CFP Vampires and Humor Collection (10/15/13)

Missed one:

Vampires and Humor
Abstract due October 15th, 2013

full name / name of organization: 

McFarland Publishing

contact email: 

gilpin_vicky@hotmail.com

Call for Papers: Vampires and Humor (or Humor in Vampire Literature, Movies, and Music)
Abstracts due: October 15th to Gilpin_vicky@hotmail.com

The work features a collection of previously-unpublished essays about vampires in humor and/or humor in subcategories of vampire works.

Vampires and humor can be an interesting topic because the author can break down his or her analysis based on a variety of parameters. What is so special about vampires and humor? What does humor try to accomplish in vampire works, or what do vampires accomplish in comedic ones? How does humor negate, transcend, or influence vampiric symbolism and/or the many tropes of vampire works (literature in particular)? Why are so many YA, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance works centered around vampires funny or attempting to be so? Why are vampires in modern literature, film, commercials, television shows, comic strips, graphic novels, songs, and internet videos funny/humorous/comedic? What is the relationship between vampires and humor in modern entertainment?

This selection of essays from McFarland will include previously unpublished papers exploring humor in vampire works, such as movies, literature, commercials, or music. Many avenues exist for perusal of vampires and humor, such as what makes vampire comedy/humor a flop or a success, how does humor in vampire works conform to or revolutionize specific theories of humor, intentional versus unintentional humor, as well as the possible goals of humor within particular subgenres of vampire works. A focus on 20th/21st century works is preferred, though older works may be referenced to provide context, and essays emphasizing older works will still be considered. A purpose of the book is to provide a broad representation of humor in a variety of vampire works through multiple methods of analysis.

Humor in vampire works or vampires in comedic works can be broad topics, so focusing on subcategories of the following broad topics might be beneficial, with special attention to the reason for selecting particular works:

• Humor in selected vampire movies
• Humor in songs about vampires
• Humor and vampires on YouTube
• Humor in YA novels featuring vampires
• Humor in vampire works not promoted as comedy (for example, paranormal romance or urban fantasy)
• Vampire comic books or graphic novels
• Humor, vampires, and gender, race, religion, socio-economics, capitalism, sexuality, etc.
• A particular theory of humor, comedy, or wit and how vampire works reject or transcend it

----------------------------------------------------
This is the current timeline:
Abstracts/Proposals (350-500 words) and a brief biography (100-150 words): October 15th, 2013
Notification of essay selection status: November 1st, 2013
Rough Papers in MLA format: February 15th, 2014
Final Papers in MLA format (6,000-8,000 words) and all forms: April 15th, 2014
----------------------------------------------------

To keep in mind:
The publisher, McFarland, notes about fair use and direct quotations: “Our general interpretation of fair use guideline for quotation is that (when dealing with a work first published in 1923 or after) you may quote up to 800 words total from a book, about 400 from a play, about 100 from a short story or essay, roughly 75 words from a substantial article, and about 50 words from a short article (up to about 1000 words from any one year of a daily newspaper) unless you have permission from the publisher to quote more.”

Please send your abstract via email by October 15th
Dr. Vicky Gilpin
Millikin University
Gilpin_vicky@hotmail.com
Please include Vampires and Humor in the subject line.

Supernatural Studies open CFP (10/1/13)

Final post for the night:

[Update] Supernatural Studies Fall/Winter General Issue

full name / name of organization: 

Supernatural Studies Association

contact email: 

supernaturalstudies@gmail.com

Supernatural Studies (ISSN 2325-4866), a peer-reviewed journal, calls for submissions for the Fall/Winter 2013 issue; submissions are due October 1. We welcome articles on any aspect of the representation of the supernatural. Email all submissions to the journal editors: supernaturalstudies@gmail.com. Please note that this call is for general submissions; there are also special issue CFPs available.

The journal focuses on representations of the supernatural in popular culture, including (but not limited to) art, literature, film, and television. We welcome any approach, but request that authors minimize jargon associated with any single-discipline studies.

Articles of between 3,000 and 6,000 words in length (including references) are invited, and should use the MLA referencing system. Book reviews should be between 800 and 2,000 words. Further information, including Submission Guidelines, are available at the journal site: supernaturalstudies.org.

