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October 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals

Popular Culture Association: Tolkien Studies Area

The Tolkien Studies Area (TSA) welcomes proposals in any area of Tolkien studies. We welcome scholars in all period specializations, from all disciplines, using any critical theory. We encourage interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary as well as collaborative work. The TSA defines "Tolkien studies" as including, but not limited to, Tolkien's Legendarium; adaptations, transformative works, and translations; cultural studies; critical race studies; digital and new media studies; fan and reception studies; feminist, gender, and queer studies; literary studies; medieval and medievalist studies; media and marketing; religious studies; source studies; tourism studies; and translation studies.

Academics, independent scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students are invited to submit individual paper proposals, paper session proposals, and/or roundtable proposals. Presenters may present one paper and participate in one roundtable session.

All presenters must join the Popular Culture Association as members as well as pay a registration fee to attend the conference. These are separate fees that have been restructured to a tiered system taking into account that PCA members range from undergraduates to retirees, with salaries ranging from part-time, minimum wage to retiree pensions and social security.

All PCA sessions are scheduled in 1.5-hour slots. Paper sessions consist of four presenters, each speaking for fifteen minutes, followed by a group Q&A.

Roundtables are informal interactive discussions between five to seven participants and the audience. A roundtable focuses on a timely topic and is designed to raise questions and brainstorm for future scholarship. If you have an idea for a special topic for an academic journal issue or for an anthology, email Robin to find out how to organize a paper session and/or roundtable on the topic!

For individual paper proposals, please submit contact information (name, institutional affiliation [or "independent scholar"], e-mail address, and telephone number), your presentation's title, and a 500-word proposal describing your topic, chosen theory, methodology, argument, and its relevance to current scholarship.

For a paper session proposal, please submit your contact information, all the presenters' contact information, and a 100–300-word proposal for the session. All participants for your proposed paper session or roundtable must register for the conference and submit their individual proposals through the PCA database so they can be added to the paper session.

If you wish to organize a roundtable, please contact me directly at robinareid@fastmail.com. Only Area Chairs or PCA Admins can enter roundtables into the PCA database. Please note that the TSA can schedule only two roundtables; however, there are no limits on the number of paper sessions we can present!

The 2025 PCA Conference will be held in-person at the Marriott in New Orleans, from April 16-19, 2025.

See the 2025 PCA Conference website to submit paper proposals. Proposals are due by November 30, 2024.

Call for Proposals: Anthology on Women and Gender

We invite submissions for an anthology focused on women and gender in Tolkien’s writings, ‘Great Heart and Strength:’ New Essays on Women and Gender in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien. In 2015, Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A. Donovan published Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J.R.R. Tolkien, the first volume dedicated to the subject of women in Tolkien’s works and life, which collected the major milestones of feminist scholarship in Tolkien studies alongside new essays. Since then, feminist scholarship and gender theory has flourished in and outside of Tolkien studies. This volume will honor Croft and Donovan’s work and build on the past decade of feminist scholarship in Tolkien studies by presenting a new collection of essays on women and gender in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Please send your proposal (no more than 300 words) and a short bio (100 words) to cami.agan@oc.edu by March 15, 2025.Working bibliographies encouraged.

Proposals should focus on women and gender in the legendarium or in non-legendarium texts by J.R.R. Tolkien, reflecting contemporary feminist and intersectional theory. Proposals may also focus on non-binary, trans, and gender fluid interpretations, as well as non-anthropomorphic topics such as landscapes and environments. All proposals should convey a thorough knowledge of previous feminist scholarship in Tolkien studies as well as current theory outside of Tolkien studies. We highly encourage intersectional work, which analyzes how gender intersects with other aspects of identity (such as race, sexuality, class, etc.).

Topics may include but are not limited to:

• Female characters in the legendarium
• Female characters in Tolkien’s non-legendarium works (such as The Fall of Arthur, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, etc.)
• Non-binary, trans, and gender fluid interpretations of characters
• Landscapes, environments, and material culture
• Historical conceptions of gender
• Intersections with race, sexuality, socio-economic class, etc.
• Postcolonial analyses
• Women and gender in adaptations of Tolkien’s work
• Women scholars of the legendarium and/or women-centered treatments of Tolkien’s legendarium

Mythcon, the conference of the Mythopoeic Society, is scheduled for August 2025, and its theme is Women and Gender in Sci-Fi Fantasy, and we hope to organize several panels from the accepted submissions.

