aspects of utilizing it. Dr. Okolo’s keynote speech, however, focused on how we can steer AI towards becoming a public good (a concept that is closely related to the Open Access movement). She gave examples of AI being used for linguistic inclusion and cultural preservation in global majority countries (e.g., protecting declining languages). She also spoke of the environmental impact of AI, and how the climate costs are insane and are not being addressed enough. There were some big themes that emerged from her talk, including ones much bigger than academic publishing, and I was left feeling very inspired by the end.

Yamaya Jean, Wiley

Attending the 2026 SSP Annual Meeting in Chula Vista as a Fellow was something I had been looking forward to for months, and visiting Southern California for the first time made it even more exciting.

One of the things that made the experience feel immediately comfortable was walking in already knowing people. Having spent months working with my Fellowship cohort and members of the SSP team virtually, there was a familiar group of faces to find in the crowd from day one, and that grounding made a real difference.

Presenting and talking about my two posters was another highlight. The first, “Between Promise and Peril: Author and Publisher Views on AI in Scholarly Publishing,” was primary research conducted by my Fellow team, which explored how both authors and publishers are experiencing and responding to the role of AI in scholarly communication. We explored where trust, transparency, and adoption intersect, and what that means for the future of publishing workflows and content integrity. If you are interested in learning more, please read this summary document. The second poster covered Wiley’s Partner Publishing Journal Tool, which supports Wiley colleagues in their conversations with societies by providing data on articles and revenue, including forecasts for hybrid and flip scenario planning and modeling. Getting to talk through both projects with people who work across every corner of the industry was energizing, and the feedback pushed my thinking in new directions.

And then there was everything that happened in between. Some of my best learning at the Annual Meeting did not just happen in a formal session. It happened over refreshment breaks, in passing conversations with people who have been working in this industry for decades. I left the meeting with gratitude for all the amazing people I had the opportunity to connect with, and I look forward to joining again next year in my hometown of Providence, RI. Thank you for your support, SSP community!

Chyanne Turner, American Association for Cancer Research

At this year’s annual meeting in Chula Vista, CA, I was struck by the community, the unique session topics, and of course, the gorgeous venue. I felt privileged to participate in discussions about accessibility initiatives and novel technologies in the field, which gave me a more grounded view of some of the broader challenges publishers face and the tangible steps we can take to address them. I was also particularly impressed by this year’s keynote speaker, Chinasa T. Okolo, PhD, who shared her research on data marginalization and the geopolitical impacts of AI. Her talk gave me a fresh perspective on some of the inherent biases that arise during technological development, and I look forward to learning more about how to mitigate their impact in the future.

I was humbled to be able to participate in a poster session as well as two panel sessions at this year’s meeting. My final panel, “NOT the Housewives of Scholarly Publishing” with Anna Jester, Jude Perera, Dana Compton, and Simon Holt, was a distinctly impactful experience. During our panel session, we shared our unfiltered perspectives that ranged from “spicy” to exceedingly vulnerable. I, for example, talked about how I navigate the pressures I face to conform to traditional professional standards as a marginalized individual beginning her career in the workplace. While this topic is incredibly sensitive and, frankly, a bit terrifying for an early career professional like myself to discuss in a room full of SSP veterans, my fellow panelists’ commitment to being vulnerable and sharing their stories gave me the courage to share my perspective freely. I was grateful for the overwhelming support I received from the audience members who attended our session, and everyone’s words of support and encouragement made me feel embraced by the SSP community.

The best part about the meeting was undoubtedly the people I met. The meeting attendees and the brilliant Fellows brought the conference to life, and it was inspiring to hear everyone’s perspectives on the topics and initiatives they are passionate about. My mentor, Jennifer Regala, asked me during a check-in following the annual meeting if I was “hooked.” The short answer is yes, absolutely!

Sarah Wright, American Veterinary Medical Association

Attending the 2026 Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) Annual Meeting in Chula Vista, California was a particularly meaningful experience because it served as the capstone of my SSP Fellowship journey. The meeting brought together professionals from across the scholarly publishing ecosystem, creating valuable opportunities to learn from industry leaders, engage in thoughtful discussions about the future of publishing, and connect with colleagues who share a commitment to advancing scholarly communication.

One of the highlights of the meeting was presenting a poster alongside SSP Fellow Chyanne Turner. Our poster explored contemporary measures of article impact and the evolving landscape of scholarly communication. It was rewarding to share our research with attendees, receive feedback from publishing professionals, and participate in conversations about how impact is being assessed beyond traditional citation-based metrics. Presenting our work provided an opportunity to contribute to ongoing discussions about innovation and change within scholarly publishing.

Another memorable moment came at the conclusion of the meeting when Veterinary Vertex, the AVMA Journals Podcast, received Gold in the EPIC Awards for Excellence in Podcast. Seeing the podcast recognized at a national level was both exciting and affirming, highlighting the value of creative approaches to engaging audiences with scientific and scholarly content.

Beyond these specific achievements, the meeting reinforced the importance of collaboration, innovation, and community within scholarly publishing. I left inspired by the ideas shared throughout the conference and grateful to SSP and the Fellowship Working Group for providing such a rewarding experience. The connections, insights, and perspectives I gained will continue to influence my work moving forward.