The journal publishes themed issues and prospective guest editors are invited to contact the editorial staff with a proposal. Prospective book reviewers should also approach the editors directly: supernaturalstudies@gmail.com.

For more information, see http://www.supernaturalstudies.org.

CFP Revenant Inagural Issue

'Revenant: Critical and Creative Studies of the Supernatural' (http://www.revenantjournal.com/)

Revenant is a peer reviewed e-journal dedicated to the study of the supernatural, the uncanny and the weird in any form and in any period. Committed to the scholarly, academic and creative exploration of the supernatural in its multiple, variable and fantastic forms this inter-disciplinary journal encourages discussion about the supernatural or the weird in literature, history, folklore, philosophy, science, religion, sociology and all aspects of popular culture. All areas of discussion are welcome and we invite for example discussions of classic Victorian ghost stories, articles about Shakespeare’s ghosts, standing stones, architecture, film, television, games or new media.

Revenant promotes new writing on the supernatural, the uncanny and the weird and we are looking to publish ghost stories, tales of the extraordinary, poems and nature writing. Encouraging a cross-theoretical approach the super-natural may also be explored in relation to gender, sexuality, spirituality, post-colonialism, Marxism or eco-criticism.


Call for submissions

For its inaugural issue Revenant is calling for academic articles and new creative writing on the subject of the supernatural. This inter-disciplinary journal includes and welcomes discussion on the Supernatural, the Uncanny and the Weird from all disciplines. The journal is seeking to publish a mixture of academic articles covering any aspect of the super-natural from any period and new creative writing.

Topics might include: discussions of classic Victorian ghost stories, articles about Shakespeare’s ghosts, science fiction, standing stones, science and the supernatural, architecture, film, television, games or new media. Encouraging a cross-theoretical approach the supernatural may also be explored in relation to gender, sexuality, spirituality, post-colonialism, Marxism or eco-criticism. Creative writing can take the form of new ghost stories, tales of the fantastic, poems or nature writing. Revenant also welcomes reviews of books, plays, television programmes, films, events or conferences.

Articles should be of 4000 to 7000 words in length and short stories no more than 5000 words long. Reviews should be concise. Read our full submission guidelines.

Please submit all manuscripts via our submissions page.

There are also opportunities for guest edited editions.

Revenant is committed to Green politics and emphasises that the ‘natural’ is part of the super-natural.

International Irish Gothic Conference (CFP expired 9/1/13)

International Irish Gothic Conference 5-6 December, 2013

full name / name of organization: 

Università degli Studi di Perugia / Università per Stranieri di Perugia

contact email: 

perugiairishgothic@gmail.com

International Irish Gothic Conference
5-6 December, 2013
Università degli Studi di Perugia / Università per Stranieri di Perugia

Gothic studies have recently been expanding previous limits of what was once thought to be an historically well defined genre. The extent of continual change in Gothic denotation is such that it is now approaching the status of an inter-genre inter-semiotic category. This is even more the case with Irish literature. Not only because a remarkable number of Gothic writers are Irish, but also, and more significantly, because Ireland has provided an extremely fruitful cultural background for the particular narrative forms and devices that are usually associated with the Gothic. Moreover, Irish literature presents a “gothicness” of its own, whereby it seems to simultaneously adhere to and reject the ideological and aesthetic models implied by the very notion of Gothic.

At this conference we will explore the ways in which Irish Gothic can/cannot be considered part of the mainstream Gothic tradition, as well as investigating the origins and evolution of the genre in an Irish context.
We welcome submissions addressing any topic relevant to Irish studies, and encourage papers, which explore any aspect of the Irish Gothic in literature, film, and other media.

