CFP Speculative Fiction (8/15/2026; SAMLA Atlanta 11/5-7/2026)

SAMLA 98: Speculative Fiction

deadline for submissions:
August 15, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Lisa Wenger Bro / Middle Georgia State University

contact email:
lisa.bro@mga.edu

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/06/05/samla-98-speculative-fiction

Speculative fiction covers a broad range of narrative styles and genres. The cohesive element that pulls works together under the category is that there is some “unrealistic” element, whether it’s magical, supernatural, or a futuristic/technological development: works that fall into the category stray from conventional realism in some way. For this reason, speculative fiction can be quite broad, including everything from fantasy and magical realism to horror and science fiction—from China Miéville to Margaret Atwood to Philip K. Dick. This panel aims to explore those unrealistic elements and all their varied implications about culture, society, politics, economics, and more.This panel also is open to the examination of works from a variety of mediums, including fiction, graphic novels, television, and film.

The Speculative Fiction panel is a traditional panel. Paper presentations should not exceed 15 minutes.

Please submit a 250-300 word abstract, a brief bio, and any A/V needs by August 15, 2026 to https://samla.ballastacademic.com/Home/S/19591

You can email any questions to Lisa Wenger Bro at lisa.bro@mga.edu

SAMLA’s 98th annual conference, Hospitality, will be held at the Wyndham Atlanta Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center in Atlanta, GA this year from November 5-7. Those accepted must be members of SAMLA to present. You can find more information at: https://southatlanticmla.org/


Last updated June 5, 2026

CFP The Souths and Science Fiction (6/1/2023; SAMLA Atlanta 11/9-11/2023)

The Souths and Science Fiction

deadline for submissions:
June 1, 2023

full name / name of organization:
The Society for the Study of Southern Literature, SAMLA

contact email:
zhuesing3@gatech.edu

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2023/01/27/the-souths-and-science-fiction.

The Society for the Study of Southern Literature invites papers on the South and science fiction for a panel at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association’s 94th Annual Conference from November 9-11, 2023 in Atlanta, GA.

This conference’s theme of “(In)Security: The Future of Literature and Language Studies” presents a unique opportunity to consider the imagined futures offered within SF works, including their representation of social inequalities and the possibilities of the SF genre to raise awareness to the value of Literature and Language studies.

Papers may discuss any of the sub-genres of science fiction, including Afrofuturism, post-apocalyptic, or alternate history and may focus on any media including video games, novels, poetry, movies, television, or comics. The chosen texts should share the South, “Southern-ness,” or Global Souths as a concern. We welcome presentations that offer to 'expand' the canon of Southern literature and science fiction itself, especially papers that focus on works by BIPOC, AAPI, or LGBTQ+ writers.

Please direct any questions to Cameron Winter and Zita Hüsing at cameron.winter@gatech.edu and zhuesing3@gatech.edu.

Submit 200-500 word abstracts, 50 word bionotes, and A/V requirements via the following Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfarFqg-qrrbHkES62aC7Q3W-Za7eIq89o6snqnQ2pKmKR97w/viewform by June 1, 2023.



Last updated February 2, 2023

CFP SAMLA 2022: Speculative Fiction (5/31/2022; SAMLA Jacksonville 11/11-13/2022)

SAMLA 2022: Speculative Fiction

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/03/14/samla-2022-speculative-fiction

deadline for submissions: May 31, 2022

full name / name of organization: Mary Ann Gareis / Middle Georgia State University

contact email: mary.gareis@mga.edu



Speculative fiction covers a broad range of narrative styles and genres. The cohesive element that pulls works together under the category is that there is some “unrealistic” element, whether it’s magical, supernatural, or a futuristic/technological development: works that fall into the category stray from conventional realism in some way. For this reason, speculative fiction can be quite broad, including everything from fantasy and magical realism to horror and science fiction—from China Miéville to Margaret Atwood to Philip K. Dick. This panel aims to explore those unrealistic elements and all their varied implications about society, politics, economics, and more.



Please submit a 250-300 word abstract, a brief bio, and any A/V needs by May 31, 2022 to Mary Ann Gareis, Middle Georgia State University, at mary.gareis@mga.edu.

SAMLA’s 94th annual conference, Change, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, FL this year from November 11-13. Those accepted must be members of SAMLA to present.




