CFP Specificity of Fantasy (Spec Issue of Literature) (8/31/2022)

Special Issue "The Specificity of Fantasy"

source: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/literature/special_issues/fantasy

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Literature (ISSN 2410-9789).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2022.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Geoff M. Boucher E-Mail Website SciProfiles
Guest Editor


Faculty of Arts and Education, School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
Interests: Frankfurt school critical theory; psychoanalysis; postmarxism; fantasy literature; anti-authoritarianism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is now a decade since Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn noted, in The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, that, by contrast with science fiction, “the study of fantasy has only just moved on from attempting to define the form”. Since then, against the background of an emergent scholarly consensus on fantasy as the “literature of the impossible,” new research has explored marvellous settings, gothic monsters, children’s fantasy, invented myth, race in fantasy, high adventure and epic fantasy, and fantastic modernism. At the same time, we have seen an explosion of fantasy subgenres, innovative fantasy works celebrated internationally, cultural controversies and the politicization of awards, and a scholarly boom around writers such as JK Rowling, George RR Martin, and Phillip Pullman. In light of all of this, and of the constantly increasing popularity of fantasy literature, together with the global impact of the work of figures such as NK Jemisin, Brandon Sanderson, and Nnedi Okorafor, it is high time to sum up where it is that we think the study of fantasy has moved on to, and where it should go to next.

The aim of this Special Issue of Literature is to map this “where to?” by surveying the new diversity, mapping theoretical developments, and inviting provocative proposals for new research. We are especially interested in thinking about what is specific to fantasy, that is, how the literature of the impossible facilitates particular kinds of literary intervention or catalyzes particular sorts of imaginative response. The literature of the impossible, it must be supposed, meets some human need, makes some cultural contribution, performs some social role, or has some political implication that is specific to the form or particular to its characteristic themes and motifs. But what is it? And what do individual writers or particular works illuminate about how fantasy matters to the wider culture?

This Special Issue of Literature invites contributions around these questions, which may address the contemporary space of reflection on fantasy through theoretical arguments, general surveys, close readings of particular works, or innovative approaches to popular fiction. Responses might, but do not have to, zero in on themes such as:

• How does fantasy fit within the wider field of speculative fiction, and does it do anything that other kinds of speculation cannot do?
• What might be the formal features or substantive themes that determine the political orientation, social implications, or cultural role of a fantasy work?
• What is known about magical systems or monstrous ontologies in fantasy literature, and how might this affect the implications of fantasy?
• Are there particular genres of fantasy, or rhetorical modes, that are more likely than others to intervene culturally?
• How do innovative kinds of crossover fantasy disturb established literary boundaries and make new sorts of intervention possible?
• Is it possible to connect the politics of the reception of fantasy, especially in controversial contexts, to any formal or substantive features of fantasy?
• Do fantasy works express cultural conjectures, “what if” scenarios, and how do these relate to social reality or the natural world?
• Is there any such thing as emancipatory fantasy, or authoritarian fantasy?

Please send proposals to Dr. Geoff M. Boucher at boucher@deakin.edu.au by 31 May 2022; completed essays are due 31 August 2022.

Dr. Geoff M. Boucher
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Literature is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fantasy literature
speculative fiction
popular fiction
fantasy genres
literature of the impossible
the imaginary
literary conjectures
utopian fiction

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.

CFP Adapting Bridgerton Collection (4/30/2022)

Of potential interest: 

Adapting Bridgerton

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2021/02/24/adapting-bridgerton

deadline for submissions:
April 30, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Valerie Frankel

contact email:
valerie@calithwain.com



Adapting Bridgerton

If Jane Austen and the history books present one version of the regency, Bridgerton shows a far different one. While the series had many surprises for viewers, it’s less clear what’s responsible. Does this come from being a 2020 show? From Netflix style? From the romance novels source material? Let’s consider and also weigh what worked and what didn’t. I’m seeking essays on:

Length will depend on how many submissions arrive. They will be in MLA format, secondary sources welcome, scholarly be approachable and fun for fans. Abstracts Due April 30, with a rolling acceptance, essays due June 30.

Please send to valerie@calithwain.com with a subject of Bridgerton.

Suggested topics include but are not limited to the following:

• The music, lighting, and other staging effects.
• Context: comparisons with Downton Abbey, Outlander, The White Queen, Austen adaptations, etc.
• Netflix franchises
• The show’s origin in a romance novel
• Costume and manners anachronisms
• The sex scenes
• Race
• Consent in the MeToo era
• Fan response/fans changing the content
• Memes, reviews, fanfic and other online responses to the show

Last updated March 16, 2022

CFP See and Be Seen: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Storytelling and Identity in Popular Culture (6/1/2022; New Zealand 9/13-14/2022)

See and Be Seen: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Storytelling and Identity in Popular Culture

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/02/03/see-and-be-seen-an-interdisciplinary-conference-on-storytelling-and-identity-in

deadline for submissions:
June 1, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Popular Culture Research Centre, Auckland University of Technology

contact email:
pop.centre@aut.ac.nz



Popular Culture Research Centre,

Auckland University of Technology

13-14 September 2022

Keynote Speakers:

Professor Katie Ellis (Curtin University, Australia)

Professor Lorna Piatti-Farnell (Auckland University of Technology)

The Popular Culture Research Centre (Auckland University of Technology) welcomes papers for its upcoming interdisciplinary conference on the theme of ‘storytelling and identity’ in popular culture. The conference will be a hybrid event (allowing for both in-person and online presentations), and will be held on 13-14 September 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Practices of storytelling are at the centre of the ways in which popular culture disseminates information. In our Twenty-first century context, we tell stories through the foods we eat, the images we share, the people we follow on social media, the shows we watch, and the music we listen to. From film to television, from Twitter accounts to the latest fandom trend, popular culture provides us with channels through which our narratives of the everyday can transform from immaterial notions to very material and tangible objects of consumption. At the centre of our ways of storytelling lies the formation of our identities. Popular culture is privileged in its ability to both reflect and influence the way we live, how we see ourselves, and how we want to be seen by others. As an event, ‘See and Be Seen’ responds to the important and multifaceted part played by storytelling in popular culture.

The conference invites abstracts for presentations related to the theme of ‘storytelling and identity’ in popular culture. Topics can include, but are not limited to:

• Fictional narratives (from film to literature, television, comics, and beyond)
• Popular genres and media
• Consumerism and (im)materiality
• Social and online media
• Sharing cultures and cult followings
• Fandom and celebrity
• Popular icons
• Trends and fads
• Depicting ‘reality’ in popular media and culture
• Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs
• Practices of remaking and re-adaptation
• Fashion, design, and culture
• Aesthetics and desire
• Food cultures, histories, and representations
• All matters of taste
• Cuisine and identity
• Gender identities and politics
• Sex and sexualities
• Family matters (including functions and disjunctions)
• Spirituality and religion
• Matters of life and death
• Gothic and horror (in all their guises, as related to storytelling and identity)
• Memory, remembering, and mis/remembering
• Popular performances
• Environmental matters
• Stories of love and romance
• Popular culture and the news
• Authenticity and accuracy
• Race, ethnicity, and Indigenous discourses
• Heritage and historiography
• National politics and identities
• Global vs local narratives and identities

Abstracts (of around 250 words) should include your name, affiliation, e-mail address, the title of your proposed paper, and a short bio (100 words max). Please email abstracts to the attention of the conference organisers at: pop.centre@aut.ac.nz

The deadline for submissions is 1 June 2022.




Last updated March 16, 2022

CFP of Interest: Critical Essay Collection on THE GOLDEN GIRLS (5/31/2022)

Not fantastic-related but of value to share given the impact of the show:

Critical Essay Collection on THE GOLDEN GIRLS

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/02/01/critical-essay-collection-on-the-golden-girls

deadline for submissions:
May 31, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Jill E. Anderson, Assist Prof of English

contact email:
goldengirls2022collection@gmail.com



This call is for critical essays for a proposed edited volume centering on the iconic television show The Golden Girls for Routledge’s Advances in Pop Culture series.

