Aging and Gender in Speculative Fiction -- Spec. Issue of Femspec (5/30/13)

One quick post for the day: 

CFP - Femspec: Special Issue on Aging and Gender in Speculative Fiction
Call for Papers Date: 2013-05-30 (in 3 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-03-05
Announcement ID: 201982

Femspec, an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to challenging gender through speculative means in any genre, invites papers for a special issue of Femspec, Aging and Gender in Speculative Fiction, examining speculative fiction books, TV shows, or movies that re-imagine the way we view women growing older and/or depict the way societal expectations of gender roles impact how we age. Keeping in mind the feminist thrust of the journal, we seek submissions that consider how major feminist sf writers depict aging characters, that apply feminist theory to depictions of aging in sf texts broadly defined, or that address sf’s potential to critique the relationship of gender to ideologies of aging in contemporary society or to re-imagine the future of aging primarily for women, but also for men within a gendered perspective.

The seeds for this special issue were planted at a paper session, "Women Growing Older in the Perilous Realm: Science Fiction and Re-Imagining Old Age" at the 2012 National Women’s Studies Conference 2012, chaired by Margaret Cruickshank. Whether analyzing a picture of older women as inhabiting a privileged position from which to critique society as in “The Space Crone,” a vision of the planet Vulcan where an older woman is the powerful high priestess, or the creation of a culture in which older women are given the most creative work as in Joanna Russ’s Whileaway, we need to ask: how does this re-imagining of old age empower older women, give new value to their accumulated knowledge or new expression to their abilities, apply a feminist lens to their subordination or oppression, or otherwise upend the hegemonic narrative of women’s aging as nothing but a decline into silence and invisibility.

Because Femspec is a fully independent journal funded by subscriptions rather than institutional support, subscription is required on submission. Essays undergo a rigorous two-step jury process with independent readers and members of the Femspec editorial board. Submissions can be sent directly to the special issue editor, Aishwarya Ganapathiraju, aganapath@gmail.com or to Femspec.org, where subscription information can be found.

In addition to this special issue, Femspec seeks scholarly submissions that explore gender issues in sf, apply feminist criticism to the study of sf or analyze the work of women writers in science-fiction media or “speculative fiction” broadly defined. The last date for submitting work for consideration is May 30, 2013.

Aishwarya Ganapathiraju
Femspec: Special Issue Editor
aganapath@gmail.com

Email: aganapath@gmail.com

Contemporary Uses of Fairy Tales in Popular Culture CFP (6/19/13)

Here's one more I just came across:

Contemporary Uses of Fairy Tales in Popular Culture
Publication Date: 2013-06-19 (in 26 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-03-18
Announcement ID: 202344

I invite submissions for an edited collection of essays on contemporary uses of fairy tales in popular culture. The collection will focus on recent reinterpretations and reboots of classical fairy tales, ways the contemporary texts address the original tales and narratological implications of the repetitions and adjustments of these stories. In essays that explore the functions and consequences of fairy tale reboots, remakes and updates, authors will consider the ways fairy tale generic conventions have been revised over time, representations of race, gender, class and sexual identity, the roles of archetypes, mythic tropes and patterns and the emergence of self-referential and meta-tales within these texts.

Essays may also address fan culture influence on contemporary tales, opportunities for interactivity and the roles of stars in fairy tale reboots. Text focus could include television series, feature-length films, comic books and graphic novels, games and animation.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:
• Fables (Bill Willingham/Vertigo, 2002-present)
• The Red Shoes (Kim Yong-gyun, 2005)
• Lost Girls (Alan Moore/Top Shelf, 2006)
• Hansel and Gretel (Yim Pil-Sung, 2007)
• Sydney White (Joe Nussbaum, 2007)
• Bluebeard (Catherine Breillat, 2009)
• The Sleeping Beauty (Catherine Breillat, 2010)
• Red Riding Hood (Catherine Hardwicke, 2011)
• Hanna (Joe Wright, 2011)
• Beastly (Daniel Barnz, 2011)
• Once Upon a Time (ABC, 2011-present)
• Grimm (NBC, 2011-present)
• Snow White and the Huntsman (Rupert Sanders, 2012)
• Mirror, Mirror (Tarsem Singh, 2012)
• Hansel and Gretel (Anthony Ferrante, 2013)
• Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (Tommy Wirkola, 2013)
• Jack the Giant Slayer (Bryan Singer, 2013)

Submit a two-page proposals by the deadline of June 19, 2013 to Dr. Melissa Lenos at melissalenos@gmail.com; questions may be addressed to the same. Please also include a short bio. If your proposal is selected, the final essay (5000-8000 words) will be due on December 1, 2013.