Mythopoeic Society Online Midsummer Seminar: Women and Gender in Mythopoeic Fantasy

The Mythopoeic Society invites paper submissions for an online conference that focuses on intersectional feminist approaches to women and gender in fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction or other mythopoeic work. While the focus of this seminar is women and gender in mythopoeic works, we encourage proposals that acknowledge and analyze the intersectionality of gender with other aspects of identity, experience, and embodiment, including the non-human. Proposals should engage with developments in women and gender studies that both acknowledge and seek to move beyond the work of Perilous and Fair, drawing on theories and methodologies from recent years.

Papers, panels, and roundtables from a variety of critical perspectives and disciplines are welcome. We are interested in ANY form of media — text, graphic novels, comics, television, movies, music and music videos, games — as long as it can be described as fantasy or otherwise mythopoeic. We also welcome papers on the work of either of our Guests of Honor.

Each presentation will receive a 50-minute slot to allow time for questions, but individual presentations should be timed for oral presentation in 40 minutes maximum. Two or three presenters who wish to present short, related papers may also share one 50-minute slot.

Individual proposals (~200 words) with bios (150 words, maximum) should be sent to: oms-chair @ mythcon.org by March 31, 2025.

Group (two or three presenters) proposals should group the individual proposals together to send to: oms-chair @ mythcon.org by March 31, 2025.

Working bibliographies are welcome, but not required.

The seminar will be held August 2-5, 2025 on Zoom and Discord.

The full call for papers and more on the midsummer online seminar can be found here.

Coming Soon: Call for Proposals for McFarland's Critical Explorations in Tolkien Studies Series

We are sharing this information on behalf of Robin Anne Reid:

I recently signed a Letter of Agreement with McFarland Publishers to become the series editor for a new series, Critical Explorations in Tolkien Studies. The series will open for proposals in 2025 after I assemble an advisory board.

Scholars can submit proposals in either of two tracks. The first track is for single-author or collaborative monographs and edited collections written for academic experts that should be between 70-100K words long. The second track is for shorter Critical Companions, between 40-50K words long, written for a general audience including but not limited to students and fans. Submissions for both tracks will go through a double-blind peer review process.

Proposals on topics relating to Tolkien's published works as well as to the edited posthumous publications; the adaptations for film, television, and games; the translations; and fan transformative works (textual and visual) or other reception studies may be submitted to either track.

While peer-reviewed scholarship is a professional necessity for tenure-track and tenured academics, there is also value in shorter works, informed by critical theories, that focus on an aspect of single work or a thematic group of works, especially ones that have received less critical attention than The Lord of the Rings. The Critical Companions are designed to introduce a more general audience to analytical approaches and the scholarship in Tolkien studies by situating works in their socio-historical contexts; explaining how the text or texts fit into the field of Tolkien studies; and modelling how to apply critical theories to analyze primary texts.

The primary goals of the series are to add significant original contributions to Tolkien scholarship by developing and to create and support greater diversity in the field by embracing a wide definition of what Tolkien studies includes in relation to authors, texts, topics, theories, and methods.

Both single author and collaborative works, especially those foregrounding intersectionality, are explicitly welcome from authors without regard to ability status, age, caste, class, ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, or sexuality. Approaches can include but are not limited to theories and methods from class studies, cultural studies, critical race studies; digital and new media studies; fan and reception studies; feminist, gender, and queer studies; film studies, languages and linguistics, literary studies (any period); medieval and medievalist studies; pedagogical studies, modernist and postmodernist studies, media and marketing studies; religious and theological studies; source studies; stylistics, and tourism studies.

Contingent faculty, early-career faculty, graduate students, independent scholars, tenure-track and tenured faculty in the Americas and worldwide who are trained in any discipline and period specialization are invited to submit proposals in either track and to consider applying to become m become a member of the advisory board.

The call for applications to the advisory board will be circulated shortly. Please email robinareid@fastmail with any questions you may have.

Tolkien at UVM 2025: Tolkien and War

The theme for the 2025 Tolkien at UVM conference will be Tolkien and War. The conference will be held on April 5, 2025, at the University of Vermont. Recent conferences have been hybrid and welcomed presentations and attendees online as well.

Signum University Regional Moots

These small, regional conferences are held at various dates and locations. See the Regional Moots page for more details.

Journal of Fandom Studies: Open Call for Papers

Journal of Fandom Studies seeks to offer scholars a dedicated, peer-reviewed publication that promotes current scholarship into the fields of fan and audience studies across a variety of media. We focus on the critical exploration, within a wide range of disciplines and fan cultures, of issues surrounding production and consumption of popular media (including film, music, television, sports and gaming).

