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Monthly Archives: March 2017

Call for Applications: R.D. Mullen Fellowships

Call for Applications: R.D. Mullen Fellowships

Named for the founder of our journal, Richard “Dale” Mullen (1915-1998), the Mullen fellowships are awarded by Science Fiction Studies to support for archival research in science fiction. Starting with the 2017 competition, we have four categories of awards:
1. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Amount: Up to $3000
Number: 1 award is available each year
Qualifications: Candidates must have received their PhD degree 2 years or less from the date of applying. Also eligible are those who have essentially completed but not yet defended the dissertation. Applicants who hold (or are contracted to begin) a tenure-track position are not eligible. The relation between the new research and the topic of the dissertation should be clarified in the proposal. The Committee understands that the two are likely to be related, but the additional research needed for the post-doctoral project should be explained.
2. PhD Research Fellowship

Amount: Up to $1500
Number: 2 awards are available each year
Qualifications: Research must be in support of a dissertation topic that requires archival research. The proposal should make it clear that applicants have familiarized themselves in some detail with the resources available at the library or archive they propose to use. Projects with an overall sf emphasis, other things being equal, will receive priority over projects with a more tangential relationship to the field.
3. MA Thesis Research Fellowship

Amount: Up to $1000
Number: 2 awards are available each year
Qualifications: For students in an MA program in a humanities department that does not award the PhD, in support of MA thesis research. (Non-thesis-track MA students are not eligible.) The award is for travel in support of archival research on the MA thesis topic; the proposal should specify which materials are unique to the archive and/or essential to the project. This is not an award in support of conference travel. Among the two letters of recommendation, one must be from the MA thesis adviser, confirming that the thesis proposal has been accepted and the committee formed.
4. Collaborative Undergraduate Research Award

Amount: Up to $250
Number: 2 awards are available each year
Qualifications: For upper-division students (most likely senior majors in English or related humanities fields) to conduct archival research and write a term paper. This award can cover local travel to archives as well as funding for such expenses as copying. A faculty mentor (who will co-sign the proposal) will guide the student through the proposal process, the research process, and evaluate the subsequent paper. The work could be done as additional to regular upper-division class or in the context of a tutorial, Directed Independent Study, or BA thesis. The final report would be dual, chiefly written by the student but with a brief final statement by the faculty mentor describing the outcome.

Application Process
All projects must centrally investigate science fiction, of any nation, culture, medium or era. Applications may propose research in—but need not limit themselves to—specialized sf archives such as the Eaton Collection at UC Riverside, the Maison d’Ailleurs in Switzerland, the Judith Merril Collection in Toronto, or the SF Foundation Collection in Liverpool. Proposals for work in general archives with relevant sf holdings—authors’ papers, for example—are also welcome. For possible research locations, applicants may wish to consult the partial list of sf archives compiled in SFS 37.2 (July 2010): 161-90. This list is also available online at: .

Applications should be written in English and should describe the proposed research and clarify the centrality of science fiction to the project’s overall design. They should show knowledge of the specific holdings and strengths of the archive in which the proposed research will be conducted and provide a work plan and budget. Candidates should explain why research in this particular archive is crucial to the proposed project. Students who receive awards must acknowledge the support provided by SFS’s Mullen Fellowship program in any completed theses, dissertations or published work that makes use of research supported by this fellowship. After the research is conducted, each awardee shall provide SFS with a 500-word report on the results.

A complete application consists of
· a cover letter clearly identifying which fellowship or award is sought,

· a project description (approximately 500 words) with a specific plan of work,

· an updated curriculum vitae,

· an itemized budget, and

· two letters of reference, including one from the faculty supervisor (a letter of collaborative support from a faculty member is required for the undergraduate awards).

Successful candidates will be reimbursed for expenses incurred conducting research, up to the amount of the award, once they complete the research and submit relevant receipts.

Applications should be submitted electronically to the chair of the evaluation committee, Sherryl Vint, at sherryl.vint@gmail.com. Applications are due April 3, 2017 and awards will be announced in early May. The selection committee for 2017-2018 consists of John Reider and Lisa Yaszek (SFS Advisory Board members) and Carol McGuirk and Sherryl Vint, SFS editors.

CfP: R. A. Lafferty in FEAST OF LAUGHTER, vol. 5

From: Gregorio Montejo
Date: 16 March 2017 at 17:47:44 GMT-7

Call for Submissions:

Feast of Laughter is a journal dedicated to the American writer R.A. Lafferty, the creator of a modern literary mythos informed by Western, Irish, Native American, Catholic and other literary traditions. Even though Lafferty ostensibly wrote fiction from within the SF genre, his work routinely transcends generic boundaries and subverts conventional science fictional tropes and topics.