 Melissa Lenos
 Email: melissalenos@gmail.com

Cityscapes of the Future CFP (6/30/13)

Call For Papers: Cityscapes of the Future (edited collection)
Call for Papers Date: 2013-06-30
Date Submitted: 2013-04-12
Announcement ID: 202986

Cityscapes of the Future: Urban Spaces in Science Fiction

The city has played a pivotal role in science fiction narratives since the earliest days of the genre. Towering megastructures, dystopian urbanity and the otherworldly configurations of alien cities have contributed greatly to representations of imagined futures.

Our project aims to take a broad view of the science-fictional cityscape, in any medium (television, film, novels, comics/graphic novels, anime, video games, etc.).

All relevant topics are welcome; we encourage interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, as well as discussions of non-Western texts. We are especially interested in the following subjects:

• Postmodern SF and the City 
• Alien Cities 
• The City and the Body 
• Virtual Cities 
• The Victorian City and Contemporary SF 

Please send a 250-word abstract and a short biography to futurecityscapes@gmail.com by June 30, 2013. If accepted, complete essays of 5000-7000 words will be due by January 15, 2014. All submissions must be original and previously unpublished.

Dr. Yael Maurer, Shawn Edrei and Meyrav Koren-Kuik
The Department of English and American Studies
Tel-Aviv University
Email: futurecityscapes@gmail.com

Narrative Structures and Audience Perception in/of Contemporary Television Series CFP (6/1/13)

CALL FOR CHAPTERS-"Contemporary Television Series: Narrative Structures and Audience Perception”
Call for Papers Date: 2013-06-01 (in 8 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-03-05
Announcement ID: 201958

CALL FOR CHAPTERS: "Contemporary Television Series: Narrative Structures and Audience Perception”
Overview of the Book:Through a collection of original contributions, this book seeks to provide readers with new perspectives on the current research in Contemporary Television Series - narrative structures and audience perception. Scope of the Book:The study of television series is simultaneously social scientific, humanistic, and professional in orientation. Accordingly, this book welcomes submissions from scholars and practitioners in any disciplinary field. We seek contributions from researchers and practitioners in communication studies and allied fields (e.g., media studies, telecommunications, journalism, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies).Contributions may follow any methodological approach, including, but not limited to, quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, rhetorical, interpretive, case study, discourse analytic, and critical analytic approaches, among others. Submissions from both established and emerging scholars are welcomed.

Topics 
Contributions may include, but are not limited to:
- Classical and post-modern TV series;
- Thematic TV Series (historical, medical, science fiction, medical);
- TV Series inspired from reality;
- Stardom, Fandom and Fan clubs related to TV series;
- Audience reception of TV series-patterns of consumption;
- TV series and new media;
- Globalization in the production and distribution of TV series.

The articles should be submitted as an email attachment in MS Word to the editors with “YourLastName – TV Series” as the title. Please include a short biography and your affiliation along with the proposal. The articles (3,000-5,000 words) should adhere to APA Style.

Review and Publication Process: Articles are sent to 2 reviewers for review. The reviewers' recommendations determine whether a paper will be accepted / accepted subject to change / subject to resubmission with significant changes / rejected.

The book will be submitted for publishing to the University of Bucharest Publishing House (http://editura.unibuc.ro/?lang=en).

The deadline of submitting the articles is 1st of July 2013.

For inquiries, please contact the editors from the University of Bucharest:
Valentina Marinescu: valentina.marinescu@yahoo.com
Silvia Branea: brsalt@gmail.com
Bianca Mitu: bianca.mitu82@gmail.com

Valentina Marinescu
University of Bucharest Romania
Email: valentina.marinescu@yahoo.com

Sociology and Neil Gaiman Collect CFP (6/1/13)

Still catching up. Here is the first of 3 calls for papers with upcoming deadlines.

Magic and Dreams and Good Madness: Sociology and Neil Gaiman
Location: Ireland
Call for Papers Date: 2013-06-01 (in 8 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-03-12
Announcement ID: 202210

Neil Gaiman is considered one of the most popular authors of science fiction and fantasy alive today. He has written novels, short stories, film and television scripts, comic books and graphic novel series; and maintains an extremely prolific online presence through his blog, tumblr and twitter accounts. Some of his most popular works include The Sandman comics, the novels Coraline, American Gods, and Stardust, and two episodes of the popular British science fiction series Doctor Who. Gaiman has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and The Bram Stoker Award. In 2009 he was awarded The Newberry Medal for children’s novel The Graveyard Book and the following year was also awarded The Carnegie Medal, becoming the first author ever to win both awards for the same work.