The Golden Girls’s seven seasons spanned 1985 to 1992 and produced one spin-off (The Golden Palace). With a cast of established actors and recognizable guest stars, the series won critical acclaim, several awards, and was the anchor of NBC’s Saturday night line-up for years. The series tackled some serious and timely matters—the HIV/AIDS crisis, immigration, teen pregnancy, sexual assault, same-sex marriage, elder care, environmental concerns, miscegenation, nuclear war, and financial and medical worries for the aging—along with regular arcs involving ageism and sexism. Throughout, Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia modeled strong, supportive female friendships, typifying the bonds possible amongst four self-possessed women finding their own way in their golden years.

In the decades since the series finale, The Golden Girls has enjoyed a nostalgic status for some viewers while becoming a “comfort watch” for an entirely new generation. Fandom has produced many tributes: one now-defunct themed restaurant in NYC; podcasts; Instagram and other social media accounts and memes; multiple books including coloring books and children’s stories; board games, tarot cards, and playing cards; merchandise like t-shirts, tote bags, Funkos, Chia Pets, and saints’ candles; and drag queens and puppet shows. The show’s continued appeal and now iconic status make it an area ripe for cultural analysis.

We invite scholars to send proposals for critical essays to be included in this collection. While not limited to the following, we are particularly interested in submissions that address:

• · Sexuality and the sex lives of the women in the series
• · Regionalities of the women and discussions of their familial heritage
• · The arc of the “four woman” show and any parallels (i.e. Designing Women, Sex and the City, Girlfriends, Desperate Housewives, Girls, Living Single etc.), both contemporaneous and successive
• · Ageism and its impacts
• · The role of work
• · The role of medical care
• · Discussions of race, class, or other political/social issues
• · Aspects of fandom surrounding the show
• · An examination of any aspect of The Golden Palace
• · The actors’ activism and its ties to the series
• · Fashion and interior design in the show
• · Analysis of the role of comfort watching the series
• · Ties between the actors’ other work/performances and the series

Proposals should be approximately 350 words and copy and pasted (no attachments, please) into an email to goldengirls2022collection@gmail.com by May 31, 2022. Please also include a short author(s) bio, and use this email for any questions. **EDITED TO ADD: we are open to having shorter pieces too if you think you have an interesting topic that might not constitute a "normal" academic length. Just make note of that in your proposal.**

Thank you (for being a scholar),

Jill E. Anderson, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of English at Tennessee State University) and Susannah R. Young (Owner/Principal at Susannah Young Creative Communications)




Last updated March 17, 2022

CFP Science Fiction from the Margins (Spec Issue of Panic at the Discourse; 5/1/2022)

Science Fiction from the Margins

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/04/04/science-fiction-from-the-margins

deadline for submissions:
May 1, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Panic at the Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal

contact email:
panicatthediscourse@gmail.com



We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.

- Ursula LeGuin, 2014

Science fiction includes a myriad of thematics from futurism, technology, transhumanism, apocalypse, other-worldliness, interspeciality, alterity and to history. As a result, its’ texts and images bear more of a ‘family resemblance’ than a generic codification. However, at the core of science fiction is an imagining of the world as other than it is­—whether that be by space travel, super-powers, or magic. This special issue of Panic at the Discourse, “Science Fiction From the Margins,” seeks to think and imagine the world otherwise with care and focus to marginalized understandings, ontologies, and epistemologies.

The guest editors invite submissions on topics including, but not limited to:

• Science fiction as minority pedagogy and methodology
• Troubling the history of science fiction as a genre/mode of film, literature, politics, etc.
• Instrumentalization of science fiction as theory and politics
• Engaging science fiction as ‘cult’ or ‘low’ art in film, television, literature, comics, art, and other mediums, thinking about how they challenge the boundaries of their respective media
• Imagining alternative histories and/or futures of racial formations
• Exploring real life science fictional phenomena (cloning, speculations about alien life, advanced forms of AI) and the anxieties produced by these phenomena
• Examining how dystopian fiction has engaged/failed to engage with forms of political domination
• Connections between form and minority politics including but not limited to dispossession, exile, displacement, and racialization

We welcome submissions from a range of disciplines including, but not limited to: Philosophy, Literary Studies, Film and Media Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Critical Disability Studies, Black Studies, Cultural Studies, and Indigenous Studies. All submissions should be written for an interdisciplinary audience.

Additionally, we accept a wide range of submissions from poetry, visual art, creative writing, reviews, and traditional scholarship. Traditional articles must be between 4000-6000 words and reviews a maximum of 750 words.

All submissions will undergo a review process by the publication editorial team. Works selected for publication will receive editorial queries for revision. Publication will be contingent on satisfactorily resolving all queries. Included images must be high resolution and have accessible descriptions. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain image permissions. Use Chicago style endnotes for any citations. Please include a brief author bio of no more than 50 words. Authors retain all rights to their work. Email the publication if you have a work you are unsure about.

Send all submissions to panicatthediscourse@gmail.com with the subject line “Submission: Article Title” by May 1st, 2022.





Last updated April 7, 2022

CFC Countdown to Hallmark Collection (7/15/2022)

This is a neat idea:

Call for Chapters: Countdown to Hallmark

Source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/04/04/call-for-chapters-countdown-to-hallmark

deadline for submissions:
July 15, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Carlen Lavigne / Red Deer Polytechnic

contact email:
carlen.lavigne@rdpolytech.ca



Since launching its hugely popular “Countdown to Christmas” made-for-TV movie series in 2009, Hallmark has expanded its offerings of American small-town romances to include Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and Hanukkah, as well as winter, spring, summer, fall, and “Christmas in July.” Dozens of original films are planned and shot each year, often in Canadian locations such as Vancouver and Ottawa. These now-year-round productions are formulaic, heteronormative, Christian, and overwhelmingly white—and they have been undeniably commercially successful, rocketing Hallmark to cable success and spawning imitations across multiple platforms.

Contributions are invited for this multinational, multidisciplinary collection of essays studying Hallmark Channel movies and Hallmark’s current dominance in the North American media landscape. The collection is intended as part of the Routledge Advances in Popular Culture Studies series. Topics explored may include, but are not limited to:

• Christian markers, secular tensions, and “inclusivity” (e.g. Hanukkah films)
• Heteronormative patterns and/or queer influences
• Racial diversity and/or BIPOC erasure
• Disability narratives and/or disability erasure
• Parenthood and challenges or reinforcements of nuclear family structures
• Evangelical Christianity and “Boycott Hallmark” movements
• Nostalgic casting (e.g. sitcom stars from the '80s and '90s)
• Urban and rural—images and myths of the big city vs. small-town America
• Capitalism, labour, and women’s careers
• The Hallmark script formula and the romance genre
• Jane Austen and other literary influences
• Escapism and formula TV during COVID or other disaster times
• Cross-promotion (e.g. Hallmark greeting cards, sweaters, tie-in novels)
• Comparisons between Hallmark productions and competitors such as Netflix and Lifetime

Submit an abstract of 250-400 words and a short bio to Dr. Carlen Lavigne (carlen.lavigne@rdpolytech.ca) by July 15, 2022. Accepted articles of 5000-6000 words will be due by January 15, 2023.


Last updated April 8, 2022

CFP Space, the Feminist Frontier: Essays on Women and Gender in Star Trek (5/31/2022)

A post in honor of First Contact Day:

Space, the Feminist Frontier: Essays on Women and Gender in Star Trek

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/04/06/space-the-feminist-frontier-essays-on-women-and-gender-in-star-trek

deadline for submissions:
May 31, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Jennifer Garlen

contact email:
jennifer.garlen@gmail.com



Co-editors Jennifer C. Garlen and Anissa M. Graham are currently seeking proposals for an anthology of feminist essays examining the past and present of Star Trek. We are looking for feminist readings that engage any of the Trek films, television series, or related media (games, books, convention culture, etc). We welcome any proposals considering the roles of women and gendered identity in Star Trek and are especially interested in intersectional feminist criticism that also addresses issues of race and sexuality. Graduate students and independent scholars are welcome to submit proposals. Accepted contributors will receive author credit for their work as well as a free copy of the final publication, pending acceptance of the book proposal by an academic publisher. For questions or proposal submissions, please email Jennifer at jennifer.garlen@gmail.com.

Jennifer and Anissa are the co-editors of two previous essay anthologies for McFarland: Kermit Culture (2009) and The Wider Worlds of Jim Henson (2013). Both have also contributed to several academic essay anthologies about film, television, and popular culture.




