Dear poetry and prose writers!
Words and worlds needs you this year at ICFA —-again or for the first time. Thanks to Isabella, Stacie and Dale we have two sessions for poetry and two for short prose and would love to hear from you if you’d like to read.
I need to know really fast though, by October 30 if you can at g.wisker@Brighton.ac.uk.
Really looking forward to this.
Gina Wisker
Hello Everyone!
As we near the deadline for submitting papers for The 38th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Fantastic Epics, which will be held March 22-26, 2017, I wanted to send out some information on the conference theme and give you all some information on submitting a paper proposal and registering for the conference! (Please click here for a VI version of this email.)
THEME:
Our theme this year is “Fantastic Epics.” We welcome papers on the work of: Guest of Honor Steven Erikson (World Fantasy and Locus Award nominee), Guest of Honor N. K. Jemisin (Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominee, Locus Award winner), and Guest Scholar Edward James (Pilgrim, Hugo, British Science Fiction Association, and Eaton Award winner).
The hero(ine)’s tale is as old as storytelling itself. We trace our way from Gilgamesh to current practitioners of the art through routes that lead to – and beyond – other kingdoms, including those of Malazan and the cities of Gujaareh, Sky, and Shadow.
Papers may tread the paths of Thomas the Unbeliever, Bren Cameron, Sundiata Keita, and Boudica, or follow a dark road through Gondor, Camelot, or any valley of shadow. We can find the Epic in the hall of Heorot and in the rooms of Schaherazade. Examinations of modern epics might include the American west, the Marvel Universe, or the world of Miyazaki. A journey, a quest, an awakening – all these and more are part of Fantastic Epics.
We also welcome proposals for individual papers and for academic sessions and panels on any aspect of the fantastic in any media.
The deadline for proposals is October 31, 2016. We encourage work from institutionally affiliated scholars, independent scholars, international scholars who work in languages other than English, and graduate students.
PROPOSING PAPERS:
If you would like to propose papers, sessions, panels, roundtables, or other programming, you can find instructions and other useful information here.
To submit a paper proposal, you will need the following information:
Once you have all of this information together, you can go to the submissions portal here to upload all of your information!
For a list of divisions, descriptions of what topics are handled by each division, and for contact information to contact the appropriate Division Head with questions go here.
MEMBERSHIP AND REGISTRATION:
If you would like to renew your membership and register for the conference, you can go here. Although you can join the association even if you don’t attend the conference, current IAFA membership is required for conference attendance, so you should join the association or renew your membership before attempting to register for the conference. A list of all fees associated with the conference can be foundhere, and a “How To” guide for membership renewal and registration can be found here for your convenience.
You can also find a brief set of instructions for renewal and registration here.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Early registration ends on January 14th, 2017 at midnight Orlando time, so if you want to take advantage of the early registration prices, make sure you register before then. Regular registration prices will be in effect from 1/15/2017 through 1/31/17, and late registration begins 2/1/17 and lasts until 3/1/17. After March 2, 2017, the on-line system will be closed temporarily so that the conference committee can commit to the hotel for space and meal requirements. The system will open again for on-site registration on March 22nd . Please note that date changes for registration purposes are reckoned by local time in Orlando, Florida.
THE HOTEL:
The conference will be held March 22-26, 2017 at the Marriott Orlando Airport Hotel. We recommend that you have your hotel reservations booked by January 31st, 2017.
For reservations, please call the hotel’s toll-free number: 1-800-380-6751, or dial direct: 407-851-9000, or use the Orlando Airport Marriott web site. The IAFA group code for the conference rate is IAFIAFA. Fill it in as the group code if you register on-line or mention it to the hotel if you call in the reservation. The box to fill in the group code is on the left hand side of the screen when you first go to search for a room. It’s below the section where it asks you the check in date and for your Marriott number. Fill in the discount code before you click “find.” You can find more information about the hotel here.
Remember to reserve your room early so that you get into the conference hotel!