This collection will contain 20 essays inspired by the work of any of Gaiman’s publications over his career. His books, graphic novels and the movies they have inspired, provide endless possibilities for sociological analysis. This collection will be unique, encouraging the publication of chapters by those beginning their academic careers. It will prioritise submissions from graduate students currently working on their MA and PhD programs.

Suggested topics include, but are in no way limited to:
 - Society and its portrayal
- Sexuality and the Erotic
- Prejudice
- Bodies and Embodiment
- The Law and the Criminal System
- Government and Politics
- Education Systems
- Gender, Race and Class
 - Relationships (sexual, friendship, the family, magic, etc…)
- Human and Non-Human Rights
- Conformity and Deviance
- Socialisation
- Mental Health

Please submit proposed abstracts of 500 words, along with a 250 word biography in Microsoft Word format to goodmadnesscfp@gmail.com by June 1 2013.

Gráinne O'Brien and Alexandra Dunne
Email: goodmadnesscfp@gmail.com
Visit the website at http://goodmadnesscfp.blogspot.com/

Popular Preternaturaliana Now Online

We've just launched a new endeavor called Popular Preternaturaliana: Studying the Monstrous in Popular Culture at http://popularpreternaturaliana.blogspot.com/. The site is sponsored by the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Legend Area and (like NEPCA Fantastic) hosted by The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages in the hopes of providing a place to promote further study and debate of the preternatural where ever and when ever it may appear.

In the future, calls for papers and other postings relating to the monstrous, gothic, and horror can be found on the new site. 

Michael A. Torregrossa
Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Legend Area Chair, Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association
Co-Founder, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

CFP World SF Film/TV (journal issue) (9/1/13)

CFP: world sf film and television (journal special issue)
Publication Date: 2013-09-01
Date Submitted: 2012-04-18
Announcement ID: 194038

Science Fiction Film and Television (http://liverpool.metapress.com/content/121631/) is seeking articles for a special issue in on world sf.

Although excluding the US from discussions of world cinema and television creates a problematic opposition(ality), we are seeking critical work on sf from other national/transnational, and especially non-Anglophone, contexts, both historical and contemporary. We are particularly, but not exclusively, interested in work which introduces and/or offers fresh insights into specific national cinemas/televisions, or which reconceptualises sf by relativising US/First Cinema variants as culturally-specific approaches rather than generic norms, or which addresses the following:
• globalisation
• transnationalism
• imperialism, neo-imperialism, post-imperialism
• colonialism, decolonisation, neo-colonialism, post-colonialism
• sf from the Third World/Developing World/Global South
• indigenous, Fourth World and Fourth Cinema sf
• the subaltern
• nationhood, national identity, regional identity
• race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality
• global networks, informational black holes
• borders, borderlands
• homelands, migrations, diasporas
• national, international or transnational contexts of production, distribution or consumption
• specific production cycles

Articles should be approximately 9000 words, including footnotes and bibliography. Submissions (in word or rtf, following MLA style) should be made via our website at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/lup-sfftv.

Any queries should be directed to the editors, Mark Bould (mark.bould@gmail.com) and Sherryl Vint (sherryl.vint@gmail.com).

The deadline for submission to this special issue is September 1 2013.

Dr Mark Bould
Department of Arts
The University of the West of England
St Matthias Campus
Oldbury Court Road
Fishponds
Bristol BS16 2JP
United Kingdom
Email: mark.bould@gmail.com

CFP Performing Fandom (Journal Issue) (March/April 2014)

CFP: Special Issue Performing Fandom, Journal of Transformative Works and Cultures
Call for Papers Date: 2014-03-01
Date Submitted: 2011-12-19
Announcement ID: 190620

Call for papers Performing Fandom Special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, March 2015 Edited by Jen Gunnels (New York Review of Science Fiction) and Carrie J. Cole (University of Arizona, Tucson)

Surprisingly, fan studies and performance studies remain relative strangers in scholarship. With a few exceptions, there seems to be little crossover between fields in terms of analysis, theory, and methodology. Such a situation, on both sides of the equation, should be addressed given the potential productive overlap between the two. With this special issue, we want to encourage scholars of both fan and performance to open up further avenues of study and methodological practice in order to expand both fields to their mutual benefit. Fandom is a performed set of practices. It’s something that one does. For many, being a fan is a distinct part of their performed identity. This practice may take many forms, from the performativity inherent to fan writing to more blatant performances such as LARPs and cosplay. From the other side of the fence, performance studies has had little interaction with fan studies, and investigations into intersections between the disciplines around such issues as identity performance and participant/performer ethnographies would further energize both fields.

