NEPCA Monsters Area 2021
Northeast Popular Culture Association Annual Conference October 21-23, 2021
Current Draft - Updated 10/13/2021
(registration information and full schedule at https://nepca.blog/conference/)
THURSDAY, 10/21
SESSION #1 (3:30-4:15 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 1
Monsters on Screen (Session Chair: Angela Whyland)
The Hillbilly Image in Television and Film - Whitney Snow, Midwestern State University
Whitney Snow, Associate Professor, specializes in the Twentieth-Century South. Her main interests are agricultural, environmental, and labor history although she does have a penchant for pop culture. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, she received her doctorate from Mississippi State University. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals ranging from The Alabama Review and The Southwestern Historical Quarterly to Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture and Forests, Trees and Livelihoods. She is the author of the book Cathedral Caverns (Arcadia, 2017) and co-author of both Lake Guntersville (Arcadia, 2018) and Guntersville (Arcadia, 2021). She edited The Civil War Diaries of Cassie Fennell: A Young Confederate Woman in North Alabama, 1859-1865 (University of Tennessee Press, 2020) and Alabama Bill and the Bowery (Subury, 2020). She is currently editing the World War II diaries of sailor Carlos McGowin.
Viewing the A Nightmare on Elm Street Films as Action Movies - Shane Hesketh, Bowling Green State University
Shane Hesketh graduated with his Bachelor's in Humanities with a concentration in Film Studies from Florida State University and is now pursuing his Master's in Popular Culture from Bowling Green State University. His research interests include the slasher subgenre, the James Bond series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and comparative studies within major film franchises. His future plans include pursuing his PhD in a Film Studies related field and teaching as a career.
“Get Away, You Idiots!” Imperial Terror in The Thing - Bridget Keown, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Keown is a lecturer in the Gender, Sexuality, and Women Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is also a member of the interdisciplinary Horror Studies Working Group. Her research focuses on the experience and portrayal of gendered trauma in the 20th century.
SESSION #2 (4:30-5:45 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 2
Intersectionality in Horror (Panel Presentation) (Session Chair: Angela Whyland)
Disabled Slasher Villains - Kathryn Heale, Clark University
Kathryn Healey is a sophomore at Clark University planning to double major in Psychology and Philosophy. She takes great interest in the unusual and the macabre, and frequently consumes horror media. She is a strong believer in thinking critically about the media we consume and uplifting formerly silenced voices in art.
Lesbians as Villains in Horror - Shay Sotelo, Clark University
Shay Sotelo is an undergraduate student in Psychology and Women and Gender studies at Clark University who is passionate about gender, sex, and sexuality issues and how these affect mental health on an individual and societal scale. She is also enthusiastic about watching horror and thriller films and analyzing meaning through the lenses of psychology, queer studies, and gender studies.
Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Representation in Horror - Mia Swartz, Clark University
Mia Swartz is a senior at Clark University double majoring in French & Francophone Studies and Art History. She is a Co-Director and President of Choices, Clark’s on-campus peer sexual health resource that strives to provide the campus community with sexual health information, safer sex supplies, and education regarding informed choices about sex and healthy relationships. Aside from sexual health, she is passionate about art, education, and appreciating the horror genre through a critical lens.
Sexploitation and Trashy Horror - Haley Reash-Henz, Clark University
Haley Reash-Henz (they/them/theirs) is an undergraduate student at Clark University majoring in Women's and Gender Studies. They have focused their studies on reproductive healthcare, sexual liberation and politics, and queer theory. As an avid lover of all things scary, campy, and sexy, Haley delves into their favorite sources of popular culture by applying queer, feminist, anti-racist theories to examine how we shape and are shaped by the popular culture we love and hate so much.
SESSION #3 (6:30-7:15 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 3
Mutants & Miscreants (Panel Presentation) (Session Chair: Michael Torregrossa)
The Color of Evil: Decoding Disney Through the Monstering and Racialization of Villains - Natalya Loughrin, Clark University
Natalya Loughrin is Swiss/American and moved to Massachusetts to attend Clark University. She is currently a Sophomore majoring in Sociology, minoring in History with plans to go into the criminological field.
It's Alive!: How War-time Horror Expressed & Exploits Inequality - Mallory Trainor, Clark University
Mallory Trainor is a junior at Clark University. She is currently majoring in International Development and Social Change. This will be her second year presenting at NEPCA.
Loosening the Flesh: Aging & Dementia in Horror - Jacqueline Morrill, Clark University
Jacqueline Morrill is a writing professor at Clark University and Worcester State University. She holds an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College; her course load focuses specifically on the horror genre of film and literature.