Confirmed Speakers:

• Professor W. J. McCormack (Former Professor of Literary History at Goldsmiths College, University of London)
• Professor Francesca Romana Paci (Full Professor, Università del Piemonte Orientale)
• Dr Laura Pelaschiar (Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Università di Trieste)
• Dr Derek Hand (Senior Lecturer in English, Saint' Patrick's College, Dublin City University)

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Irish Gothic vs English Gothic
• The Birth of Irish Gothic
• Theorising Irish Gothic
• Irish Gothic Modernisms
• The Uncanny in Irish Fiction
• Victorian Irish Gothic
• Irish Gothic Geography
• Irish Gothic in the Media
• Irish Gothic Art
• Irish Gothic and Psychology
• Irish Gothic and Imperialism
• Irish Gothic and Science
• Irish Gothic and Technology
• Irish Gothic and Popular “Goth” Culture
• Irish Gothic and History

THE CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS WILL BE PUBLISHED

Abstracts (250 words max) for 20 minute papers and a short bio-sketch may be submitted to Enrico Terrinoni (Università per Stranieri di Perugia) and Annalisa Volpone (Università degli Studi di Perugia): perugiairishgothic@gmail.com.

Deadline for submissions: September 1, 2013.
Accepted speakers will be notified by September 20.

Conference fee: Euro 25; Euro 15 for students and the unwaged

CFP Neo-Victorian Villain collecttion (9/15/13)

Note interest in Dracula and Victorian monster Mr. Hyde.

[UPDATE] Deadline extended for 'Neo-Victorian Villains' edited volume

full name / name of organization: 

Benjamin Poore, University of York, UK

contact email: 

benjamin.poore@york.ac.uk

The deadline for chapter proposals for this edited collection has been extended to September 15th. There has been a very strong response so far, but there are still some areas mentioned in the CFP (reproduced below) that I would very much like to see proposals on, to help address the full range of the subject and different approaches to neo-Victorianism.

As before, potential contributors are invited to submit a 250-word abstract for consideration, along with a biographical note of 50 to 100 words, to:

Dr Benjamin Poore (Department of Theatre, Film and Television, University of York) at benjamin.poore@york.ac.uk

Neo-Victorian Villains: Neo-Victorian Fiction, Adaptation and Performance

The collection will provide an innovative and wide-ranging exploration of the afterlives of the Victorian villain, in fiction, and stage and screen performance.

Subjects covered may include, but are not limited to:

• Direct transmedia adaptations - from nineteenth-century classic fiction and neo-Victorian novels, to stage, screen, console and graphic novel. 

•  Intertextuality – including allusion, pastiche and crossover fiction and film.

• Genealogies of villainy from the nineteenth century to the present day – investigating the development of such figures and types as the supervillain, the master of disguise, the adventuress, the mesmerist, the femme fatale, and the split-personality. 

• The afterlives of specific Victorian villains in modern culture, for example: Augustus Melmotte, Michael Henchard, Count Fosco, Sweeney Todd, Svengali, Dracula, Edward Hyde, Hawley Griffin, Dorian Gray, Professor Moriarty, Jack the Ripper, Lucy Graham, Helen Vaughan, Lydia Gwilt.

• Processes of production, from the commissioning, filming and design of Victorian and neo-Victorian screen adaptations, to actors’ processes and approaches to their roles, as well as those of playwrights and screenwriters.

CFP American Horrors Conference (11/15/13)

American Horrors from the Great Depression to the Great Recession

full name / name of organization: 

Dr Jonas Prida//College of St Joseph

contact email: 

jonas.prida@csj.edu

The 80 years between these two horrific economic events also coincide with the high point of H.P. Lovecraft and Weird Tales on one end and the recent resurgence of horror on the other. With these dates as a delineation, The College of St Joseph is seeking proposals for our annual popular culture conference. Explorations of any horrific texts during this period are welcomed, as are interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches. Papers will be presented at The College of St Joseph, located in Rutland, VT, April 11-12.

Potential topics [this list should not be seen as limiting]:

Cultural contexts for the 1980s horror boom

The forgotten Forties: Horror writing during WWII

Middle and late period Stephen King

Rural horror

Warren Publications and the economics of horror comics

Dead Space and horrific video games

Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont and the California Circle

Fantastic horrors in Karl Wagner

They got us Barbara: Zombies from Night of the Living Dead to World War Z

Undergraduate horror: teaching the supernatural

250-300 word abstracts should be sent to Dr Jonas Prida at jonas.prida@csj.edu by Nov 15th.

Papers/presentations should be in the 3000 word range and/or 15-20 minute presentations. We encourage creative presentations,co-presentations, faculty/undergraduate collaboration, and graduate students. Any questions can be sent to Dr Jonas Prida as well.

