CFP “Provocations” Essays for American Gothic Studies (10/15/2025)

CFP: “Provocations” Essays for American Gothic Studies

deadline for submissions: 

October 15, 2025

full name / name of organization: 

American Gothic Studies/Society for the Study of the American Gothic

contact email: 

jschell5@alaska.edu

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2024/07/24/cfp-%E2%80%9Cprovocations%E2%80%9D-essays-for-american-gothic-studies

UPDATED: SEEKING ESSAYS ON SPECIFIC TOPICS, SEE DESCRIPTION AND LIST BELOW

CFP: “Provocations” for American Gothic Studies

American Gothic Studies is seeking short essays for its “Provocations” section. These pieces (2,000 words) are meant to question conventional wisdom, tackle compelling issues, or advance new theses about the American Gothic as an academic field or pedagogical subject. Please note that they are not traditional essays.

At this time, we are interested in essays that revisit, interrogate, and update older concepts and terms. Some examples might include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Wilderness (sublime and otherwise)
• Bodies (mutable, multispecies, and otherwise)
• Contagion and Infection
• Symbiosis
• Space and Inter-Spaces (domestic, online, and otherwise)
• Nostalgia
• Posthuman
• Scientist (mad and otherwise)

Our questions for authors include (but are not limited to) the following: What relevance do these terms have for the field of American Gothic studies in the present moment? What shifts in meaning have occurred over time? What makes these terms problematic or troublesome? What makes these terms productive or fruitful? What updates can we make to our thinking insofar as these terms are concerned?

To propose a Provocations piece, please contact section co-editors Jennifer Schell (jschell5@alaska.edu) and Cristina Santos (csantos@brocku.ca). Please explain what makes your proposal provocative insofar as the field of Gothic studies is concerned.  

Our submission deadline is October 15, 2025. Please review the formatting guidelines before entering your manuscript for consideration. 

American Gothic Studies is the first scholarly journal dedicated to the American Gothic and publishes rigorously vetted scholarship on the topic, broadly construed. This encompasses considerations of literature, film, television, comics, and new media, as well as cultural artifacts and practices.

American Gothic Studies is the official journal of the Society for the Study of the American Gothic (SSAG), which promotes and advances the study of the American Gothic through research, teaching, and publication. It is the goal of the Society to strengthen relations among persons and institutions both in the United States and internationally who are undertaking such studies, and to broaden knowledge among the general public about the American Gothic in its many forms.

 

Last updated May 31, 2025

CFP American Nightmares II (Return to Salem): The Biennial Symposium of the Society for the Study of the American Gothic (10/1/2025; Salem, MA 3/19-21/2026)

American Nightmares II (Return to Salem): The Biennial Symposium of the Society for the Study of the American Gothic

deadline for submissions: 

October 1, 2025

full name / name of organization: 

Society for the Study of the American Gothic

contact email: 

jschell5@alaska.edu

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/05/23/american-nightmares-ii-return-to-salem-the-biennial-symposium-of-the-society-for-the

 Call For Proposals 

AMERICAN NIGHTMARES II: RETURN TO SALEMTHE BIENNIAL SYMPOSIUM OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF THE AMERICAN GOTHIC 

March 19th – 21st, 2026

Salem, Massachusetts 

Keynote Speaker: Victor Lavalle

Keynote Speaker: Siân Silyn Roberts 

Conference co-director: Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan University

Conference co-director: Jennifer Schell, University of Alaska Fairbanks

With the kind support of the American Literature Association  Please join the Society for the Study of the American Gothic for our second biennial symposium! For this intimate event, we will be returning to the site of our first symposium, the iconic and charming Hawthorne Hotel in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts  (a hotel ranked as among the most haunted hotels in America). Who doesn’t like a sequel! Proposals are welcome for individual papers, 3- or 4-person paper sessions, and 5-person roundtable sessions on any aspect of the American Gothic, including literature, film, television, gaming, music, podcasts, and new media. Proposals on topics related to the conference theme (returns, sequels, and remakes) are particularly welcome. So are proposals on keynote speaker Victor LaValle. 

• Proposals for individual papers should be 200 words and include an abbreviated CV indicating academic affiliation and relevant publications, presentations, teaching, and/or research related to the topic of the presentation.

• Proposals for 3- or 4-person paper sessions should include abstracts and abbreviated CVs for each participant.

• Proposals for 5-person roundtables should explain the focus of the roundtable, identify the contribution of each participant, and provide abbreviated CVs for all involved.

• Proposals and questions may be directed to the conference co-directors, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock (Jeffrey.Weinstock@cmich.edu) and Jennifer Schell (jschell5@alaska.edu). Please note that due to space constraints, this will be a relatively small event and audio-visual support will be limited

• THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS is October 1st, 2025.

Additional information about the Symposium and registration will be available on the SSAG website at http://www.americangothicsociety.com.  Interested parties are invited to join the SSAG facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/societyforthestudyoftheamericangothic 

 

Last updated May 28, 2025

CFP American Nightmares Symposium (10/31/2023; Salem, MA 3/21-24/2024)

Cross-posted from the Poe Studies Association list:


Call For Proposals

AMERICAN NIGHTMARES: THE INAUGURAL SYMPOSIUM OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF THE AMERICAN GOTHIC

March 21st – 23rd, 2024

Salem, Massachusetts



Conference director: Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan University

With the kind support of the American Literature Association





Proposals for individual papers, 3- or 4-person paper sessions, and 5-person roundtable sessions are solicited for AMERICAN NIGHTMARES: the inaugural symposium of the Society for the Study of the American Gothic.



This intimate event will be held at the iconic and charming Hawthorne Hotel in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts (a hotel ranked as among the most haunted hotels in America!) Author Paul Tremblay will deliver a keynote reading.



Proposals are welcome on all aspects of the American Gothic, including literature, film, television, gaming, music, podcasts, and new media. Proposals on keynote author Paul Tremblay are particularly welcome.

• Proposals for individual papers should be 200 words and include an abbreviated CV indicating academic affiliation and relevant publications, presentations, teaching, and/or research related to the topic of the presentation.
• Proposals for 3- or 4-person paper sessions should include abstracts and abbreviated CVs for each participant.
• Proposals for 5-person roundtables should explain the focus of the roundtable, identify the contribution of each participant, and provide abbreviated CVs for all involved.

Proposals and questions may be directed to the conference director, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, at Jeffrey.Weinstock@cmich.edu. Please note: due to space constraints, this will be a relatively small event and audio-visual support will be limited

THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS is October 31st, 2023.



Current plans call for an opening event on Thursday evening, March 21; full sessions and a keynote talk on Friday (9am-6pm); and sessions on Saturday from 9 am until 3:30 with a closing reception. Registration for the event will be $250 USD and will include two breakfasts at the hotel, two lunches at the hotel, a Friday evening reception, and a Saturday afternoon reception. (Meals and the receptions are available to all who register, regardless of whether or not you choose to stay at the hotel). A tour of “haunted Salem” will be available as an add-on.



Additional information about the Symposium and registration as it becomes available will be available on the SSAG website at http://www.americangothicsociety.com. Interested parties are invited to join the SSAG facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/americangothicsociety.