CFPs: Canada/US, Country Houses, Sexuality/Disability, Sexuality/Fantasy, African-American Print Culture, Supernatural

Laura Vivanco

Since this is a long post, I thought I'd start with a short list of the CFPs in order of their submission deadlines:

• Production, Consumption, and Reception across the Canada-US Border
• The Country House in Britain, 1914-2014
• 1st Global Conference: Sexuality and Disability
• Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Popular Fantasy
• African American Print Cultures
• Supernatural Creatures: from Elf-Shot to Shrek

Cultural Crossings: Production, Consumption, and Reception across the Canada-US Border

Second international Culture and the Canada-US Border conference

University of Nottingham, 20-22 June 2014

I don't think they had Harlequin in mind when they put out their call for papers, but it does fit the topic:

We encourage analysis of cultural texts, phenomena, and industries both in terms of how they might operate differently in Canada and the United States and the ways in which they might straddle, or ignore, the border altogether. We invite proposals on both contemporary and historical cultural texts and contexts.

Although submissions on any relevant area of interest are welcome, we particularly welcome papers focusing on the following in a cross-border and/or comparative context:

• book histories and publication contexts
• reading cultures and communities [...]

Deadline for submissions 1 Nov. 2013. More details here.

The Country House in Britain, 1914-2014

Newcastle University, Friday 6th - Sunday 8th June 2014

This three-day interdisciplinary conference will trace the representation of the country house in British literature and film between 1914 and 2014. The conference will explore how space, class and gender operate in the wealth of filmic and literary texts which have been concerned with the country house throughout the last century, as well as considering how it functions in documentaries, historical monographs and reality television. We invite 300-word abstracts (for 20-minute papers) on any topic relating to the country house.

 There's specific mention of "Romance Fiction." Abstracts should be submitted via email to countryhouseconf@ncl.ac.uk by 1 November 2013. More details here.

1st Global Conference: Sexuality and Disability

Tuesday 6th May – Thursday 8th May 2014

Lisbon, Portugal 

This conference seeks to challenge popular conceptions and perceptions of sexuality and disability. In addition to academic papers, we are particularly interested in opening up a space for the discussion of personal experiences of disability and sexuality and the role of sex workers, community programs and the work of sex educators. Inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives are sought on sexuality and disability, including cross-cultural and transcultural perspectives. Non-traditional presentations are encouraged including workshops, performances and round table discussions.

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 6th December 2013. More information here.

CFP for Edited Collection: Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Popular Fantasy 

Proposals are invited for essays which explore non-normative representations of gender and sexuality in a range of contemporary popular fantasy, including, but not limited to: tv episodes and series, films, computer games and MMORPGs, novels and short stories, comics and graphic novels, role-playing games and fanfiction. [...]

This collection will consider the ways in which contemporary writers, artists, directors and producers use the opportunities offered by popular fantasy to exceed or challenge gender and sexuality norms. In contrast to many claims made about the fantasy genre being necessarily conservative/reactionary, this collection will explore the ways in which this genre can be and is being used to reflect on the contingency of our gender and sexuality norms. With this in mind, proposals are invited for essays of c.7000 words.

Please send proposals of 500 words plus a short biography to j.roberts@bbk.ac.uk by 15th December. More details here.

It may also be of interest that Jude Roberts is looking for papers on much the same topic for "a panel on the academic track at Loncon3 – the 72^nd World Science Fiction Convention" which will be held in London from Thursday 14 to Monday 18 August 2014. Please send a 300 word abstract and brief biography to j.roberts@bbk.ac.uk by 1st December 2013. More details here.

MELUS CFP for 2015 Special Issue: African American Print Cultures

In 2015, a special issue of MELUS will showcase under-studied aspects of black print culture studies or book history. We are seeking scholarship that addresses, but is not limited to, the following questions:

• How are contemporary print matters—ranging from concerns such as the publication of new print editions of literary texts by emergent and historical US black writers to online and open access publishing as well as to the operations of the mainstream publishing industry—shaping our understanding of what African American literature is becoming?

All essays should be between 6,000 and 9,000 words, including notes and works cited. [...] Please submit completed essays to Howard Rambsy II (hrambsy@siue.edu) by Dec. 15, 2013. More details here.

Supernatural Creatures: from Elf-Shot to Shrek

September 22-24, 2014

University of Lodz, Poland

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.

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