CFP Evil Incarnate Conference (1/1/14)

Evil Incarnate: Manifestations of Villains and Villainy

full name / name of organization: 

Case Western Reserve University and Crime Studies Network

contact email: 

evilincarnate@case.edu

Evil Incarnate: Manifestations of Villains and Villainy
11-13 July 2014
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Prof. David Frankfurter (Religious Studies, Boston University); Prof. Ronald Holmes (Justice Administration, University of Louisville); Prof. William Paul (Film Studies, Washington University in St. Louis)

The concept of villainy is a universal: the dichotomy of good versus evil has been a central conflict underlying ideologies and praxis across cultures and time. What, after all, is a hero without the villain as a foil? This conference asks: what defines villainy? Is it moral? Cultural? Inherent or the product of circumstance? How are villains represented textually, culturally, and politically? What does the presence of the villain do to the issues in which they are embedded? How would the issues change in their absence? By exploring the concept of villainy as it manifests itself, we want to explore the various permutations of villainy and their consequences.

Ultimately, we seek definition for villains in an attempt to overturn the characterizing of this pursuit as “[T]he motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity,” because, unfortunately, the designation of evil incarnate is also that of villainy beyond understanding (S. T. Coleridge). Instead, this conference asks whether W.H. Auden provided a more accurate depiction in his assertion that “evil is unspectacular and always human.” We hope that by coming to terms with villains and villainy, we can better understand the meaning of a hero’s victory.
We are interested in papers from a variety of disciplinary and inter-disciplinary perspectives.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Villains and crime in literature and /or fiction

• Villains and monsters in the media/ media constructions of villainy

• Moral transgression, evil, and villainy

• The making of national enemies

• Evil and history

• Evil as a necessity

• Monsters Across Cultures

• What Causes Evil

• Aliens and alienation

• Supernatural Evil and the Occult

• Political villains such as Dictators,Tyrants, Fascists, and/or Nazis

• Terrorists

• Criminality in Society

• Holocausts

Please send 300-word abstracts words for papers of 20 minutes to evilincarnate_at_case.edu by January 1, 2014. The abstract should also include a 50-word biographical note and AV requests. Please indicate if you wish the abstract to be considered for inclusion in the post-conference publications. We will send acceptances by February 28, 2014.

Conference Organizers: Drs. Malcah Effron and Brian Johnson (English, Case Western Reserve University)
Conference Sponsors: CWRU Department of English and the Crime Studies Network
Contact Details: evilincarnate_at_case.edu
Abstract Deadline: 1 January 2014

CFP Science/Occult in 19th Century (NeMLA) (9/30/13)

Science and the Occult in the Long Nineteenth Century; NEMLA Apr 3-6, 2014

full name / name of organization: 

45th Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association

contact email: 

lhm@gwmail.gwu.edu

Science and the Occult in the Long Nineteenth Century
45th Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 3-6, 2014
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Host: Susquehanna University

The goal of this panel is to explore the intersections between two current themes in British literary studies: the influence of science on the literature and culture of the long nineteenth century and the period’s simultaneous fascination with and investigation of the occult. While science and the occult are often assumed to occupy different discourses culturally and, particularly in terms of genre, narratively, such a separation is artificial.
This panel seeks papers which explore the intersections between science and the occult as seen in British writing and literature from the long nineteenth century. Ideally papers will address what these discourses tell us about their cultural moment and the development of scientific epistemes. Papers ranging in topic from Romanticism to fin de siecle, from science writing to penny dreadfuls, from magic to physics are welcome.

Please email 250-300 word abstracts and a brief bio to Leigha McReynolds, lhm@gwmail.gwu.edu, by September 30th.

Deadline: September 30, 2013

Please include with your abstract:
Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee with registration)

The 2014 NeMLA convention continues the Association's tradition of sharing innovative scholarship in an engaging and generative location. This capitol city set on the Susquehanna River is known for its vibrant restaurant scene, historical sites, the National Civil War museum, and nearby Amish Country, antique shops and Hershey Park. NeMLA has arranged low hotel rates of $104-$124.

The 2014 event will include guest speakers, literary readings, professional events, and workshops. A reading by George Saunders will open the Convention. His 2013 collection of short fiction, The Tenth of December, has been acclaimed by the New York Times as “the best book you’ll read this year.” The Keynote speaker will be David Staller of Project Shaw.