Last updated April 8, 2022

CFC What Writing is Like: The Many Worlds of Russell T Davies (7/30/2022)

Call for Contributions to a Book: What Writing is Like: The Many Worlds of Russell T Davies

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/04/07/call-for-contributions-to-a-book-what-writing-is-like-the-many-worlds-of-russell-t

deadline for submissions:
July 30, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Anindya Raychaudhuri, University of St Andrews

contact email:
ar220@st-andrews.ac.uk



Russell T Davies has been one of the foremost voices in British television for the last three decades. The range of Davies’s work is formidable - from his early work on children’s television such as Dark Season (1991) and Century Falls (1993), to his ground-breaking work creating programmes such as Queer as Folk (1999-2000), Bob and Rose (2001), The Second Coming (2003) and Mine All Mine (2004), to his phenomenally successful rejuvenation of Doctor Who (2005), through to his more recent work such as Cucumber (2015), Years and Years (2019) and It’s a Sin (2021). In the process, he has indelibly transformed the British televisual landscape.



The proposed volume will be the first major, book-length scholarly appraisal of his works. We are looking for 6000–7000-word chapters on any aspect of Russell T. Davies and his work. Innovative, interdisciplinary, and comparative approaches are encouraged. Possible topics may include:

• Sex and sexuality
• Religion
• Wales and welsh identity
• Politics
• Science fiction and fantasy
• Children’s television
• AIDS pandemic
• Dystopian futures
• The Television Industry
• Televisual Forms

University of Wales Press has expressed interest in this volume, and we will be submitting a formal proposal by the end of the year.



Please submit a short abstract (250 words) and a biographical outline to ar220@st-andrews.ac.uk by 30 July 2022. Full papers will be due around December 2022.




Last updated April 8, 2022

CFP Academic Track of Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention (6/30/2022; Atlanta 10/14-16/2022)

Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/04/05/multiverse-science-fiction-and-fantasy-convention

deadline for submissions:
June 30, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Multiverse Convention

contact email:
Learn@Multiversecon.org



Call for Submissions

Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

Event Date & Location: October 14-October 16, 2022, Westin Atlanta Perimeter North, 7 Concourse Parkway in Sandy Springs
Deadline for Submissions: June 30, 2022
Name of Organization: Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention
Organization Website: https://www.multiversecon.org
Contact Email: Rhonda Jackson Joseph, Learn@Multiversecon.org

CONVENTION THEME:

Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention was formed from our belief that great stories don’t only come from the books and comics we love to read. Each fan is their own universe as well, with their own unique story to tell. Added together, these infinite stories create the Multiverse of modern fandom.

This Multiverse also informs the creation of works of speculative fiction, a body of work encompassing every imaginable academic field. In this light, we seek to create a multidisciplinary academic program that will showcase the innumerable ways speculative fiction is inspired by various branches of academia.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:



Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention is seeking academic presentations of 15, 25, and 45 minutes in length for our 2022 convention. While we require presentations to reflect rigorous academic scholarship, we are not requesting conference paper readings. Presentations only, please.

We are seeking presentations that approach an academic topic in a way that non-academic audiences will find accessible and entertaining. Ideally, presentations will incorporate a core theme or topic of interest to speculative fiction fans.

Example topics may include, but are not limited to:

● An interesting historical event that garners immense speculation. What really happened?
● A comparison between modern governments and dystopian societies
● The application of a sociological lens in examining a popular speculative fiction TV show or movie
● From a scientific angle, could one of the monsters from horror tropes really exist?
● How might the fantasy elements of speculative fiction lend themselves to child development in teaching various lessons?
● A chemistry presentation that teaches children how to create spider webbing
● A presentation on new, emerging technologies or scientific breakthroughs (e.g., artificial intelligence, biotech, space travel, etc.)

Presentations on specific authors, works of fiction, or genres within speculative fiction are also welcome. Of particular interest are presentations on the works of any of our Guests of Honor and/or focuses on voices within speculative fiction that are not typically amplified.

Please note: we would like to include at least one presentation per convention day that fits our theme and is targeted to a child/family audience, so please submit those presentation proposals, as well. Our definition of child/family targeted includes any images, videos, or handouts accompanying the presentation.

Please provide the following in your submission:



● 300-500 word abstract
● Preliminary bibliography
● Length of presentation (15, 25, or 45-minute category)
● 100-word professional biography (should reflect academic credentials)
● Any required props or specialized A/V equipment
● Do you have any special accommodations or additional requests we should be aware of? (any request for a video presentation should be indicated here, please)
● What are your pronouns?



Email your submissions and/or questions to Rhonda Jackson Joseph at: Learn@Multiversecon.org

Accepted presenters will receive a complimentary convention membership for 2022 and may be invited to participate in other panels within the convention’s other programming tracks. If you would like to be considered for other programming at the convention, separately or in conjunction with your proposed academic presentation, please fill out our guest application.

Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis up until July 31, 2022.



Last updated April 7, 2022

CFP Open Call for Popular Culture Review - Submissions for General Issues

Popular Culture Review - Submissions for General Issues

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2021/10/22/popular-culture-review-submissions-for-general-issues

deadline for submissions:
January 10, 2021

full name / name of organization:
Popular Culture Review - University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dept. of English

contact email:
greena@unlv.nevada.edu



Popular Culture Review seeks to publish compelling, well-argued, and well-researched articles on a variety of topics related to popular culture.

Submissions undergo a rigorous peer review process.

General Issues are published in March. Submissions must be received by January 10th for that year's General Issue.

Please see our submission guidelines and instructions at our new website: https://www.popularculturereview.org/submissions.html




Last updated April 8, 2022

CFP MAPACA 2022 (Princeton, NJ 11/10-12/2022)

Just announced: 

2022 MAPACA Annual Conference Call for Papers: Princeton, NJ – Nov. 10-12, 2022

This is the early April MAPACA newsletter. Our next conference is November 10-12 in Princeton, NJ.

Source: https://mapaca.net/newsletter/general/202204011323

In This Newsletter, We Have:

• Our Call for Papers for the 2022 Annual Conference
• Our Statement on Covid

2022 Call for Papers

Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA)

2022 Annual Conference

November 10-12, 2022

Princeton, NJ — Princeton Marriott at Forrestal

Call for papers:

Proposals are welcome on all aspects of popular and American culture for inclusion in the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA) conference in Princeton, NJ. Single papers, panels, roundtables, and alternative formats are welcome.

Proposals should take the form of 300-word abstracts, and may only be submitted to one appropriate area. For a list of areas and area chair contact information, visit mapaca.net/areas. General questions can be directed to mapaca@mapaca.net. The deadline for submission is Thursday, June 30, 2022.

MAPACA’s participants are comprised of college and university faculty, independent scholars and artists, and graduate and undergraduate students. MAPACA is an inclusive professional organization dedicated to the study of popular and American culture in all their multidisciplinary manifestations. It is a regional division of the Popular Culture and American Culture Association, which, in the words of Popular Culture Association founder Ray Browne, is a “multi-disciplinary association interested in new approaches to the expressions, mass media and all other phenomena of everyday life.”

For more information, visit mapaca.net.

Covid Statement:

We look forward to welcoming you to our 2022 conference this November. The Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association (MAPACA) is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely. Check the MAPACA website at mapaca.net or follow MAPACA on Twitter @mapacanet or Facebook facebook.com/mapacanet for the latest information.

Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA)

P.O. Box 1358

Lansdowne, PA 19050

mapaca@mapaca.net

Join Us on Twitter

Follow Us on Facebook

CFP School Fantasy / École et Fantasy (3/30/2022; Special Issue of Fantasy Art and Studies)

School Fantasy / École et Fantasy

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/02/19/school-fantasy-%C3%A9cole-et-fantasy

deadline for submissions:
March 30, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Fantasy Art and Studies (association les Têtes Imaginaires)

contact email:
fantasyartandstudies@outlook.com



From the famous castle of Hogwarts to Sunnydale high school and the magical academy of Aretuza, Fantasy stories are frequently set in school settings, especially when they are addressed to young readers and viewers. These familiar and possibly reassuring surroundings can hide important mysteries, including secret and magical passages or vampire-teachers, thus creating either worry or wonder.