If you have any questions or need any help with membership renewal or registration, please email me at iafareg ATgmail.com.
Regards,
Valorie
Valorie Ebert
International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA)
Membership & Registration Coordinator
1279 W. Palmetto Park Road, #272285
Boca Raton, Florida 33427
Call for Applications: IAFA Book Room Liaison
The IAFA Board invites applications for the position of Book Room Liaison.
Requirements
The successful application will have
· a knowledge of the field of speculative fiction publications
· good organization skills
· the ability to work productively as part of a team
· the ability to be available in the Orlando area in the month before the conference to receive and store books that are shipped for the conference. (The IAFA Board will provide a storage locker to store this inventory.)
Responsibilities
The Book Room Liaison will primarily be responsible for receiving and managing the inventory of shipments of books published by attending IAFA authors to be sold at the conference, and for supervising the set-up, staffing, and clean-up of the Book Room for each conference.
The Book Room Liaison will report to and work collectively with the IAFA Board, who will set policies on books to be purchased and stored, and who will make available the funds for any purchases to be made by the organization.
The Book Room Liaison will also be the person primarily responsible for transporting the books to and from a storage locker and for managing this locker and monitoring its inventory between conferences. The Book Room Liaison will also assist the Board members with the donation of any books that are not purchased after a duration to be set by the Board, and with the management of any books donated to members for the conference luncheons.
The Book Room Liaison will be assisted by other volunteers who will help with the physical labour of setting up the book room and returning unsold items to storage. The Book Room Liaison will work with the President and the Membership and Registration Coordinator to recruit and appoint these volunteers.
During the conference period, the Book Room Liaison will be responsible for managing Book Room operations, including the processing of payments. A cash float will be made available by the IAFA Treasurer and a system for credit card payments is in place. The Book Room Liaison will schedule staffing hours for the volunteers who will assist in running the book room during the conference.
It is expected that the Book Room Liaison will be available at the conference hotel from the Sunday preceding the conference until the Sunday following it. The IAFA Board will pay for accommodation during this period. The Board will also pay for economy-fare travel to this venue, if needed. The IAFA Board will also provide the Book Room Liaison with a complementary registration for the conference during the period of service, and with tickets to all the conference meals.
IAFA Governance
The IAFA Board governs the organization and is made up of a number of elected and appointed positions. The Board is assisted in running the conference by a number of other volunteers appointed to specific roles, such as the Division Heads, who do not sit on the Board. The Book Room Liaison will be an appointed but not a Board position.
The Book Room Liaison will report to and assist the IAFA Board. This is a voluntary, not paid, position, consistent with all positions within IAFA governance, both appointed and elected; these listed compensations are to off-set the costs that the individual will incur through the act of providing this service to the conference.
To Apply
Applications should consist of a résumé and a letter of interest outlining the candidate’s experience with the conference, qualifications for the position, and reasons for wanting to serve as Book Room Liaison.
Applications should be sent to IAFA President Sherryl Vint at sherryl.vint@gmail.com.
All applications will be reviewed by the Board and the successful candidate will be appointed by the President after a majority vote by the Board, as is consistent for all appointed positions within conference governance.
The deadline for applications is November 15, 2016.
PDF version of this call: book-room-liaison-call
Dear IAFA Members,
At our meeting in March, the IAFA Board discussed several issues assocationed with the ongoing operation of the book room. We propose several changes to the Book Room at the conference, including decreasing the amount of back stock that we store. We also will begin a relationship with Scholars Choice, a conference service that makes academic books for sale at conference venues.
We will put the Book Room on the agenda for the Business Meeting at the conference this coming March and will present more details about the history and the situation then. That will also be an opportunity to have a discussion with the membership about your desires moving forward so that we can ensure that we are proceeding in the appropriate way.
For the time being, the linked document provides a brief précis of the relevant issues and the steps we have taken thus far. I hope this document will help members understand the context in which the Board took the decisions we have made.