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however, panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable. http://www.nemla.org/convention/2014/cfp.html

CFP Illustrated Gothic (Spec. Issue) (12/30/13)

Special Issue of Studies in Gothic Fiction: The Illustrated Gothic: Comics, Graphic Novels and Popular Culture

full name / name of organization: 

Studies in Gothic Fiction; Guest Editor: Jeffrey Kahan, University of La Verne.

contact email: 

Jeffrey Kahan (Vortiger@hotmail.com)

Special Issue of Studies in Gothic Fiction
The Illustrated Gothic: Comics, Graphic Novels and Popular Culture
Guest Editor: Jeffrey Kahan, University of La Verne.

What is considered Gothic and how we define it continues to evolve. Proposals for individual or collaborative papers are invited on the idea of the Gothic in comics, graphic novels and popular culture.

Proposals from diverse theoretical perspectives ranging across different genres and mediums (fiction, film, comics, graphic novels, etc.) are especially welcome. Possible topics might include (but are not limited to):

• visuals and early Gothic chapbooks

• Gothic comics and graphic novels

• commercialization and adaptation of the Gothic

• Gothics and popular art, film, etc.

Detailed proposals (500-1,000 words) for articles of 5,000-6,000 words, as well as all inquiries regarding this issue, should be sent to the guest editor: Jeffrey Kahan at Vortiger@hotmail.com

Please note that the deadline for proposals: December 30, 2013; likely publication: late spring 2014.

CFP Supernatural Creatures Conference (1/31/14)

Supernatural Creatures: from Elf-Shot to Shrek (September 22-24, 2014)

full name / name of organization: 

University of Lodz, Poland

contact email: 

lodz.fantastic.lit@gmail.com

The second Lodz Fantastic Literature Conference aims to bring together experts in folklore, medieval and early modern literature and culture as well as contemporary fantasy literature to explore the fascinating relationship between supernatural creatures and humankind. For centuries these creatures have been seen in both positive and negative light – sometimes as benevolent neighbours, many a time as dangerous folk to interfere with, at other times still as tricksters positioned outside of the traditional dichotomy of friend or foe. Their cultural presence is a force to be reckoned within the study of pre-modern, modern as well as post-modern literature, and the current fascination of popular culture with their history and nature begs ever new questions about why they continue to seem so indispensible to us.

We would like to invite contributions that address the nature and function of the beliefs of past eras, their postmodern transformations, and especially those which trace the (dis)continuities in the ways in which these creatures have been imagined and perceived over the ages. From medieval fairies through Tinker Bell to Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, from Fafnir to Glaurung or Smaug, the conference aims to investigate the nature of the undying fascination with the supernatural denizens of our (?) world by asking questions such as:

- how useful is it to speak of supernatural creatures in trying to capture their role in culture?

- what generic distinctions have traditionally been applied to classify them and how useful have they been?

- how has the perception of the relationship between them and us changed over time and how useful is it to juxtapose them and us in the first place?

- what cultural and historical forces have determined the thriving of some creatures in the human imagination to the point of sidelining others?

- how close to original beliefs is the presentation of these creatures in contemporary fantasy literature?

- can science-fiction literature be considered as a repository for these beliefs the way post-Tolkienian “sword & sorcery” is often seen to be?

We would like to encourage theoretical contributions that probe the issues mentioned above, but we are also looking forward to proposals of papers dealing with the presence of supernatural creatures in particular works of literature, or, in the modern context, film. While the focus of the conference is on the folklore and literature of the peoples of the British Isles and their immediate neighbours, including the Anglo-Saxons, the Celts and the Scandinavians, comparative analyses within the broad area of European folklore are also welcome.

Submissions of topics and abstracts (300-400 words) should reach the organisers no later than
January 31st, 2014. 