Even if the teaching relationship can be restricted to one-on-one situations between teacher and student, like in T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone and Mistress Masham’s Repose, most Fantasy stories seem to favour group situations when it comes to education. These can thus appear closer to the reader’s own reality – with a magical twist –, as is the case in the Harry Potter saga written by J. K. Rowling, and in one of its inspirations, Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch. The presence of several students usually allows for numerous plot developments, giving the story a more dynamic pace. Beside these successful series in which the characters barely leave the school grounds, one could list ad infinitum Fantasy stories taking place in a school, or in which education is the main theme: A Wizard of Earthsea, The Magicians, The School for Good and Evil, Umbrella Academy, Spellwright, The Shadow of What Was Lost, Novice Dragoneer, A Deadly Education, etc.

Why is the Fantasy genre fascinated by schools? Is it merely a way to reckon on the proximity of the young reader’s daily life? Or does Fantasy see in school settings a way to reenchant the world, one lesson at a time? The 13th issue of the bilingual journal Fantasy Art and Studies plans on studying this close link between Fantasy and school. It will also take into consideration other teaching spaces, including preschool, middle school, high school, university, etc.

This issue will also look for studies of the way Fantasy stories are taught in school, and the potential discrepancies in their integration in curricula between different countries.

Paper proposals could focus on, without being limited to:

• the representation of school settings in Fantasy stories and its evolution;
• themes, characters and issues directly associated with school Fantasy;
• the educational purpose of Fantasy stories;
• the representation of schools in Fantasy stories from different cultures and countries;
• the way Fantasy is taught in school and its evolution;
• etc.

Paper proposals of approximately 2.000 signs, written in English or French, will be accompanied by a short biobibliography and sent in .doc or .docx format by 30 March 2022, to fantasyartandstudies@outlook.com

The complete papers will not exceed 30.000 signs (space and endnotes included). They will be written in English or French, and sent in .doc format, Times New Roman 12pts, single-line spacing, by 1 July 2022.

Please read our submission guidelines before forwarding your paper: https://fantasyartandstudies.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/submission-guidelinesen.pdf




Informative bibliography

Besson Anne (dir.), Dictionnaire de la fantasy, Paris, Vendémiaire, 2018.

Bougon Marie-Lucie, Breton Justine et Timoner Amelha (dir.), Fantasy et enfance, Cahiers Robinson n°49, 2021.

Cani Isabelle, Harry Potter ou l’anti-Peter Pan : Pour en finir avec la magie de l’enfance, Paris, Fayard, 2007.

Klingberg Göte, The Fantastic Tale for Children: A Genre Study from the Viewpoint of Literary and Educational Research, Gothenburg, Gothenburg School of Education, 1970.

Lochhead Marion, The Renaissance of Wonder in Children’s Literature, Edinburgh, Canongate, 1977.


categories
classical studies
cultural studies and historical approaches
film and television
journals and collections of essays
popular culture

Last updated February 21, 2022

CFP Fantasy Literature: A Companion (6/1/2022)

One more cfp for today:

Fantasy Literature: A Companion

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/01/03/fantasy-literature-a-companion

deadline for submissions:
June 1, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Editor Dr. Charul ("Chuckie") Palmer-Patel

contact email:
c.palmerpatel@gmail.com



While fantasy fiction has become incredibly popular and prolific in these last few decades, the appeal of fantastical literature dates back to antiquity, as mythologies, legends, and encounters with the supernatural have formed a large part of narrative traditions in every culture and language. This companion seeks to update and address underexamined areas of fantasy fiction, with the chief aim to provide a global introduction to English-language and English-translation fantasy fiction. This collection will focus on the contemporary written word (narrative prose) produced in late 20th and early 21st century. However, given the range and scope of fantasy (poetry, paintings, sculptures, plays, ballets, operas, films, television shows, graphic novels, animation, video games, tabletop games, etc), the editor will consider proposals which incorporate other mediums as comparisons, adaptations, or lineages, so long as the focus on the written word is apparent.



The companion will be divided into 3 sections:



Historical Influences and Lineage, including (but not limited to) considerations of:

- Mythological or oral roots (evolution, transmission, and/or dissemination,)

- Legends and representations of heroic ideals

- Considerations of influential writers, past and present (note that this topic previously read "challenges to and considerations of influential writers," but based on the responses to the section, I have taken the first steps in creating a companion that focuses on this topic. Please see the CFP for Forgotten Fantasists for details



Poetics and Aesthetics of Genre, including (but not limited to) considerations of:

- Discussions of significant tropes or common images (either across the fantasy genre, specific to a subgenre)

- Adaptations and movement between mediums

- Development of the genre/genre boundaries



Current Social Concerns, including (but not limited to):

- Challenges to or affirmations of gender binaries and heteronormative relationships

- Issues of decolonization, including unpacking the villain as Other or dissolving the binary of good and evil

- Global anxieties such as climate change or late-stage capitalism



The editor Dr. C. Palmer-Patel invites abstracts of 500 words with 100-word bionotes to be submitted to c.palmerpatel@gmail.com by 1 June 2022. Early expressions of interest encouraged. Abstracts will be considered with emphasis on the primary objective of the collection as a whole (as an updated first-stop introduction to fantasy criticism to be used by teachers, students, and scholars), alongside the fit of the proposed chapter for each section. Bionotes should include details of primary research interests along with recent and relevant contributions to the field.



The collection has been pitched to Peter Lang's Genre Fiction and Film Companions series. Final chapters will be 4000 words (including bibliography) and will be due 2023/2024.




Last updated March 15, 2022

CFP Literaria (Open Issue) (5/30/2022)

LITERARIA  CALL FOR PAPERS (OPEN ISSUE)

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/02/27/call-for-papersopen-issue

deadline for submissions:
May 30, 2022

full name / name of organization:
NEW LITERARIA

contact email:
newliteraria@gmail.com




LITERARIA invites the submission of articles, shorter essays, interviews, and book reviews offering historical, interdisciplinary, theoretical, and cultural approaches to literature and related fields.



Submissions should be emailed to editor@newliteraria.com by no later than 30th May 2022. All submissions must include a cover letter that includes the author's full mailing address, email address, telephone numbers, and professional or academic affiliation.



Articles should be between 3,500 and 8,000 words long (including bibliography and footnotes). Book reviews should be between 750 and 1,500 words.



Please note that, if relevant submission and formatting guidelines are not met, manuscripts will not be deemed eligible for publication.



More information on submission can be found at https://newliteraria.com/for-authors/



Please contact editor@newliteraria.com for details regarding the submission of book reviews.



Submission Deadline: 30th May 2022
Expected Date of Publication: 30th July, 2022




Last updated March 4, 2022

CFP Geographies of the Fantastic and the Quotidian (5/15/2022; PAMLA Los Angeles 11/11-13/2022)

CFP - Geographies of the Fantastic and the Quotidian - PAMLA Conference

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/02/17/cfp-geographies-of-the-fantastic-and-the-quotidian-pamla-conference

deadline for submissions:
May 15, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association

contact email:
andrkirb@gmail.com



This is a call for papers for the anual PAMLA conference to be held in Los Angeles, California at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center and Hotel between Friday, November 11 and Sunday, November 13, 2022.

The Film Studies session is open to all papers that explore some aspect of film or Film Studies, but we are particularly interested in papers attuned to some facet of the conference theme, "Geographies of the Fantastic and the Quotidian.” For example:

-The role of space and place in genre filmmaking

-World-building in fantasy film and television

-Cinematic cityscapes

-Road movies

-Representations of localized ecologies

-Settler colonialism in film

-Geographical otherness

-Films limited to one setting

-Representations of claustrophobia or agoraphobia

-Landscape in film

-Otherworldy spaces

-Outer space

-Theme parks and the carnival

-The role of satire in constructing places

-Impact of space in residential life

-Transcending real and unreal spaces

Please visit https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/ in order to submit proposals by May 15. The session specifiic information is available at https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/S/18471.