We invite scholars in fan studies and performance studies to examine how fandom is performed, what performance practices can reveal about fandom, and how fan studies can benefit performances. We welcome submissions dealing with, but not limited to, aspects of:
• Specific performance analysis of particular fandoms.
• Fan fiction as performative or dramaturgical.
• Identity and community performance in specific franchise fandoms and in general.
• Cosplay.
• Live-action role-playing games.
• Design and performance in nonfranchise fandoms such as steampunk.
• Fan communities and participation as applied to traditional performances.
• Online performance within fan listservs and sites.

Submission guidelines:

TWC accommodates academic articles of varying scope as well as other forms that embrace the technical possibilities of the Web and test the limits of the genre of academic writing. Contributors are encouraged to include embedded links, images, and videos in their articles or to propose submissions in alternative formats that might comprise interviews, collaborations, or video/multimedia works. We are also seeking reviews of relevant books, events, courses, platforms, or projects.

Theory: Often interdisciplinary essays with a conceptual focus and a theoretical frame that offer expansive interventions in the field. Blinded peer review. Length: 5,000–8,000 words plus a 100–250-word abstract.

Praxis: Analyses of particular cases that may apply a specific theory or framework to an artifact; explicate fan practice or formations; or perform a detailed reading of a text. Blinded peer review. Length: 4,000–7,000 words plus a 100–250-word abstract.

Symposium: Short pieces that provide insight into current developments and debates. Nonblinded editorial review. Length: 1,500–2,500 words.

Submissions are accepted online only. Please visit TWC's Web site (http://journal.transformativeworks.org/) for complete submission guidelines, or e-mail the TWC Editor (editor AT transformativeworks.org). Contact We encourage potential contributors to contact the guest editors with inquiries or proposals: Jen Gunnels and Carrie J. Cole (fandom.performance AT gmail.com).

The call for papers is available here: http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/announcement/view/22

Due dates:
Contributions for blinded peer review (Theory and Praxis essays) are due by March 1, 2014.
Contributions that undergo editorial review (Symposium, Interview, Review) are due by April 1, 2014.

Jen Gunnels, New York Review of Science Fiction P.O. Box 78 Pleasantville NY 10570 Carrie J. Cole, University of Arizona, Tucson Theatre Film and Television P.O. Box 210003 Tucson AZ 85721-0003 (520) 621-3205
Email: fandom.performance@gmail.com
Visit the website at http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/announcement/view/22

Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance CFP (6/1/13)

Essay Collection: Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: 2013-06-01 (in 30 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-02-05
Announcement ID: 201091

Articles about urban fantasy and romance novels are invited for a new, multi-contributor collection.

During the last few decades, urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels have come to the forefront in the publishing world. Normative heroes and heroines have been joined by werewolves, vampires, mermaids, shape-shifters, centaurs and dragons, to name but a few. These magical creatures fill the pages of books and the screens of movie theaters in ever-increasing numbers.

Such a vast industry—one that generated at least 75 million readers in 2008 alone (and has been growing since)—should not be disregarded. This collection will offer critical examinations of both urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

The following categories suggest possibilities but are by no means exhaustive:
• Gender
• Race
• Sexuality
• Romance
• Desire
• Domesticity
• Power
• Monstrosity
• Witchcraft
• Fandom and/or Reception
• Transformation and/or Adaptation
• Vampires, Shapeshifters, and other Supernatural Creatures
• Hybridity
• Heroism
• Villainy
• Memory

What to Send:

300 - 500 word abstracts (or complete articles, if available) and CVs should be submitted by June 1, 2013. If an abstract is accepted for the collection, a full draft of the essay (5000 – 8000 words) will be required by December 1, 2013.

Abstracts and final articles should be submitted to: paranormalromance.urbanfantasy@gmail.com

Margo Collins and Nadine Farghaly
Email: paranormalromance.urbanfantasy@gmail.com