SESSION #4 (7:30-8:45 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 4
Lovecraft and His Monsters (Session Chair: Lance Eaton)
H.P. Lovecraft and Linguistic Aesthetics - Perry Harrison, Fort Hays State University
Perry Neil Harrison is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the English Department at Fort Hays State University, where he teaches classes in linguistics, the history of the English language, and medieval literature. He received a PhD from Baylor University in 2018, and his medieval scholarship appears in venues such as Modern Philology and Neophilologus. In addition to his work in Medieval Studies, Perry also publishes on the the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and the historical practice of Anthropodermic Bibliopegy - the binding of books in human skin. His scholarship on these subjects can be found in Lovecraftian Proceedings, Notes & Queries, and the collection Flaying in the Pre-Modern World.
80 Years of ‘Co(s)mic Horror’: Lovecraft in Comics and Comic Art from the 1940s to Today - Michael Torregrossa, Independent Scholar
Michael A. Torregrossa is a graduate of the Medieval Studies program at the University of Connecticut (Storrs) and works as an adjunct instructor in English in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. His research focuses on popular culture’s adaptation and appropriation of literary classics, including the Arthurian legend, Beowulf, Dracula, and Frankenstein. In addition, Michael is the founder of The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain and The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture; he also serves as editor for these organizations' various blogs and moderator of their discussion lists. Besides these activities, Michael is also active in the Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association and organizes sessions for their annual conference in the fall. Michael is currently Monsters and the Monstrous Area Chair for NEPCA, but he previously served as its Fantastic (Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror) Area Chair, a position he held from 2009-2018.
FRIDAY, 10/22
SESSION #1 (1-2:15 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 5
Monsters of Beowulf: Past, Present, Future (Session Chair: Derya Agis)
The Pain that Humanizes: Lynd Ward's Images of Beowulf - Cortney Berg, City University of New York
Cortney Berg received a master’s degree in art history from Arizona State University in 2020, and is currently pursuing a PhD in art history at the City University of New York. She is focused on the visual arts of the European medieval period, and has worked on issues of sex and gender in manuscript images, the intersection between text and image, monstrous depictions, and interactions with the broader global medieval world.
Grendel: Echoes of a Pitifully Victimized Monster - Tyler Burdick, Independent Scholar
Tyler Burdick is a graduate of Fordham University and New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science. He has closely studied English and American Literature and creative writing, and has a deep interest in many genres of Western literature including Romanticism, crime fiction, and Victorian literature. He is currently based in New York.
Monster or Loving Mother: Grendel's Mother in Graphic Novels - J. Katharine Burton, University of South Florida
I am a third year PhD student in English Literature with primary interest areas in children’s literature, fairy tales/fantasy, with a special emphasis in adaptations of the classics in English literature in new literary forms for younger audiences. In exploring literary aspects of these adaptations, I focus on how the interaction of text and visual materials impacts meaning. I have a Master of Arts in English Literature from USF and a Bachelor’s in English Literature from the University of Oklahoma. I also hold two other Masters: a Master of Arts in Administrative Science focusing on Management Information Systems at George Washington University; and a Master of Science in National Security Strategies from the National Defense University with a certificate in Information Strategies.
Monstrosity and Gender in Children's Beowulfiana - Benjamin Hoover, California State University Long Beach
Benjamin is a third-year graduate student in English at California State University Long Beach. He has presented on the reception of medieval literature in popular culture and on theoretical approaches to chivalric identities.
SESSION #2 (2:30-3:45 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 6
(Re)Making the Monster (Panel Presentation) (Session Chair: Lance)
“Perfectly Monstrous Weather”: The History of Meteorological Terror - Christopher Gilson, Northwestern State University
Dr. Christopher Gilson is Associate Professor of History at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Dr. Gilson earned the PhD in History at Texas A&M University, completing the dissertation “Strange and Terrible Wonders: Climate Change in the Early Modern World.” An active researcher, Dr. Gilson studies the relationship between climate and history, particularly during the Little Ice Age of 1550-1850. Current research projects focus on early modern climate change and the environmental and landscape history of the American South.
Look Again: Examining the Victorian Monster in the Mirror - Katie Magana, Northwestern State University
Dr. Katie Magaña researches science, the supernatural, and the intersection of the two in Victorian popular literature. She has an additional interest in rediscovering lost novels that were popular in the nineteenth century and the legacy of influence that those works have on our contemporary, YA literature. She holds a PhD in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and is an Associate Fellow with HEA of the UK. Dr. Magaña is an Adjunct Instructor of English at Northwestern State University and still hopeful that she will find a full-time position for the fall.