Last updated March 5, 2022

CFP Peter Nicholls Essay Prize 2023 (12/5/2022)

Peter Nicholls Essay Prize 2023

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/03/03/peter-nicholls-essay-prize-2023

deadline for submissions:
December 5, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction

contact email:
paulmarchrussell@gmail.com



We are pleased to announce our next essay-writing competition. The award is open to all post-graduate research students and to all early career researchers (up to five years after the completion of your PhD) who have yet to find a full-time or tenured position. The prize is guaranteed publication in Foundation (summer 2023).

To be considered for the competition, please submit an original article on any topic, period, theme, author, film or other media within the field of science fiction and its academic study. Approximate length should be 6000 words. All submitted articles should comply with the guidelines to contributors as set out on the journal pages of the SF Foundation website. Only one article per contributor may be submitted.

The deadline for submission is Monday, 5th December 2022. All competition entries, with a short (50 word) biography, should be sent to the journal editor at paulmarchrussell@gmail.com The entries will be judged by the editorial team and the winner will be announced in the spring 2023 issue of Foundation.




Last updated March 8, 2022

CFP Young Adult Literature and Culture (In-Person panel) (5/15/2022; PAMLA 11/2022)

Young Adult Literature and Culture (In-Person panel)

Source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/03/05/young-adult-literature-and-culture-in-person-panel

deadline for submissions:
May 15, 2022

full name / name of organization:
Pacific and Ancient Modern Language Association (PAMLA)

contact email:
melaniemarotta@yahoo.com



This session is open to all papers that explore some aspect of Young Adult literature and/or culture. The panel is particularly interested in papers attuned to some facet of the conference theme, " Geographies of the Fantastic and the Quotidian.” How does space impact YA literature and/or culture? How is the Anthropocene represented in YA fantasy? Further, presentations that examine diverse voices in media are encouraged. This panel welcomes submissions about young adult literature, film, television, etc. Feel free to submit an abstract pertaining to the conference theme or otherwise. If you have any questions, please email.



Please submit abstracts via the PAMLA submission portal: PAMLA CFP (ballastacademic.com)

Conference site: https://www.pamla.org/conference/2022-conference-theme/

Location of conference: UCLA Luskin Conference Center and Hotel



Last updated March 8, 2022

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 MMLA 2022 Science and Fiction: Posthumanism and the Post-Apocalyptic (proposals by 4/15/2022; Minneapolis 11/16-21/2022)

MMLA 2022 Science and Fiction: Posthumanism and the Post-Apocalyptic

Source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/03/15/mmla-2022-science-and-fiction-posthumanism-and-the-post-apocalyptic

deadline for submissions: April 15, 2022

full name / name of organization: Andy Harper / Midwest Modern Language Association

contact email: andy.harper@slu.edu

Science and Literature: Posthumanism and the Post-Apocalyptic

The recognition of anthropogenic climate change and the form and figure of apocalypse have intertwined in the U.S. consciousness for at least as far back as George Perkins Marsh’s 1864 contention in Man and Nature that “earth is fast becoming an unfit home for its noblest inhabitant.” For at least so far back, writers and philosophers have contributed to the cultural imagination of humanity’s future: adaptation or extinction. This panel invites contributions which look beyond the “now” of what Marsh calls “climatic excess” to the bodies, minds, and forms of being that emerge in literature that registers environmental collapse or transformation. What human (or posthuman) subjectivities (or intersubjectivities) populate our imaginary future? What other ends are we able to imagine by imagining the end of the world—or simply of human life on it? Such discussions may take up, for instance,

• The alien body in science fiction
• Biocultural or bioregional perspectives
• The climate crisis in literature and film
• Ecocriticism and/or eco-feminism
• Geographical collaborations
• Metamorphoses (cockroach and otherwise)
• Post-apocalyptic narratives
• Radiation and radioactivity in popular culture
• Techno-utopian solutions
• Zombies

Papers on a variety of literary traditions and literary theory are invited. Please submit an abstract or proposal not exceeding 300 words to andy.harper@slu.edu by 15 April 2022. The Midwest MLA 2022 convention will be held 16-21 November in Minneapolis, Minnesota.



Last updated March 15, 2022

CFP Chicon 8/Worldcon 80 Academic Track Call for Papers (4/29/2022)

Chicon 8/Worldcon 80 Academic Track Call for Papers

Source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/03/15/chicon-8worldcon-80-academic-track-call-for-papers. 

deadline for submissions: April 29, 2022

full name / name of organization: Chicon 8

contact email: academic@chicon.org



Science fiction (and its cousin genres, fantasy and horror) have long explored what it means to explore the unknown. In particular, some of SF’s familiar narratives have pondered life beyond our world, grappled with the vast expanse of the universe and the many things to be discovered there, and tackled complicated meetings with other beings and other ways of life. Beyond the SF bubble, fantasy has imagined entire worlds and wondered at a cosmos of gods and magic; meanwhile, horror has teased at the edges of its genre cousins, offering disturbing visions of space and other forms of travel and exploration in which the unknown is often waiting with jaws wide open. These are some of the things we can imagine when considering Chicon 8: The 80th World Science Fiction Convention’s theme: “Take to the Stars.”

Chicon’s Academic Track Committee welcomes proposals for scholarly presentations* about genre fiction in its myriad forms**, with particular interest in those which address our convention theme, “Take to the Stars,” which may include some of the following topics (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Themes of exploration and discovery, particularly interpretations of space and sea travel, discovery as a metaphysical and/or psychological concept, the ties between genre fiction and historical or scientific discovery, and other intersections
• New encounters, cultural clashes and resolutions, alien first encounters, and other types of encounters beyond the known
• Seeking new ideas and solutions to imagined or real issues, including (but not limited to) utopian and radical political perspectives on climate change, challenges to hegemonic power structures such as contemporary empires, and visions of decolonization or other ways of structure societies
• Ties between genre fiction and community building and expansion, whether regional, global, in zines or blogs, online or in in-person spaces, and other iterations

Additionally, we also want to see proposals—theme-specific or otherwise—in some of the following categories:

• Regional interest, including representations of Chicago in genre fiction, Chicago-area creators, the influence of the Jazz Age on genre, and Chicago fandom
• Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and related futurisms and movements
• Non-U.S. and non-Eurocentric genre fiction, including works in English and in translation
• Work by Guests of Honor and by attending authors

While we appreciate the classics of the genre, our goal will be to highlight lesser known works or to place the classics in conversation with newer works. We view genre as a constantly evolving entity, and we would like to see this reflected in scholarship.

Finally, we are also interested in proposals for roundtable discussions on subjects relevant to scholars, teachers, and related individuals. These roundtables will share knowledge with (especially emerging) scholars and educators, and they might address teaching methods across the humanities disciplines, tools for scholarly research, applying research to education, editing scholarly work, or open dialogues on specific SF/F/H topics of particular interested to the broad field of scholarship.

The deadline for submissions is April 29, 2022.

The Academic Track Committee will accept proposals for the following formats:

• Individual Presentations -- A 15-minute presentation (these will be grouped into 3-presentation panels by the academic committee)
• Group Presentations -- A group of 3 presentations linked together by content, topic, etc. Presentations should be no longer than 15-minutes each. Please provide contact information for all participants with your submission.
• Panels or Roundtables
• Discussions among 3-5 scholars on subjects relevant to the academic track. These should be conversational and informative events similar to a traditional convention panel. You may propose a panel you’d like to see OR a panel with the lineup and topic fully established.

All scholars are welcome to submit, whether formally affiliated with a university or operating as an independent. We also strongly encourage BIPOC and other scholars from minority backgrounds to submit, including scholars outside of the U.S.

Chicon 8’s Academic Track will run programming items through all five days of the event (Sept. 1-5) and will include virtual items to help make scholarship accessible to virtual participants and international scholars and students who wish to be part of the conversation. We look forward to hearing your presentation ideas!

To submit, please provide proposals, bios, and other relevant details using the application form on the Chicon website: https://chicon.org/home/whats-happening/program/academic-program/

===========================================================

*By “presentation” we mean talks, ideally with visual support, rather than readings of academic work. Presentations should also be geared towards a general audience, as Worldcon attendees come from a myriad of academic and non-academic backgrounds.

**Proposals may address any genre media or genre-related content, including but not limited to fiction, poetry, film and television, comics and graphic novels, plays, fandom, genre history, and so on.