We are in the process of planning our fifth volume, and are actively looking for scholarly articles about Lafferty, his work, its reception, and his influence. All disciplinary and theoretical perspectives and diverse research methods are welcome. Authors who are interested in submitting a paper for this volume should send a short abstract-length proposal to Gregorio Montejo (montejo@bc.edu). Any general enquiries can also be directed to this address.

The deadline for proposals is June 1, 2017. The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2017.

ICFA 38 Final Reminders

Hello Everyone!

The Thirty-Eighth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts is upon us, and the weather forecast for the week is absolutely beautiful, so it will be a welcome break for those of you coming from the north!  In addition to wishing you all safe travels, I wanted to send a few final reminders before the conference!

I will be on-site preparing for your arrival starting Monday, March 20, and I will open the registration desk early on Wednesday, so stop by and say hello and pick up your packet.

We need to finalize our guarantees to the hotel for the meals, so if you signed up to attend the Friday luncheon, but have changed your mind, or won’t be arriving in time, let me know as soon as possible, and I can make the adjustment in numbers.

If you are flying in,keep in mind that there is a free hotel shuttle that will bring you to the hotel if you need it.  Call 407-851-9000 and tell them which terminal you are at (Terminal A or Terminal B or tell them your airline).  They will instruct you to go to the shuttle pickup point, and they will send the shuttle for you.  There is normally about a ten-minute wait, however we have a very large group this year, so the wait may be a bit longer this year, but not by much.

If you arrive early on Monday or Tuesday, the book room can always use help unpacking, arranging, and pricing books. The wonderful, amazing book room staff will be working in Augusta A/B most of the day Monday and Tuesday, so if you simply cannot resist being away from books, this is the perfect way to spend a bit of time until the conference starts.

We still need some volunteers to work during the conference, so if you haven’t already signed up,and you would like to, you can find the volunteer survey here.

On Wednesday, March 22,2017, we have a few events that you might enjoy before and after the opening panels:

  • ·         2:30 pm – 3:15 pm – Pre-Opening Refreshments in the Ballroom Foyer.
  • ·         3:30 pm – 4:15 pm – Opening Ceremony in the Ballroom
  • ·         8:00 pm – 8:30 pm. – Newcomer Meet-Up in Captiva A/B.
  • ·         8:30 pm – 11:00 pm – Opening Reception in Capri.

If you are staying in town beyond the conference and are interested in visiting additional Orlando attractions, rental vehicles are available in the hotel lobby or at multiple locations near the airport.

ICFA is committed to being an accessible conference that supports the varied needs of our members. We understand how important it is for our attendees and panelists to feel comfortable and welcome.  The conference is held at the Orlando Marriott Lakeside Hotel. Members and attendees can find our accessibility policy here.

If you have any questions, please email me at iafareg AT gmail.com.

I will see you all in few days!

Regards,

Valorie

“The lesson of history is that no one learns.”

― Steven Erikson, Deadhouse Gates

“We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned, T’lan Imass. Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.”

― Steven Erikson, Memories of Ice

“It is blasphemy to separate oneself from the earth and look down on it like a god. It is more than blasphemy; it is dangerous. We can never be gods, after all – but we can become something less than human with frightening ease.”

― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

“Tell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. Tell them they must earn the respect which everyone else receives by default. Them there is a standard for acceptance; that standard is simply perfection. Kill those who scoff at those contradictions, and tell the rest that the dead deserved annihilation for their weakness and doubt. Then they’ll break themselves trying for what they’ll never achieve”

― N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season

“What better way to destroy a civilization, society or a race than to set people into the wild oscillations which follow their turning over their judgment and decision-making faculties to a superhero?”

― Edward James, The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction

SCIAFA Events at ICFA 38

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to take a moment to remind you of a few events sponsored by the Student Caucus that will take place during the conference next week. Please keep in mind that you do not have to be a member of the Student Caucus to attend these events. Everyone is welcome to both the Newcomer Meet-Up and Kathryn Hume’s job search panels. And any current student who is interested in being more actively involved with the Student Caucus is welcome to the meeting on Friday.

The Newcomer Meet-Up is on Wednesday, March 22nd from 8-8:30pm just before the Opening Reception.

The Student Caucus Meeting on Friday, March 24th at 6pm.

And the SCIAFA sponsored panels are ““Coping in Today’s Job Market: How to Find a Job” by Kathryn Hume. Part 1 is on Saturday, March 25th at 10:30am (before lunch) and Part 2 is on Saturday, March 25th at 2pm (after lunch).