Monstrous Self-Management: Pratchett’s Count de Magpyr and the Appeal for Sympathy - Catherine Joule, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr. Catherine Joule recently graduated with her PhD in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). Her doctoral thesis, By the Strength of Their Enemies: The Virtue of the Stereotypical Antagonist in Terry Pratchett’s ‘Witches’ Novels focuses on Pratchett’s use of stereotypes in grounding the moral arguments of his ‘witches’ sequence of Discworld novels. Dr Joule’s interests include Pratchettian studies, Shakespearean studies, genre fiction, and postmodern fiction. She has taught classes on genre and literary history, and guest lectured on Shakespeare and Early Modern poetry. She is currently an independent scholar pursuing academic postings for the 2022/2023 year.
Monsters and Revenants in Southeast Texas and Louisiana Oral Folk Narratives - Lisa Abney, Northwestern State University
Dr. Lisa Abney is a Professor of English at Northwestern State University. Her research interests include oral folk narratives, literature of the American South, and sociolinguistics. She is the Principal Investigator for the Linguistic Survey of North Louisiana and served as the Director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University. Along with her ongoing research related to the Linguistic Survey, her current research focuses upon narratives of world of work and in particular, women’s narratives about their work lives.
SESSION #3 (4-5:15 PM): Monsters and the Monstrous 7
Legends and Lore of Northeastern Monsters (Session Chair: Michael Torregrossa)
New England’s Monstrous Black Dogs - Faye Ringel, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Professor Emerita
Faye Ringel is Professor Emerita of Humanities, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London CT. She is the author of New England's Gothic Literature: History and Folklore of the Supernatural (E. Mellen, 1995). Its sequel, The Gothic Literature and History of New England: Secrets of the Restless Dead will be published in November by Anthem Press. She has also published on (among other subjects) New England vampires, urban fantasy, Lovecraft, King, Tolkien, Yiddish folklore, and The Three Stooges. She is the former chair of the former Fantastic Literature area of and presented at last year’s virtual conference and many in-person NEPCA conferences. Her CD of traditional music with fiddler Bob Thurston is Hot Chestnuts: Old Songs, Endearing Charms. Before the Pestilence, she used to perform with the Klezmer band Klezmenschen, do cabaret with the Chelsea Players, and produce theater at the Norwich Arts Center in Norwich, CT.
Something Slithers in the Wilds of Watertown - Michael Bielawa, The Barnum Museum
Award-winning author and historian Michael Bielawa is well-versed in New England’s supernatural heritage. His explorations to northeast America’s most mysterious and sacred sites have resulted in numerous books and articles, including Wicked Bridgeport (which received the first-ever New England Paranormal Literary Award) as well as, Wicked New Haven. Bielawa has proudly presented at NEPCA and Necronomicon; and his essays appear in Lovecraft Proceedings 4, the Edgar Allan Poe Review, Fortean Times, FATE Magazine, and Connecticut Magazine. Mike’s research concerning the origins of the Men In Black has been highlighted in the Italian paranormal journal, XTimes. A frequent guest on radio and television, Bielawa enjoys celebrating New England’s unique character; his efforts in actively preserving the region’s history have been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Each autumn Bielawa leads his dark history tours, Wicked Walks, for The Barnum Museum where he serves as Special Lecturer and Consultant.
Lovecraft and Local Legends - Edward Guimont, Bristol Community College
Edward Guimont is assistant professor of world history at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts. He received his PhD in history from the University of Connecticut. His scholarship has appeared in publications including The British Journal for the History of Science, The Tufts Historical Review, Contingent, and Lovecraftian Proceedings.
SATURDAY, 10/23
SESSION #1 (9-10:15 AM): The Mouse’s Monsters #1
Monsters and the Monstrous in the Worlds of Disney 1 (Session Chair: Michael Torregrossa/Priscilla Hobbs)
Disney’s Material Monstrosities: Audio-animatronics - Carissa Baker, University of Central Florida
Carissa Baker is an Assistant Professor of Theme Park and Attraction Management at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, FL. She received her Ph.D. in Texts and Technology from UCF. Her primary research focuses on narratives in the theme park space, drawing on her BA and MA in Literature. In addition to academic conferences, she presents at themed entertainment industry events and publishes on various aspects of theme parks. Dr. Baker has taught in China and had two stints as a visiting scholar at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
The Transformation of the “Brilliant and Mad” into a Monster - Frchkoska Leni, University of St. Cyril and Methodius
Enrolled in doctoral studies at the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, N. Macedonia at the Department of General and Comparative Literature on a topic with a focus on the theory of power and (re) production of ideology through art form for children and youth. I graduated at the same department on the theme of ‘Psychoanalytic Aspects of Literature and Film’ and received my master’s degree in 2013 on the topic ‘Psychoanalytic elements of the fairy tale and its presence in contemporary culture’.