Last updated March 15, 2022

CFP Forgotten Fantasists: A Companion to Fantastic Literature (10/1/2022)

Forgotten Fantasists

Source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2022/03/15/forgotten-fantasists.

deadline for submissions: October 1, 2022

full name / name of organization: Forgotten Fantasists: A Companion to Fantastic Literature

contact email: c.palmerpatel@gmail.com



Who are the unsung heroes of fantastical literature? Who deserves to be recognised for their significant contribution to contemporary Anglophone Fantastika literature but are pushed out of the limelight? This edited companion to fantastical literature hopes to address gaps in research by bringing together considerations of important but underexamined authors and artists. Depending on the number of abstracts received, the collection may be further divided into separate sections – or even individual volumes – taking into consideration different media:

• Textual (novels, short stories, essays, poems, magazines/fanzines, etc)
• Artistic (paintings/illustrations, animation, sculptures, etc)
• Performance (game-playing, plays, opera, ballet, etc)

as well as under-represented voices:

• Female fantasists
• POC and/or non-Anglo fantasists
• LGBTQIA+ fantasists
• Fantasists with disabilities

The editor Dr. C. Palmer-Patel invites abstracts of 500 words with 100-word bionotes to be submitted to c.palmerpatel@gmail.com by 1 October 2022. Early expressions of interest encouraged. Please include in your bionote details of your primary research interests along with recent and relevant contributions to the field.

The collection has been pitched to Bloomsbury Academic. Abstracts should make a clear defense for the importance of the author’s work. Final chapters will be due in 2025 and must take into consideration any previous or relevant critical works on the author.

Note that this CFP is related-to but distinct from the CFP for Fantasy Literature: A Companion. After receiving a number of submissions for one of the suggested topics – challenges to or considerations of influential writers – it was apparent that there is enough interest in the area to warrant a separate collection. Any submissions made for the Fantasy Literature Companion which fall under the remit of the Forgotten Fantasists CFP will be advised to submit their piece to the latter.


Last updated March 15, 2022

CFP Gardeners of the Galaxies: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One (5/15/2022)

CFP: Gardeners of the Galaxies: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One, co-edited by Dr. Sørina Higgins and Dr. Brenton Dickieson

Source (and video intro to the project): https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2022/02/24/cfp-gardeners-of-the-galaxies-how-imaginary-worlds-teach-us-to-care-for-this-one-by-by-drs-sorina-higgins-and-brenton-dickieson/.

PDF version at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lmX9M3LgVzap0j7UjVAvLb0Wlun8bTa7/view. 

As the climate crisis worsens, our home planet and our conversations about it are heating up–and creative writers both reflect and anticipate such concerns. Thanks to the recent ethical turn in science fiction and fantasy, many speculative works offer readers a mirror in which to view our own world. Its beauties and vulnerabilities take on special clarity through the page or the screen. A tale of terraforming another planet reminds us how precious and fragile our home world is. The perennial conflict between nature and technology comes alive when trees march to war. We find insights into healthy, diverse communities by spending time with characters in a fellowship–or on a starship.

Gardeners of the Galaxies: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One will be an academic, peer-reviewed collection of interdisciplinary essays, co-edited by Dr. Brenton Dickieson and Dr. Sørina Higgins. This volume will explore literature, film, the visual arts, and other creative works (especially Cli-Fi, genre fiction, and speculative lit) that imagine, invent, and embody environmental concerns. Rather than coercing texts to conform to our analyses, however, we want to approach our subjects humbly and earnestly, listening to what they say about creation care, biodiversity, or neighborliness; immersing ourselves in their stories of ecological harmony and disharmony; mourning the disasters they depict; and celebrating the solutions they imagine. In particular, we would love analyses of works that envision ingenious alternatives to large-scale planetary depredation.

Chapter proposals might consider questions such as the following (although this list is by no means comprehensive nor intended to limit lines of inquiry): What kinds of environmental disasters are depicted in contemporary literature, film, and other media? How does a certain genre or medium represent nature, and how have those portrayals evolved over time? Do certain metaphors for land or diction choices about earth impact how people treat the soil, landscapes, or ecosystems with which and in which they live? In a given work, is nature empowered or oppressed, and how do characters respond? What is the significance or impact of the anthropomorphism of animals, plants, landscape features, or celestial bodies? When stories blur the line between the human and the nonhuman, what implications does such destabilization have for our living in community with our nonhuman neighbors? What lessons are conveyed through encounters with extraterrestrial species? What do stories of interplanetary colonization suggest about imperialist urges, their ecological impacts on earth, and strategies for integrating with the Other rather than obliterating or oppressing them? Are there tales in which technology plays an essential role in preserving nature or reinforcing what makes us human? What techniques do creators use to entertain us and draw us into moral considerations without compromising artistic excellence or devolving into propaganda?

Submission Information:

As this volume will be interdisciplinary, we welcome scholars working in literature, film, popular culture, the fine arts, ecology, history, the social sciences, religion, and related fields. While aimed at a scholarly audience, chapters should be written in a lively, accessible tone, avoiding jargon while employing rigorous theoretical and critical frameworks and engaging deeply with existing research. Interested authors should consider trying out their ideas at TexMoot, Signum University’s Annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium (held in Austin, TX, and online; CFP deadline March 1st), which explores the overlapping theme of “Starships, Stewards, and Storytellers: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One.”

Please submit 500-word proposals here by May 15, 2022. Notifications regarding acceptance will be made in June 2022. Full papers (5,000-8,000 words, including notes) will be due by November 30, 2022.

In addition to academic submissions, the editors will carefully curate a small number of creative works for possible inclusion in the volume. Poets, short-story writers, essayists, and visual artists are invited to submit the actual piece of work that they would like to have considered here; note length limits on the submission form. These works can be submitted up until September 1, 2022.

Send questions about academic submissions to Brenton Dickieson (brenton[dot]dickieson[at]signumu[dot]org). Send queries about creative submissions to Sørina Higgins (sorina[dot]higgins[at]signumu[dot].org).

TexMoot 2022 Notice and Schedule for 3/26/2022

Missed posting the call for this last month:

TexMoot 2022: Signum University’s Fifth Annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium

Official site: http://texmoot.org/.

26 March 2022
at the Norris Conference Center
2525 W. Anderson Ln
Austin, TX 78757
and online

Starships, Stewards, and Storytellers: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One

Signum University is pleased to announce its fifth annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium (aka “TexMoot”) on Saturday, March 26th, 2022, in Austin, Texas. TexMoot will offer a gleeful gallimaufry of lively curated conversations, a keynote presentation, workshops, and lots of fellowship and social time. Plan ahead to enjoy this balanced blend of academic rigor and avid literary fandom. Stay tuned on the Announcements page and in our Facebook group for more information about special guests, optional pre-conference activities, workshop participation, and more. Visit our CFP page for info about how to submit a topic for discussion. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Email info@texmoot.org with questions.
Registration

Registration for TexMoot 2022 costs $50 for on-site participants, $25 for online attendees, and $15 for students in either mode. To register, please click here.

TexMoot 2022 Schedule!


Here’s our tentative schedule as it currently exists. 

8:30 Registration
9:00 Welcome by Sørina Higgins & the TexMoot Team
I. 9:10 Shawn E. Marchese & Alan Sisto: “For I also am a steward…”
II. 9:30 Utopia vs. Dystopia: A Difference of Priorities?

Panel moderated by Joseph Torres:
1. Joe Ricke, “Teach Us to Care and Not to Care: Attachments, Detachment, and Penultimate Concerns in Out of the Silent Planet”
2. Jules Anderson, “The Death of Pan: Exploring Environmental Conservation in Percy Jackson and The Olympians”
3. Jason Pitruzzello, “Pro-Environmental Strip Mining and Genocide: The Curious Case of Aquatic Species in Stellaris: Aquatics
Open discussion for all:
Paul Fortunato starts off the conversation with “A Wendell Berry Approach to Understanding the Elves and Nature?”

 
III. 11:00 Ecological Care in Japanese Mythologies

Panel moderated by Shawn E. Marchese:
1. Hannah Barton, “The Weathering is Magical: The Mundane Moments in Climate Change”
2. Pilar Barrera Wey, “The Role of Animals in Traditional Japanese Fairy Tales”
3. Joshua Sosa, “Godzilla: From Allegory to Myth”
Open discussion for all:
Jed Bickman starts off the conversation with “Is Cyclonopedia Useful? Sentient Oil as an Autonomous Chemical Weapon”

 
Lunch

Gather in little groups to walk to nearby restaurants and grab some refreshment.