For submissions and enquiries please contact the organisers at:
lodz.fantastic.lit@gmail.com
For detailed information please see:
www.filolog.uni.lodz.pl/engdrama/fantastic

CFP Zombies Spec Issue of Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory (Papers by 9/30/13)

UPDATE (Revised Deadline): The Cultural and Political Life of Zombies

full name / name of organization: 

Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory

contact email: 

dweiss@ycp.edu

The Cultural and Political Life of Zombies

Does it suddenly seem like the living dead are everywhere? Lumbering past cyborgs, mutants, werewolves, and, yes, even vampires, zombies are the monsters du jour. Zombies have taken up residence in the pages of fiction (literary hits such as Colson Whitehead’s Zone One, The Walking Dead comic books, pulp zombie apocalypse narratives such as World War Z, and young adult fiction such as Warm Bodies) and inhabit our various screens, from television shows such as AMC’s ubiquitous The Walking Dead, to movies (from 1968’s Night of the Living Dead to the more recent 28 Days Later, I Am Legend, and Shaun of the Dead), and video games (Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead). We have zombie runs, zombie computers, Nazi zombies, and zombie banks. Even zombie strippers and zombie studies. They have come from space, from nature, from biotech labs, and the dark recesses of the globe. They even have their own CDC website and inhabit a growing area of scholarly debate over the status of philosophical zombies. We’re seemingly surrounded by the living dead.

What are zombies and why are they now so prevalent across both pop culture and academia? The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory proposes a special issue to critically examine the resurgence of interest in the zombie as a cultural and political figure. We invite papers from across the disciplines that explore diverse aspects of this vibrant cultural phenomenon and address the current popularity of the living dead.
Completed papers must be submitted by September 30, 2013. Authors will be notified of acceptance by November 30, 2013. Projected publication: Spring, 2014. Please submit papers to dweiss@ycp.edu.
Submit electronic copies of completed papers (3000 – 6000 words). Abstracts cannot be considered. Papers will be subject to a double blind review by a selection committee. Include your name, paper title and contact information on a separate page. Include the paper title but not your name on a header or footer on each numbered page of the paper itself. The papers must be previously unpublished in any format.

The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to both disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship of a cutting-edge nature that deals broadly with the phenomenon of religious and cultural theory. Subfields include, but are not limited to, philosophical and cultural theory, theological studies, postcolonial and globalization theory, religious studies, literary theory, cultural studies, ethnic, area, and gender studies, communications, semiotics, and linguistics. No term papers, religious advocacy pieces, unsolicited book reviews or opinion pieces, etc. will be considered. The Journal is FREE of charge, is published three times a year (Winter, Spring and Fall).

All manuscripts submitted, or revised, for publication must be in Microsoft Word format. No hard copies of manuscripts will be accepted. The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory uses the Chicago Manual of Style for all published reviews and articles. The basic elements of the CMoS can be found athttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/.

Of particular importance:

• All notes must be footnotes. Internal references, i.e. page numbers for a previous footnote citation, are allowed.
•  Citations should follow CMS, documentation one. [See especially 15.83ff., 15.217ff., 15.244.] The use of p. or pp. should be avoided. Here are some example footnotes:

  8. Slavoj Zizek, The Puppet and the Dwarf: The Perverse Core of Christianity (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2003), 5.

  
  

  9. Carl Raschke, "Bataille's Gift," The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory 5.1 (December 2003), 7.

• 10. Steven G. Smith, Review of Levinas and the Philosophy of Religion, by Jeffrey L. Kosky, Journal of the American Academy of Religion 71.2 (June 2003), 469.
• Bibliographies or lists of references should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Citations in footnoting should be written so as to be sufficient.
• All articles or reviews must have the title, first and last name of the author, and institutional affiliation at the top of the article - flush left.
• Do not in the body of the text give acknowledgements. Do so in a footnote.
• All paragraphs must have a blank space between them and start flush left without indentation. Paragraph numeration is no longer necessary for the JCRT.

Once the article is accepted for publication, it is the author's responsibility to resubmit the review or article using the standard journal style within twenty days after notification of acceptance. At that time the author must also submit a brief biographical sketch of themselves two or three sentences in length.