Kathryn Hume recommends attending BOTH panels as they will cover different aspects of job search process and the documents needed in the application process. Kathryn Hume puts a lot of time and effort into these panels, and people who attended last year swear by it as being very helpful and informative. So please try your best to attend. Even if you can’t attend both try to attend one of them.

I look forward to meeting you all at the conference. See you then!

Sincerely,

Amanda

Update regarding ICFA 38 – Fantastic Epics

Dear ICFA attendees,

We regretfully announce that N.K. Jemisin will be unable to join us at the conference in two weeks due to the death of her mother​. Nonetheless, we intend to honor and celebrate her work as planned, in addition to the fine work of our other guests, Steven Erikson and Edward James. We will feature seven panels that include papers discussing Jemisin’s work, including two focused exclusively on it. Her presence will thus be felt at the conference, although she is unable to come in person.

The conference will cancel only one event out of more than 150 total sessions, so while we will miss the opportunity to meet with and hear from N.K. Jemisin, we trust your conference experience will be an excellent one. I’m sure that you join us in sending our condolences to her during this difficult time.

Best wishes,

Sherryl Vint

President, IAFA Board of Directors

CfP: SFRA 2017: Unknown Pasts / Unseen Futures

We invite submissions to the 2017 Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) Conference, held at the Marriott Riverside at the Convention Center and hosted by University of California, Riverside.

Our conference theme is Unknown Pasts / Unseen Futures and our keynote speaker is Nnedi Okorafor, author of fantasy, sf, and speculative fiction. Sf author Ted Chiang will also be in attendance for a special screening of Arrival (2016, dir. Denis Villeneuve), which is based on Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life.” A Q&A with Chiang will follow the screening.

In her acceptance speech for the National Book Foundation’s medal for Distinguished Contributions to American Letters, Ursula K. Le Guin reminded us of the importance of the speculative imagination: such visions can help us recognize that social and political structures of our present are only one option among many rather than inevitable formations. In this spirit, we invite papers that explore science fiction’s pasts from innovative perspectives and that focus on its power to envision alternative futures that are more than just the intensification of urgent problems of the present.

Topics can include, but are not limited to:

– Science fiction without the label: speculative cultural productions that might be understood as part of an expanded frame for science fiction

– Neglected voices: authors or works once prominent in the field who have been forgotten

– New voices: works by the next generation of sf writers and creators and how their work is changing our field

– New methodologies: new ways of asking questions about and with science fiction

– Overlooked media: what other media can we think about in sf terms—visual art, performance art, and more?

– New futures: how can we think beyond or outside of the various crises—economic, ecological, social, democratic—in which we find ourselves in the twenty-first century?

– Reinventing sf: it has become axiomatic to say that the future resembles science fiction in reference to contemporary technology such as augmented reality or biotechnology; so if we are now living in the world as envisioned by Gernsback’s sf, what should be the project for another kind of sf for the twenty-first century?

Please send proposals of 250 words to sfra2017@ucr.edu by March 31, 2017. Proposals should include your name and affiliation, and be accompanied by a brief bibliography. Proposals can be made for pre-constituted panels and these must include email addresses for all proposed speakers.

The full CFP and information about registration, travel, accommodations, and more can be found on the SFRA website at http://www.sfra.org/SFRA-Annual-Conference.

Deadline approaching: CfP for The Intersections of Disability and Science Fiction

We are still accepting proposals for a special issue of JLCDS on The Intersections of Disability and Science Fiction. Deadline is March 15th!

The CFP follows:

Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies

Special issue: The Intersections of Disability and Science Fiction

Guest editors: Ria Cheyne (Disability and Education, Liverpool Hope University) and Kathryn Allan (Independent Scholar, Canada)

“No other literary genre comes close to articulating the anxieties and preoccupations of the present day as clearly and critically as SF, making it a vital source of understanding advances in technology and its impact on newly emerging embodiments and subjectivities, particularly for people with disabilities.”
–Kathryn Allan, Disability in Science Fiction

Reflecting the status of science fiction as a genre that spans multiple mediums and audiences, this special issue of JLCDS seeks articles that explore the intersection(s) of science fiction, disability, and disability studies. What possibilities might science fiction or science fiction theory offer to disability activists and the field of disability studies? How might disability theory, or a disability-informed approach, enrich or transform our understanding of science fiction as a genre or as a mode of thought?

Topics might include, but are not limited to:

● Representations of disability in science fiction literature, comics/graphic novels, film, art, music, video games, or television, and their implications for our understanding of genre and/or disability.
● Science fiction fan culture (including conventions, fanfic and other forms of fan production).
● Science fiction and prosthesis.
● Science fiction and eugenics/genetic engineering.
● Science fiction and the posthuman.
● Accessibility and science fiction environments.
● The political and ethical consequences of imagining future worlds with or without disability.
● The figure of the alien or cyborg in science fiction and/or disability theory.
● Disability and queerness in science fiction.
● Disability and indigenous futures in science fiction.
● Science fiction, disability, and medical humanities.
● The influence of disability activism on professional or fan-based science fiction production.