 
IV. 2:00 Gardeners of the Galaxies

Dr. Brenton Dickieson & Dr. Sørina Higgins chat about their forthcoming edited collection on how imaginary worlds teach us to care for this one. You know you want to submit a proposal! Check out https://tinyurl.com/GalaxyGardenersCFP.

 
V. 3:00 Samwise & Shapeshifters & Stewards

Panel moderated by Chad Bornholdt:
Kenton Sena, “Community Greening in The Lord of the Rings: Samwise Gamgee and the power of local care”
Kaelyn Harris, “The Balance of Nature: Beorn as an Ecological Ideal in Middle-earth”
Sara Brown, “Taking Care of the Land: Stewardship in Tolkien’s Middle-earth”
Open discussion for all:
Our contest winner will headline this final conversation!

VI. 4:30 The Tolkien Professor Takes Us To Other Worlds & Back Again

Dr. Corey Olsen provides closing observations on the talks and themes of the day, moderated by Sørina Higgins. And then, vámonos!

6:30 Dinner

Vámonos Tex-Mex
4807 Airport Boulevard
Austin, TX 78751

CFP The Historical Imagination in American Literature (9/15/2022; ALA Symposium Santa Fe 10/27-29/2022)

The Historical Imagination in American Literature

source: https://americanliteratureassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-Santa-Fe-cfp-Historical-Imagination.pdf

October 27-29, 2022

Drury Plaza Hotel in Santa Fe

828 Paseo de Peralta

Santa Fe, NM 87501

Conference Director: Olivia Carr Edenfield, Georgia Southern University

Keynote Speaker: Deborah Clarke, Arizona State University

Conference Fee: $175

For our 2022 Fall Symposium, the American Literature Association will return to beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Drury Plaza Hotel offers excellent rates and is perfectly located near the central plaza. Single and double rooms will be available for $135 a night plus taxes. This rate includes not only a free breakfast and wireless access, but also a “kickback” every evening at 5:30, featuring hot food and cold drinks. Valet parking will be $10 per night.

The Historical Imagination in American Literature: What does it mean to envision and embody history in American writing? How does a “usable past” shape our fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction? What philosophical, psychological, and political factors shape how writers look at a moment of time? How do regional differences shape our historical perspectives? How do race, class, and gender influence the perception and presentation of historical realities? How important is the historical novel to our culture? How do the alternate histories of speculative fiction transform our understanding of time? These and other related questions should provide for a lively weekend of literary exploration and good conversation. We welcome proposals for individual papers, complete panels, and roundtable discussions on any aspect of this important subject.

Please send all proposals to the Conference Director at carr@georgiasouthern.edu as soon as possible and no later than September 15, 2022.

Conference Details: Sessions run Friday and Saturday, October 28-29, 2022. There will be an opening event and welcoming reception on Thursday evening, October 27. The Conference Fee of $175 includes a luncheon as well as receptions.

Individuals may propose papers, panels, or roundtables by emailing the Conference Director, Professor Olivia Carr Edenfield (carr@georgiasouthern.edu) no later than September 15, 2022, and preferably earlier. The proposal should include the title of the presentation or panel, an abstract that provides a clear idea of the material that will be covered, a brief vita or description of the presenter’s qualifications, and the email addresses for all participants. The proposal should be both pasted into an email and sent as an attachment (preferably in WORD). All emails will be acknowledged in a timely manner.

Those proposing papers and/or panels will be informed of acceptances by September 20, and hotel reservations will need to be made before September 25. Participants will be asked to make their hotel reservations immediately and to pay the conference fee by pre-registering on-line by October 15. A program will be placed on the ALA website prior to our meeting, and printed programs will be available at the symposium.

ALA Guidelines: The most common ALA format is a time slot of one hour and twenty minutes with three papers and a chair. This permits time for discussion and three papers of approximately 20 minutes (or nine typed double-spaced pages). Organizers of panels are free to use other formats provided they respect the time limits. Furthermore, the ALA encourages panel organizers to experiment with innovative formats including discussion groups and panels featuring more speakers and briefer papers. Chairs will make sure that the panels start and end on time and that no speaker goes beyond the allotted time limit. We prefer that chairs not present papers on the panels that they are moderating, and no one may present more than one paper at an ALA symposium.

AV: Please note that we are not able to provide AV at this symposium.

Conference Registration: The conference fee of $175 covers the costs of the conference. We require all of those who are on the program to pre-register by October 15, 2022. Please see the website for the on-line registration link. If you wish to pay by check, you may find the mail-in registration form on our website. The conference fee is $175 for all participants. We regret that we are unable to offer a lower rate for graduate students and independent scholars. If you have a question or concern regarding registration, please contact Olivia Carr Edenfield, Director of the ALA, at carr@georgiasouthern.edu. 

ALA Membership: Membership in the ALA is not required in order to propose or present a paper. In fact, technically the members of the American Literature Association are the various author societies. Individuals may keep informed about the activities of the ALA, including our symposia and conferences, by checking our website (www.americanliteratureassociation.org).

Please note that the American Literature Association maintains the lowest conference fees of any major scholarly organization because it operates without a paid staff. If you have any questions that are not answered by this announcement, please contact the Conference Director, Professor Olivia Carr Edenfield, Director of the ALA, at carr@georgiasouthern.edu.

Thank you for your interest and your support of the American Literature Association.

CFP New England American Studies Association Conference (3/13/22; Pittsfield MA 6/10-11/22)

Cross-posted from the H-NewEngland list:

New England American Studies Association - 2022 Annual Conference - Call for Proposals
by Charles Park

The Body in American Culture and Society

June 10-11 | Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA

Call for Proposals
Deadline for Submissions: March 13, 2022

The New England American Studies Association (NEASA) invites proposals for our 2022 conference “The Body in American Culture and Society.” The theme speaks to the present, amid a pandemic that threatens and has forced physical isolation to all bodies, even as it replicates contemporary and historical inequities along lines of race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability status. It also speaks to past embodied experiences, and to the future, encouraging us to imagine new ways of living and being.

Topics addressed may include, but are not limited to:

• Body and antibody in pandemic and medicine
• Representation and marginalization of bodies
• Race and racial manifestations of how bodies are represented and regulated
• Political and cultural resistance to control of bodies
• The body and the self
• Individual rights and the body
• Disability and ability
• (In)visibility
• Body politic and the politics of the body
• Student body
• Bodies of work
• Immigrant bodies
• The global human body and existence

NEASA welcomes proposals for individual papers or full panels, as well as creative and participatory presentations. It also welcomes papers outside of the conference theme.

NEASA will be awarding prizes for the year’s best presentation by a graduate student or non-tenure track scholar (Mary Kelley Prize) and by an undergraduate presenter (Lisa McFarlane Prize). The Lois P. Rudnick prize for the best academic book in American Studies written by a New England scholar or about New England in 2020-21 will also be awarded.

Abstracts of no more than 250 words are due by March 13, 2022. Submit proposal here.

***Please Note: Vaccination and masks will be required of all presenters and attendees.***

Questions about the conference and the submission process can be sent to the NEASA Conference Committee at NEASAcouncil@gmail.com.
Contact Info:


Charles Park | President | New England American Studies Association
Contact Email:
neasacouncil@gmail.com
URL:
https://newenglandasa.wordpress.com/

CFP There Can Be Only One: Critical Essays on the Highlander Franchise (proposals by 5/31/22)

 Posted on behalf of the editor (and wishing her good luck with the project).

There Can Be Only One: Critical Essays on the Highlander Franchise

Abstract submission deadline: May 31, 2022

Essays of 4,000 – 6,000 words deadline: December 10, 2022

Source: https://michelebrittany.com/?p=31

 

There Can Be Only One.  This phrase was made popular 35 years ago with the release of Highlander, a fantasy action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christophe Lambert, Sean Connery, and Clancy Brown.  While it did not turn a profit during its theatrical release, it did become a cult film inspiring several sequels, three television series, original novels, comic books, audio books, video games, a web series, collectibles, musical scores, and a loyal fandom who have successfully organized a number of Highlander fan conventions.  