CFP Monstrous Maternity (NeMLA) (9/30/13)

NeMLA 2014 Monstrous Maternity: Mothering Monsters, and Monsters as Mothers, Deadline 9/30/13

full name / name of organization: 

A. L. Mishou / NeMLA

contact email: 

almishou@gmail.com

Monstrous Maternity: Mothering Monsters, and Monsters as Mothers
45th Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 3-6, 2014
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Host: Susquehanna University

Historically, the flaws of offspring have been placed as a burden on the mother, marking the maternal figure as responsible for all aspects of her progeny's development; if a child is born with a deformity then a shock experienced during gestation is to be blamed, and if a child suffers from a caustic disposition it is the mother's care that comes under scrutiny. These questions continue to be reflected in literature and film, as texts seek to place blame for monstrous acts, and texts seek to find a space for maternity in the monstrous or supernatural. So what can be said of the mothers of monsters? Or of the offspring of monstrous women? This panel proposes an examination of the subject of monstrosity and maternity as presented in literature and film, from *Beowulf* to *Wuthering Heights*, ‘Psycho’ to 'Mommy Dearest' to ‘Twilight’, examining the development of monsters as both mothers and progeny, and how the maternal role contributes to the defining of what is monstrous.

Areas of interest include:

• Mothers in Gothic novels
• The absent mother in monster literature
• Monstrous mothers
• Mothering monsters
• Depictions of monstrous mothers in film
• The question of blame and the true crime genre
• Supernatural motherhood
• Alternative maternity in literature and film

This panel will examine the correlation between motherhood and monstrosity, as represented and defined in both literature and film. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: mothers in gothic literature, the absent mother in monster texts, monstrous mothers, mothering monsters, depictions of monstrous mothers in film, the question of blame and true crime, supernatural motherhood, and alternative maternity in literature and film. Please send proposals and brief biographical notes to A.L. Mishou, USNA, almishou@gmail.com.

Deadline: September 30, 2013
Please include with your abstract:
Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee with registration)

The 2014 NeMLA convention continues the Association's tradition of sharing innovative scholarship in an engaging and generative location. This capitol city set on the Susquehanna River is known for its vibrant restaurant scene, historical sites, the National Civil War museum, and nearby Amish Country, antique shops and Hershey Park. NeMLA has arranged low hotel rates of $104-$124.

The 2014 event will include guest speakers, literary readings, professional events, and workshops. A reading by George Saunders will open the Convention. His 2013 collection of short fiction, The Tenth of December, has been acclaimed by the New York Times as “the best book you’ll read this year.” The Keynote speaker will be David Staller of Project Shaw.

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however, panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable. http://www.nemla.org/convention/2014/cfp.html

CFP Supernatural in the Nineteenth Century (Spec. Issue) (11/30/13)

CFA: Supernatural in the Nineteenth Century

full name / name of organization: 

The Journal of Supernatural Studies

contact email: 

supernaturalstudies@gmail.com 

CFA: Supernatural in the Nineteenth Century (abstracts: 30 November 2013, articles: 31 March 2014)
full name / name of organization:
The Journal of Supernatural Studies
contact email:
supernaturalstudies@gmail.com
 
The Supernatural Studies Journal is now accepting proposals for a themed issue on the supernatural in the nineteenth century (due Winter 2014), guest edited by Janine Hatter and Sara Williams.
Articles may examine any aspect of the representation of the supernatural within the context of worldwide literature, arts and material culture in the nineteenth century. We welcome any approach, but request that authors minimize jargon associated with any single-discipline studies.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

folklore & mythology, monstrosity, hybridity, vampires, shapeshifters, goblins, fairies and fairy tales, ghosts and hauntings, demons and angels, possession and/or mind control, death and dying, burial rites, occult, mysticism, spiritualism and séances, spirit photography, religion, superstition, voodoo, culture, philosophy, desire, politics, gender, race, sexuality and class.

Additionally, we are seeking reviews of books that engage with elements of the nineteenth century supernatural (800-1,000 words in length).

For articles: please send a 300-500 word abstract (or complete article, if available) and C.V. by 30 November 2013. All submissions will be acknowledged. Notification of acceptance will be e-mailed by 15 December 2013. If your abstract is accepted, the full article (3,000 - 6,000 words, including references using MLA style) will be 31 March 2014.

For reviews: please send a C.V. and description of the book you would like to review, or alternatively, see the journal’s website for available books.

Further information, including Submission Guidelines, are available at the journal site: supernaturalstudies.org.
Please e-mail submissions to both j.hatter@hull.ac.uk and s.williams2@hull.ac.uk. If emailing the journal directly at supernaturalstudies@gmail.com please quote ‘nineteenth century’ in the subject box.