Submissions that consider how disability intersects with other identity categories are particularly encouraged. The guest editors welcome contributions from independent scholars.

Please email a 500 word proposal to cheyner@hope.ac.uk and kathryn@academiceditingcanada.ca by March 15, 2017. Contributors can expect to be notified by April 26, 2017. Full drafts of the selected articles will be due by December 6, 2017. Please direct any questions to either guest editor.

CfP: TRANSFORMERS: all that is solid changes into something else, University of Aveiro, Portugal

  • March 9, 2017 – 12:50 pm
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NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: March 30, 2017

UNIVERSITY OF AVEIRO, PORTUGAL

29, 30 June & 1 July 2017

Keynote addresses by:

Roz Kaveney, Author and Activist

Toby Miller, University of California Riverside & Loughborough
University London

The conference will deal with particular practices and topics in
contemporary media and culture. A fuller cfp can be found under the
CFP menu, but basically it will be divided into two sections:

Section 1: Formal and Commercial Issues

The formation of global conglomerates has created the commercial
conditions for ever more lucrative exchanges between different media.
Hardware, software and entertainment generation are now in lock-step,
and they are like this because it makes it easier to function in
global markets, working the magic transformation of your money into
their money. In this regard, Sony-Columbia’s exploitation of its
hoary 1950s product Godzilla is a quaint example of a practice now
brought to considerable refinement. The franchise, the sequel and more
recently the prequel, are now industry norms, lurching fastly and
furiously into online multiplayer gaming after-life.

With these and more issues in mind, papers are invited in the
following general areas:

transmedia synergies and convergences
innovative business practices in media and merchandising
fandom, community and popular culture
crossover forms and digital interactivities
resistances to and rejections of popular cultural forms
Section 2: Thematic Content

Transformation of bodies is now an ever-present theme. Bodies may
develop special abilities through forms of cod-scientific causes, such
as being bitten by a spider developed in a scientific experiment, or
through forms of more plausibly scientific explanation, such as
current research on genetics or prosthetics extended into imagined
future possibilities, or actually present technologies in the
realisation of gender affirming surgery. From superheroes to
cyberbodies to transsexuals may be a forced conjunction of disparate
phenomena. On the other hand, these phenomena may also be different
points on a paradigm in which the stability of bodies has been
overtaken by logics of choice associated with varying possibilities,
real or promised, in a battle of not just warring super and enhanced
figures, but of the models of desire they embody.

Accordingly, the conference invites proposals for papers dealing with
these and related thematic phenomena.

bodies which refuse to die
superbodies and ordinary worlds
rehearsing technologically altered bodies
genetics and special bodies
identical bodies
choosing bodies; control over bodies

Proposals of between 200 and 300 words should be submitted by March
30th 2017 along with a short bionote to both Anthony Barker:
abarker@ua.pt & David Callahan: callahan@ua.pt, specifying which
section you wish to present in. It may appear to be obvious but given
that everything solid changes into something else, including
conference papers, your paper might belong in both.

The conference language will be English.

TRANSFORMERS: all that is solid changes into something else

Summer School on “Transnational Graphic Narratives” at the University of Siegen (Germany)

  • March 7, 2017 – 12:22 pm
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*Summer School on “Transnational Graphic Narratives” at the University of Siegen (Germany)*

Heads Up Comics Scholars

Call for Applications

Extended application deadline (March 31st) for an upcoming summer school on Transnational Graphic Narratives at the University of Siegen in Germany! We have an excellent selection of speakers from the US, UK, and Germany. If you are a comics scholar, you do not want to miss this!

Find updated info on application and funding details here: https://www.uni-siegen.de/phil/transnationalgraphicnarratives/

MLA Panel Asian/American Utopias and Dystopia; deadline 3/10/17

MLA panel on “Asian/American Utopias and Dystopias”

Please consider submitting an abstract by 10 March. Here’s as much detail as MLA’s 35-word limit allows us to provide:

Title of session: Asian/American Utopias and Dystopias

Submission requirements: 300 word abstracts

Deadline for submissions: 10 March 2017

Description: Utopian or dystopian thinking in Asian/American cultural production or theoretical frameworks. US-based or international. Social movements, speculative fiction, disaster narratives, migration, queer futurity, posthumanism, etc.

Email abstracts to: Christopher Fan (chrisfan@ucr.edu) and Erin Khue Ninh (ninh@asamst.ucsb.edu)