The editors welcome general papers (between 6000 and 9000 words), interviews and book reviews (between 800 and 1200 words) as well as suggestions for thematic issues.

All articles submitted should be original work and must not be under consideration by other publications.

See the Journal of Fandom Studies open call for papers for more information.

Whumptober 2024

Silm Smut Exchange 2024

Tolkien Pinup Calendar Sluttiest Tolkien Character Bracket

Tolkien Pinup Calendar has decided to wade into the fray and create it's own bracket! In November, the bracket will go live but for right now we are taking submissions! Do you have a character you think is the sluttiest? Share it here!

The form allows you to submit a name, the media the character is from, propaganda (why you think they are the sluttiest), and images! And you can of course submit more than one character.

We look forward to seeing who you think is the sluttiest!

Aspec Arda Week 2024

DAY ONE: Asexuality || Discovery, Confusion, Education

DAY TWO: Aromanticism || Acceptance, Loneliness, Pride

DAY THREE: Across the A-Spectrum || Hope, Complexity, Diversity

DAY FOUR: Worldbuilding || Community, Change, Family

DAY FIVE: Relationships || Companionship, Intimacy, Queerplatonic

DAY SIX: Intersectionality || Connection, Relief, Friendship

DAY SEVEN: Freeform || Love, Vulnerability, Identity

Additional Links

Silm Smut Week 2024

The aim of Silm Smut Week is to foster a positive, inclusive, and fun culture around the creation and enjoyment of smut, porn, and erotica. This year's event will run Sept 30 to Oct 6 2024!

How to Participate

• Create something that narrates, depicts, or considers sexual activity involving the characters of the Silmarillion.
• Post it on Tumblr and/or add it to the AO3 Collection and mention this blog (@silmsmutweek) and tag #silmsmutweek2024. 
• We will reblog posts daily. 
• If you do not see your post reblogged after 24 hours, please send us an ask or DM mods @polutrope or @ettelene.
• The themes and prompts for each day are just suggestions. You can post anything any day of the week and we will reblog it.
• Late submissions for the event are welcome and we will try to reblog those as well but cannot guarantee that we will. 
• Engage with other creators! Enjoy their works!

All genres, tropes, and kinks are welcome: porn without plot, porn with plot; fluff, humour, angst, dark; slash, het, femslash, poly, solo; canon-compliant, alternate universe; reader insert, incest, etc. And, of course, every imaginable kink. 

All forms of creative engagement with the Silmarillion and the Silmarillion fandom are welcome: writing, visual art, meta/analysis, headcanons, playlists, music, video, podfics, cosplay, etc.

Prompts

Daily prompts are never obligatory. You may use one, three, all (?!), or none. You may combine prompts from different days. You may ignore them and write whatever you want. 

This year, daily themes are based on climates and regions. Take these as you will. A setting? A vibe? A symbol? Imagery?

Prompts/Suggestions are a handful of topics, tropes, kinks, ship and relationship types to consider for that day.

Objects of the Day can be used in you creation or simply as inspiration!

Inspirations of the Day are quotes, images, or songs that you may use in any way that sparks your muse.

Click the links to find each day's prompt collection!

Day 1: Ocean (Mon, Sept 30)

Day 2: Coast (Tues, Oct 1)

Day 3: Plains (Weds, Oct 2)

Day 4: Woodlands (Thurs, Oct 3)

Day 5: Desert (Fri, Oct 4)

Day 6: Ridges and Valleys (Sat, Oct 5)

Day 7: Ice (Sun, Oct 6)

Additional Links

• AO3 Collection
• FAQ
• Rules

Questions? Send an Ask.

Fellowship of the Fic: FOTFictember

Imladris Week 2024

Imladris Week will run from September 16-22 on Tumblr and AO3 to celebrate fanworks related to Imladris!

Rules & Guidelines

1. Please be kind and respectful! Hate and bigotry will not be tolerated.
2. Be respectful of other people's ideas/headcanons/interpretations - it is up to you to curate your own experience, don't like, don't read.
3. NSFW and dark content is welcome, but please use the appropriate warnings & tags and put graphic content under a cut.
4. Any form of fanwork is welcome - fics, art, meta, playlists, moodboards, and whatever else you come up with, as long as it's related to Imladris. AI generated work is not permitted!
5. The prompts are for inspiration, use them however you wish - you can combine prompts, swap the days around, or completely igonore them and do your own thing.
6. Use the tag #imladrisweek on your event submissions and/or tag this blog (@imladrisweek) directly - I will try to reblog everything, but tumblr is notoriously difficult, so if your post has not been reblogged after 24h, feel free to send an ask or DM with the link!