SESSION #2 (10:30-11:45): The Mouse’s Monsters #2
Monsters and the Monstrous in the Worlds of Disney 2 (Session Chair: Michael Torregrossa/Priscilla Hobbs)
The Excessive Excessiveness of Oogie Boogie - Philip Serrato, San Diego State University
Phillip Serrato is Associate Professor of English & Comparative Literature at San Diego State University. His teaching and research interests include gothic & horror studies, Chicanx literary & cultural studies, and children's and young adult literature.
Animals/Monsters/Humans: Disney, Disability and Liminality - Rachel Milne, University of Glasgow
Rachel Milne is a graduate of Media Studies at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. Her research interests lie in queer theory, disability studies and children’s media, with an interdisciplinary focus on literature and film. Her undergraduate thesis centred around representations of disability and ‘othering’ in Disney animations for children, and her forthcoming article “The Beautiful and the Damned: Depictions of Scottish Childhoods in Small Deaths and Gasman” investigates the representation of working-class female childhoods in films by the Scottish director Lynne Ramsay.
Pixar’s Post-human Counter-gaze in the Toy Story films - Sutirtho Roy, The University of Calcutta
Sutirtho Roy, currently pursuing an MA degree in English Language and Literature at the University of Calcutta, has earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree with a First Class from the same institution, while also ranking first in his college. He had further passed his tenth grade with an aggregate of 96% and his twelfth with 91%. He has co-authored an anthology of poetry and written a novel, which has garnered positive reviews from several websites including Inkitt and Webnovel. Furthermore, he had won several gold and silver medals at Olympiads, secured the third rank in a state-wide essay contest regarding the ills of drug abuse and bagged a prize at a quiz contest organized by Oxford. His papers have also been selected for presentation at national and international seminars, including Brit Grad 2021, as well as renowned international journals. When not invested in canonical studies, he likes to analyse popular culture, and aims to pursue his future studies in critical animal studies and post-humanism. Currently, he freelances at several content writing firms.
SESSION #3 (12-1:15 PM): The Mouse’s Monsters #3
Monsters and the Monstrous in the Worlds of Disney 3 (Session Chair: Michael Torregrossa/Priscilla Hobbs)
Snow, Glass, Apples as Generic Study of the Gothic Fairytale - Sarah Madoka Currie, University of Waterloo
Sarah Madoka Currie 「くり窓花」is a doctoral candidate of the University of Waterloo, Canada, interested in the intersectionalities and deconstructive potential of higher education pedagogical strategies & sociocultural theorizations of psychosocial dis/ability via the North American Mad Movement. Through compassionate interactionism and leveraging of social determinants and other humanities-bent formulations of postmodern healthcare policy, Sarah envisions a professoriate that seeks to normalize everyday activism beyond the traditional dis/ability paradigm. She has spoken on critical pedagogy, critical dis/ability theory, compassionate/empathic potentialities and literary poststructuralist theory crafting in Interdisciplinary Humanities and Mosaic; as well as multilingual international conference events in Japan, France, UK, America, Canada, India and Wales.
"I'm the witch, you're the world": Disney's Witches - Chloe Carroll, University of Limerick
Throughout my BA and MA I have pursued studies of magical women, film and television, and their histories. My current PhD research involves the image of the witch throughout film and television, and how the gendered identity has existed in waves and is currently undergoing a new transformation. My MA thesis, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale from Ronald to Donald: A Feminist Analysis’, led me to further discussons on equality and the persecution of women revived from history to serve a renewed purpose for the screen. My research interests focus on the cultural value of monsters and their representations.
The Magic of Disney: Monsterized Witches & Good Fairies - Richard Fahey, University of Notre Dame
Richard Fahey recently graduated from University of Notre Dame with a PhD in English (2020) and currently works as Blog Manager & Contributor at the Medieval Institute’s Medieval Studies Research Blog, and as Managing Book Review Editor for Religion & Literature at Notre Dame. Richard specializes in Old English, Middle English, Old Norse-Icelandic, Old Saxon and Latin literature, and his research interests include medieval wonders, monsters, riddles, heroism, syncretism, allegory, medievalism and public humanities. Richard is currently working on transforming his recent dissertation into a monograph, titled "Psychomachic Monstrosity in Beowulf" and he is also putting together an edited collection on "White Wizard Male Privilege" for Lexington Books.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Disney Monsters and Racism - Chelsea Criez, Ace Charter High School
Chelsea Criez currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two dogs where she teaches high school English to multilingual and immigrant students. Last year, she earned a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from San Jose State University and hopes to earn a PhD in English and teach higher education English composition and literature.
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