CFP 2026 Armitage Symposium (5/24/2026; Providence, RI 8/13-16/2026)

The Seventh Biennial Dr. Henry Armitage Memorial Scholarship Symposium of New Weird Fiction and Lovecraft-Related Research

NecronomiCon Providence convention in Providence, RI

13-16 August, 2026

Location: Omni Hotel, Providence

Symposium Chair: Dr. Elena Tchougounova-Paulson, editor of Lovecraftian Proceedings (Hippocampus Press)

Source: https://necronomicon-providence.com/the-armitage-symposium/.

CALL FOR PRESENTATION PROPOSALS:

The Dr. Henry Armitage Memorial Scholarship Symposium seeks Lovecraftian and Weird Fiction related research for the NecronomiCon Providence convention. Providence, RI, August 13–16, 2026. The Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council (organizer of NecronomiCon Providence) is seeking submissions of academic presentations that explore all aspects of the Gothic-Neo-Gothic-Weird-Uncanny, from literature and fine arts to the cinema and pop culture, including the life and literary legacy of world-acclaimed horror writer and essayist, H. P. Lovecraft, as well as any topics related to weird fiction, classic and contemporary, cosmic/folk/body horror, ghost stories and ghostlore, etc.

The Symposium is mainly dedicated to the life and works of the Providence-based weird fiction writer, the father of cosmic horror, H.P. Lovecraft, but also to his milieu: his literary predecessors, contemporaries, and current successors of the genre. From his premature death in 1937 until today, Lovecraft’s legacy has been a key theme for difficult conversations and challenging debates, which gave an opportunity to many prominent scholars to engage: it resulted in great insights and, subsequently, in critically important publications. The Armitage Symposium-2026 will continue to explore Lovecraft’s works in relation to classic and contemporary weird fiction, science fiction, dark fantasy, supernatural, and other similarly related genres as well as modern philosophy, cultural history, cultural and literary theory, linguistics, archaeology, ethnography, visual arts, media studies etc.

A small selection of potential topics for 15-minute presentations include:

• Lovecraft’s influence on the Western literary canon
• Lovecraft and the modern interpretation of Cosmic mythology
• Lovecraftian Mythos as a cultural phenomenon
• Lovecraftian grimoire as a precursor to modern metafiction
• Lovecraft’s literary criticism in relation to religion/mysticism
• Lovecraft and race/gender studies
• Lovecraft and pop-culture: from fandom to anti-fandom
• Lovecraft’s correspondence as a prime example of ego-documentation
• Haunted by the past – spooked by the present: the origins of Lovecraftian cinema
• Weird/Horror/Gothic fiction: defining a canon
• “Weird Tales” and other horror pulp fiction magazines: their origins and archival history
• Women in Lovecraftiana/weird fiction in the past, present and future
• Contemporary philosophy of horror and weird: exegetical approaches

Traditionally, the Armitage Symposium has aimed to foster explorations and disseminations of Lovecraft’s elaborate cosmic mythology, and how this mythology was influenced by, and has come to influence, numerous other fiction writers, historians, art critics, philosophers, archivists, bibliographers of the past and the present. However, all submissions that contribute to interconnecting new linguistic and literary theoretical concepts in academic Lovecraftiana/horror studies are very welcome.

Specifically for the Armitage Symposium, we are particularly interested in works by academics: undergraduates, PhD students, post-graduates, independent scholars, established researchers. Presenters should be prepared to deliver a fifteen to twenty-minute oral presentation and are invited to submit a manuscript for possible inclusion in the peer-reviewed Lovecraftian Proceedings no. 7. For consideration, interested scholars should submit an abstract (of around 250-300 words) in Word format along with a short bio (around 100 words) to the symposium chair, Dr Elena Tchougounova-Paulson, at tch.elena15@gmail.com.

The deadline for submissions is May 24, 2026. Early submissions are encouraged. For more information on the Armitage Symposium, or the overall convention, please visit our website:

necronomicon-providence.com.