Prompts

Day 1: Imladris in the Second Age

Imladris was founded in the Second Age after the Fall of Eregion, as a refuge from Sauron and an Elven stronghold in Eriador. What were those first years like, during the Siege and after? How did the people of Lindon and the refugees of Eregion come together to build their new home? What was discussed at that first meeting of the White Council? And how did life in Imladris continue during the remainder of that Age, up until the Last Alliance?

Founding and Siege of Imladris | Refugees and Survivors of Eregion | First White Council | Last Alliance

Day 2: Imladris in the Third Age

Throughout the Third Age Imladris stood as one of the last seats of Elvish strength east of the Sea. A refuge and sanctuary, a place of counsel and lore, of rest for the weary and shelter for the oppressed – a timeless haven with a long and eventful history.

Aftermath of the Last Alliance | Last Homely House | Fostering of Isildur’s Heirs |  War with Angmar | The Dúnedain | Council of Elrond and War of the Ring | Departure of Elrond

Day 3: Imladris in the Fourth Age and Beyond

It is said that after the departure of Elrond, his sons Elladan and Elrohir remained in Imladris for a time, and that Celeborn dwelt there with them until it was at last abandoned. What were those last years like for the last inhabitants of Imladris? And what became of it afterwards? Could it still be standing today?

Imladris in the 4th Age | Imladris Abandoned | Later Ages | Imladris throughout History and in Modern Times

Day 4: Imladris as a Place

A hidden valley amidst the foothills of the Misty Mountains – Imladris must be a beautiful place, judging by its real-world inspiration, Lauterbrunnen. Tell us of the animals that live there, the plants and fungi that grow in the valley and on the mountainsides, of the Bruinen river that flows through the valley, and of course of the houses and buildings, bridges and arches, gardens and courtyards that make up the Last Homely House!

Architecture and Buildings | Nature | Animal and Plant Life | The Bruinen

Day 5: Culture of Imladris

A place with a history as long and inhabitants as diverse as Imladris must have a rich and interesting culture – what is it like to live there, or to be a guest in Elrond’s halls? What traditions have emerged over the centuries, what cultures have influenced Imladris’ customs? What knowledge and legends of Ages past are gathered there? And what alliances and conflicts with the other realms and people of Middle-Earth have emerged over time?

Festivals and Traditions | Hospitality and Guests | Knowledge and Lore | Relations with other Realms

Day 6: The People of Imladris

Of course a house is nothing without the people that live there. We know and love Elrond, Lord and founder of Imladris, his family and all those background characters that fandom has lifted from the shadows, but certainly the Last Homely House has space for more. On this day all inhabitants of Imladris have a chance to shine; from high Lord over fan-favourite counsellor to your own darling OCs.

Elrond and his Family | Background Characters: Erestor, Glorfindel, Lindir and Others | Original Characters

Day 7: Free Space

Imladris, with its millennia of history and plenty of interesting inhabitants, contains so much more than one week of prompts could ever encompass. What do you love most about Elrond’s hidden Valley? What thoughts, headcanons and wild ideas do you harbour of the Last Homely House?

The Magic of Vilya | Passage of Time | Alternate Universes | Anything and everything you can think of!

LOTR Week 2024

LOTRWEEK is back! Mark your calendars for a week-long event to share our love and fanworks for LOTR. This year, it will be from 16th to 22nd September, ending on Bilbo and Frodo's birthday.

Each day of the week has a prompt. Create an original work (e.g. gifset, fanart, fanfic) inspired by a prompt, then post it to Tumblr! Where the prompt has multiple parts to it, you can choose which part(s) you want to focus on – how you respond to a prompt is  completely up to you. The prompts are deliberately vague and open so that they can work for gifs, art, fics, etc. Any works based on LOTR (book or film) are welcome.

Tag your works with #lotrweek so they can be reblogged on Tumblr, and follow @lotrweek for updates on the event and to see everyone else’s works. If there’s anything nsfw or that may need a warning, make sure to do this responsibly and put said parts under a read-more.

Prompts

Teitho September/October Challenge: Delay

Our Teitho prompt for September/October is Delay.

Choose any character, any circumstance, any time period. Will you delve into Gandalf’s delay returning to the Shire to meet Frodo? Or Maedhros striving to join Fingon and the other assembled armies?

Sometimes delaying is a bad thing or a sign of indecision, but sometimes it may inadvertently be a good thing. Could a delay, inadvertent or not, change the course of events?

What story will you tell us this month? We can’t wait to see your stories! Don’t delay sending in your entries to teitho.contest@gmail.com by October 31st!