CFP Gothic Area PCA/ACA

Additional details on the UPenn CFP site at http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/node/52708.

Gothic Literature, Film & Culture

All Proposals & Abstracts Must Be Submitted Through The PCA Database.
Please submit a proposal to only one area at a time. Exceptions and rules

CALL FOR PAPERS

We welcome papers and presentations on any aspect of the Gothic in film, literature, or other forms of cultural expression. All critical approaches are welcome.

You can propose an individual paper or a panel session of three or four presenters. Graduate students are especially encouraged to submit papers or panels.

Individual papers will be grouped into sessions based on historical, thematic, disciplinary or critical affinities.

Participants will be asked to serve as session chairs. Sessions are scheduled in one-and-a-half hour slots, ideally with four papers or speakers per session, so individual papers should be limited to a length of approximately 15 minutes.

Submit a one-page (250-500 word) proposal or abstract.

Please send all inquires to:

Louis H. Palmer, III
English Dept.
Castleton State College
6 Alumni Drive
Castleton, VT 05373
802.468.1341
Fax: 802.468.6045
louis.palmer@castleton.edu

CFP Horror Area PCA/ACA (11/1/13)

Horror

All Proposals & Abstracts Must Be Submitted Through The PCA Database.
Please submit a proposal to only one area at a time. Exceptions and rules

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Horror Area co-chairs of the Popular Culture Association invite interested scholars to submit proposals for papers or complete panels on any aspect of horror in fiction, cinema, television, gaming, theory and culture.

Your paper proposal should include:

1) 100- to 250-word abstract, including paper title;
2) a notification of any audio-visual needs.

Your panel or roundtable proposal should include:

1) suggested panel/roundtable title;
2) 100- to 250-word abstract identifying the theoretical framework, or guiding questions and thesis of your panel/roundtable;
3) 100- to 250-word abstracts, including titles, for each of your presenters’ papers;
4) a list of presenters and their affiliations;
5) a notification of any audio-visual needs.

Please note that proposals that are overly general are difficult to review; accordingly, your abstract should outline your main argument or research questions, your thesis and main points, and your projected conclusions.

Submitting the same or various proposals to different subject areas of the PCA is not allowed. Presenters are, however, permitted to submit proposals for both a roundtable discussion and a panel presentation. Acceptance of your paper obligates you to present the paper at the conference. You must also be present at the conference to present your own work—no “readings by proxy” are allowed.

PCA/ACA Endowment Grants: PCA/ACA offers 54 travel grants to the conference as well as research and collections grants. The deadline for submitting applications for grants is January 7, 2012. For an overview of, and application forms for each grant go to: http://www.pcaaca.org/grant/overview.php.

Important: All presenters 1) must be registered members of the PCA or ACA and 2) must register for the conference.  Information on how to access membership and registration forms will be sent to you upon acceptance of your presentation. Or, go now to the PCA/ACA website: http://pcaaca.org/national-conference-2/instructions-for-the-submission-database/.

Please send all inquires to:

Jim Iaccino
The Chicago School of Prof. Psychology
pcahorror@gmail.com

Carl Sederholm
Brigham Young University
pcahorror@gmail.com

Kristopher Woofter
Concordia University
pcahorror@gmail.com

CFP Vampire Area PCA/ACA (11/1/13)

The Vampire in Literature, Culture & Film

All Proposals & Abstracts Must Be Submitted Through The PCA Database.
Please submit a proposal to only one area at a time. Exceptions and rules
CALL FOR PAPERS

The Vampire in literature, Culture and Film area of the PCA/ACA is soliciting papers, presentations, and/or four-person panels on any aspect of the Vampire in literature, culture or film.

Submit your 250-300 word abstract to the PCA Database.

Please send all inquires to:

Mary Findley
Vermont Technical College
Randolph, VT 05061
mfindley@vtc.edu

Phil Simpson
Eastern Florida State College
SimpsonP@easternflorida.edu

Blog Update September 2013

I've been remiss of late in updating the blog and have quite a backlog of calls for papers to add. I will begin the process today and hopefully finish by the weekend.

Michael Torregrossa