Over the years, aspects of this franchise become part of popular culture’s lexicon, such as the enduring Queen album, A Kind of Magic with iconic phrases (“Princes of the Universe”/“There Can Be Only One”), and dramatic imagery (electrifying beheadings and portrayals of historic events/places). Since 2008, there have been discussions of remakes and reboots and most recently in May 2021 with Henry Cavill proposed to have a lead role.  

Interestingly, other than franchise retrospectives, soundtrack analysis, and film reviews, there are no singular books of scholarly focus.  This proposed transmedia book will seek to address this gap by collecting a series of essays that provide a focused exploration of the Highlander franchise. 

The editor seeks essays exploring any aspect of the Highlander franchise in films/television, literature, comics, video games, and any other popular culture medium such as: 

• Films: Highlander (1986, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander II: The Quickening (1991, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1995, Andy Morahan); Highlander: Endgame (2000, Doug Aarniokoski); Highlander: The Source (2007, Brett Leonard); Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007, Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
• Television series: Highlander: The Series (1992-1998); Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1996); Highlander: The Raven (1998-1999)
• Books:  Highlander: Die Ruckkehr des Unsterblichen (Highlander: The Return of the Immortal, 1994, Martin Eisele and Hans Sommer); Highlander: The Element of Fire (1995, Jason Henderson); Highlander: Scimitar (1996, Ashley McConnell); Highlander: Scotland the Brave (1996, Jennifer Roberson); Highlander: Measure of a Man (1997, Nancy Holder); Highlander: The Path (1997, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: Zealot (1997, Donna Lettow); Highlander: Shadow of Obsession (1998, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: The Captive Soul (1998, Josepha Sherman); Highlander: White Silence (1999, Ginjer Buchanan); Highlander: An Evening at Joe’s (2002, written by cast/crew of Highlander: The Series)
• Comics: Highlander comic book series (Dynamite Entertainment); Highlander 3030 (Emerald Star Comics)
• Video games: Highlander (1986, PC); Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods (1995, Atari Jaguar CD)
• Audio: Highlander: The Original Scores (1995); Queen’s A Kind of Magic (1986); Big Finish Productions’ Highlander audio stories; Highlander: A Celtic Opera
• Web series: The Methos Chronicles (2001)
• Collectibles: Highlander: The Card Game (La Montagnard Inc.)
• Fan derivative works: film, fiction, etc. 

Essays that take an interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter and/or can apply a variety of lenses and frameworks, such as, but not limited to, are encouraged: 

• Close textual analysis
• Comparative analysis
• Cult/secret societies
• Cultural and ethnic
• Fandom and fan studies
• Film studies
• Folklore
• Gender/LGBTQIA+ studies
• Historic analysis
• Literature studies
• Media and communications
• Media Sociology
• Mythological
• Psychological
• Racial studies
• Semiotics
• Theoretical

The editor will review multiple abstract submissions to assemble the most cohesive arrangement of entertaining/insightful essays that will provide a well-rounded exploration and representation of this popular franchise.  Additionally, the editor is seeking essays that balance an academic and armchair enthusiast tone to ensure the widest audience appeal. The deadlines are: 

• 05/31/2022: Abstract of 300 – 500 words, brief CV, and preliminary draft bibliography emailed to the editor. 
• 06/10/2022: Notification of acceptance/rejection.  Successful essayists will be sent a comprehensive style sheet.
• 12/10/2022:  Essays of 4,000 – 6,000 words in length are due to the editor.  Earlier submissions are welcomed and encouraged.
• 12/10/2022 – 05/10/2023: Essays will be edited and returned to each author for review and revision.  
• 05/11/2023 – 11/11/2023: Manuscript will be peer reviewed.  The editor will work with essayists to address all peer review notes and finalize each essay.
• 11/30/2023: Final manuscript sent to the publisher. 

IMPORTANT NOTES

• The editor will be utilizing Microsoft Word’s Track Changes function to record all edits.  It will be the writer’s responsibility to resolve each edit and submit a final clean essay by the deadline noted above. 
• Contributors will receive a complimentary book copy when published.  Postage will be paid by the editor.
• For team written essays, keep to a maximum of two co-authors. 
• The editor encourages the widest possible diverse representation to submit to this call for papers.

Please direct all correspondence to Michele Brittany, Editor, at mcbrittany@gmail.com

 

CFP ARISTEIA: The Journal of Myth, Literature, and Culture (Spec. Issue on Myth, Deep Time, Extinction, Survival) (5/15/2022)

ARISTEIA: The Journal of Myth, Literature, and Culture

Special Issue on Myth, Deep Time, Extinction, Survival

deadline for submissions: May 15, 2022

full name / name of organization: 

Michael T. Williamson / Indiana University of Pennsylvania

contact email: mtwill@iup.edu

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2021/09/23/aristeia-the-journal-of-myth-literature-and-culture-special-issue-on-myth-deep-time

Call for Papers for ARISTEIA: The Journal of Myth, Literature, and Culture

Myth, Deep Time, Extinction, Survival

ARISTEIA: The Journal of Myth, Literature, and Culture returns after a twenty-year hiatus. This peer-reviewed print journal is now published under the auspices of the Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. For our first issue, we invite scholarly essays of 5,000-7,000 words, poems of any length (including epic poems), and short stories of no more than 4,000 words. This issue’s theme encourages contributors to explore the relationship between Myth, “Deep Time” (geological time, metaphysical time, cosmological time, etc.), Extinction, and Survival. Please send preliminary abstracts of 500 words by December 10, 2021 or completed essays, poems or stories to Dr. Michael Williamson (mtwill@iup.edu) and Allen Shull (mrhcc@iup.edu) by May 15, 2022.

Myth can give us hope, existential strength, and the courage to face adversity. It can bring people and communities together. Weaving together (aspirational and/or inspiring) tales from our various mythological traditions, we can sustain ourselves in times of plenty and in times of scarcity. Myth attests to disasters as well as creations, and it beckons us, often uncertainly, towards forms of transcendence and plenitude that challenge our conceptions of what it means to be human.  Recent studies on geology, literature, and culture, for instance, reinforce the role that mythological thinking plays in shaping our expectations regarding catastrophe and continuity. David Sepkoski’s recent examination of how geological thinking affects culture, Catastrophic Thinking, for example, explores “the recognition that extinction is a ubiquitous, even commonplace phenomenon represents a profound shift in scientific and cultural awareness of the tenuousness of life and the balance of nature that has taken place over the past two hundred years” (17). Embracing and enriching diversity may seem to be a solution, but “but we also struggle with what diversity is and what it means” (16). As one of the most primary cultural artifacts of the human imagination, myth activates ideas about time, extinction, and diversity. How do we regard the death of plants and animals in catastrophic climate change, and how do we react to extinctions in the past, even the deep past? How do we deal with social extinctions, whether language death, erosion of the middle class and social mobility, or loss of traditional cultures and folkways? Do we mourn losses or celebrate amalgamations?  Our editorial board encourages scholarly research and creative writing that engages with these questions.

Subjects to Consider:

• Literary and cultural conception of extinction of species, family, language
• Literary and cultural conception of diversity in species and in cultures
• Literary and cultural conception of feuds, aristocratic extinction, or changing ways of life
• The literary and cultural conception of future extinctions and diversifications
• Literary genres and artistic branches as sites for extinction and diversification
• Language preservation, evolution, convergence, death, preservation, revival, reconstruction, and artificial construction
• Literary and cultural conception of catastrophe: loss, rescue, abandonment, and exile
• Literary and cultural conception of cross-temporal connections: immortality, time travel, preservation, rediscovery

Scholarly essays on all periods of literary and cultural history are welcome, but this issue especially welcomes works related to Mythology and Science Fiction, Mysticism, and literature and cultural objects from historical times of stress such as the plagues, revolutions, and natural disasters. Poems and short stories should address the theme of this cfp in a clear way.

Please direct inquiries to Dr. Michael T. Williamson (mtwill@iup.edu) and Allen Shull (mrhcc@iup.edu) For more information on the Dessy-Roffman Myth Collaborative visit https://www.iup.edu/news-item.aspx?id=294439&blogid=6121

Last updated September 24, 2021