Monday, March 28, 2011

CFP: Popular Romance in the New Millennium


News of this conference and call for papers has just come in from Pamela Regis. Pam is the author of A Popular History of the Romance Novel and is organising the conference:
McDaniel College

is proud to sponsor

Popular Romance in the New Millennium

An International Conference

November 10-11, 2011
Westminster, Maryland*

Deadline for proposals: June 1, 2011

The popular romance has come of age.

Almost four decades ago, with the publication of The Flame and the Flower, the boom in North American romance publication began. Three decades ago major critical work on the popular romance began to appear.

Popular Romance in the New Millennium will gather presenters who can put the romance in fresh perspective, who can point us toward the future of romance and romance criticism, and who can help us understand the place of the popular romance in the 21st century.

Presentations are requested on print, e-published, film, web, and other popular romance—YA or adult—from any culture, and from any period. Critics from across the theoretical spectrum, as well as authors, bloggers, editors, and booksellers are invited.

Presentation topics include but are not limited to: Single-author studies; papers on emerging authors, filmmakers, or other romance creators; on emerging sub-genres; and offering new perspectives on older works. Presenters on romance readers and romance reading, blogs and blogging, online romance culture, and writing romance in the digital age are welcome.

In view of the increasing number of college courses focusing on or including this genre, presentations are encouraged on teaching the popular romance.

Individual papers, panels, interactive presentations, and interviews are welcome.

Proposal guidelines: By June 1, 2011, submit as an email attachment to pregis (at) mcdaniel (dot) edu:

An abstract (100 words)
A bio (no longer than 100 words)
A/V needs

*Complementary hotel accommodation for presenters and free transportation to Westminster for all conferees from the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and the BWI Thurgood Marshall Amtrak station will be provided. McDaniel College’s 160-acre campus overlooks Westminster, a walkable town with a population of about 18,000.

6 comments:

  1. I think so too, Victoria. And unfortunately I won't be able to be there.

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  2. Thanks for this announcement, Laura. I would love to attend this one! Will have to rob a bank first, I think.

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  3. "would love to attend this one! Will have to rob a bank first, I think."

    I think you'd better not. The "future of [...] romance criticism" will be considerably less bright if you end up incarcerated.

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  4. Aw, thanks. SarahF tweeted to remind me that some of the conference fees are paid for, such as lodging and airport transfers. I should really read the fine print before commenting. Hopefully I can find a way to make it. I am sorry to see that you yourself will not be able to attend.

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  5. Wow, free hotel for presenters? Y'all need to have a word or two with the other conferences, tell them how it should be done!

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