Last updated March 14, 2022

CFP Fairy Tale Sensibilities and their Sustainability (6/15/14; SAMLA 11/7-9/14)

Another expired call of interest:

Fairy Tale Sensibilities and their Sustainability 
http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/node/57084
full name / name of organization:
SAMLA 86 Nov 7-9 2014 Atlanta GA
contact email:
gdenton@ega.edu

Feminism’s theorists more and more have turned their focus on fairy tales’ socializing power, as fairy tales serve as repositories for cultural attitudes regarding gender, class, the environment, and the role of education. The very sustainability of these tales offers genealogical roots for sociohistorical examinations that allow a reconsideration of the tales’ textualities in relationship to cultural ideologies. Roland Barthes asserts that texts such as fairy tales are loaded with ideological values; thus, it is critical to fairy tale studies that we rescue important historical shifts in revised representations so that we have a multi-dimensional understanding of the complex relationship between fairy tales, women, popular culture, and national values.

The sustainability of these tales reflects how universal these tales are in representing humankind as well as how relevant they are in teaching people about their own humanity. However, it takes a multi-dimensional critical analysis of the tales’ complex and subversive ambiguities in order for us to recognize the relationship between Literature as a repository for cultural attitudes, history, and memory and Literature as a study for understanding humanity. Fables, fairy tales, and folk tales have the power to teach people lessons about human nature and about the darker side of humanity in such a way that these tales provide warnings against “evil” behavior. This panel will trace revisions in familiar tales and their literary archetypes and examine their shifting relationship to popular culture, national ideology, and social theories in such a way that we can answer two questions: What can Literature teach us about humanity, history, psychology, sociology, and/or the environment? How does it teach us about our roles in current humanism and civic humanism in a way that nothing else can? By June 15, 2014, please submit a 300-word abstract and A/V requirements to Ren Denton, East Georgia State College, gdenton@ega.edu.


By web submission at 06/04/2014 - 13:38

CFP Girl Detectives in 20th Century (6/15/14; SAMLA 11/7-9/14)

NANCY DREW AND HER SISTERS: GIRL DETECTIVES IN THE 20TH CENTURY, SAMLA 2014, Nov. 7-9
full name / name of organization:
South Atlantic Modern Language Association
contact email:
lgaillet@gsu.edu

This panel considers depictions of young women in mystery fiction written for the teen audience in the 20th Century. Characters such as Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, and countless others provided role models for young readers, and this panel considers these figures in terms of the intersections between scholarship and fandom. While papers might cover the material and consumer culture associated with these novels and discussions of the authors' representation of adults, friendships, or class, we also encourage submissions that make claims about the enduring “phenomenon” of these characters’ popular appeal examine ways in which feminine/feminist portrayals of characters resonated with female readers, evidenced in the researchers’ personal narratives demonstrate how transparency is critical on the part of archival investigators, as evidenced in the work of existing scholar-fan publications suggest ways to teach researcher positionality to students through study of “girl series” scholarship By June 15, 2014, please submit a 250-word abstract and A/V requirements to Lynee Gaillet, Georgia State University, at lgaillet@gsu.edu.


By web submission at 05/07/2014 - 13:21

CFP Balancing Tradition and Innovation in Children’s Literature (6/10/14; SAMLA 11/7-9/14)

In With the New But Not Out With the Old: Balancing Tradition and Innovation in Children’s Literature - SAMLA 2014 - Nov. 7-9
full name / name of organization:
Rachel Rickard
contact email:
rickard.24@osu.edu

Because the study of children’s literature is not rooted in one time period, culture or medium, it is a continuously evolving field. New books, movies, video games, magazines, comics, and websites for children are produced every year, and, because of this constant creation, we study classic literature like Alice in Wonderland alongside brand new children’s films like Frozen. In looking at this widening range of texts, though, it becomes clear that while some aspects of children’s texts have persisted others have changed (and are changing) rapidly. This panel seeks to explore how contemporary children’s literature balances old and new. Papers may explore the ways in which contemporary children’s texts preserve tradition (whether that tradition comes from medium or content) while simultaneously breaking with tradition and creating new and innovative forms, genres, and stories. Suggested paper topics include but are not limited to:
• Adaptation and the reworking of old stories in new ways
• New categories of “children’s” literature such as New Adult and Tween
• Multigenre and multimodal children’s texts as well as children’s texts that cross and blur genre lines
• Intertextuality and how contemporary children’s literature calls back to more traditional children’s literature
• Discussions of what makes a particular work, form, character, or genre of children’s literature sustainable across time

Please submit a 250-300 word abstract by June 10, 2014 to Rachel Rickard at rickard.24@osu.edu.


By web submission at 05/14/2014 - 17:41