We will soon be advertising for a new position as part of the IAFA conference staffing, the Book Room Liaison. The person who takes on this role will play a crucial role in guiding the conference forward to a new model of the Book Room and its place in our conference culture.
Please hold your questions until the General Meeting rather than opening a discussion by email, but be assured that we look forward to hearing your thoughts and that no decisions taken thus far are set in stone.
I look forward to that opportunity to further discuss the future of IAFA with you.
Best wishes,
Sherryl Vint
IAFA President
CfP: International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts 38, “Fantastic Epics”
Please join us for ICFA 38, March 22-26, 2017, when our theme will be “Fantastic Epics.” We welcome papers on the work of: Guest of Honor Steven Erikson (World Fantasy and Locus Award nominee), Guest of Honor N.K. Jemisin (Nebula and World Fantasy Award nominee, Hugo and Locus Award winner), and Guest Scholar Edward James (Pilgrim, Hugo, British Science Fiction Association, and Eaton Award winner). The hero(ine)’s tale is as old as storytelling itself. We trace our way from Gilgamesh to current practitioners of the art through routes that lead to – and beyond – other kingdoms, including those of Malazan and the cities of Gujaareh, Sky, and Shadow. Papers may tread the paths of Thomas the Unbeliever, Bren Cameron, Sundiata Keita, and Boudica, or follow a dark road through Gondor, Camelot, or any valley of shadow. We can find the Epic in the hall of Heorot and in the rooms of Schaherazade. Examinations of modern epics might include the American west, the Marvel Universe, or the world of Miyazaki. A journey, a quest, an awakening – all these and more are part of Fantastic Epics. We also welcome proposals for individual papers and for academic sessions and panels on any aspect of the fantastic in any media. The deadline for proposals is October 31, 2016. We encourage work from institutionally affiliated scholars, independent scholars, international scholars who work in languages other than English, and graduate students.
For more information on the IAFA and its conference, the ICFA, or to download a PDF version of this CfP, see http://www.fantastic-arts.org/. To submit a proposal, go to http://www.fantastic-arts.org/icfa-submissions/.
The submission portal opened on September 1st and closes on October 31st.
To contact the Division Heads for help with submissions, go to http://www.fantastic-arts.org/annual-conference/division-heads.
The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts Announces its 10th annual Jamie Bishop Memorial Award for a critical essay on the fantastic written in a language other than English. The IAFA defines the fantastic to include science fiction, folklore, and related genres in literature, drama, film, art and graphic design, and related disciplines. For more information on the award and on past winners, please see http://www.fantastic-arts.org/awards/jamie-bishop-memorial-award/ (please note the updated submission criteria, below).
Submission criteria:
Deadline for submissions: September 1st Extended to September 15, 2016
Prize: $250 U.S. and one year’s free membership in the IAFA to be awarded at the annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts held each March. Winning essays may be posted on the IAFA website in the original language and/or considered for publication in the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts (http://www.fantastic-arts.org/jfa/) should they be translated into English.
Please direct all inquiries and submissions to:
Amy J. Ransom
Professor of French
Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures (FLLC)
305 Pearce Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
CfP: International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts 38, “Fantastic Epics”
Please join us for ICFA 38, March 22-26, 2017, when our theme will be “Fantastic Epics.” We welcome papers on the work of: Guest of Honor Steven Erikson (World Fantasy and Locus Award nominee), Guest of Honor N.K. Jemisin (Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominee, Locus Award winner), and Guest Scholar Edward James (Pilgrim, Hugo, British Science Fiction Association, and Eaton Award winner). The hero(ine)’s tale is as old as storytelling itself. We trace our way from Gilgamesh to current practitioners of the art through routes that lead to – and beyond – other kingdoms, including those of Malazan and the cities of Gujaareh, Sky, and Shadow. Papers may tread the paths of Thomas the Unbeliever, Bren Cameron, Sundiata Keita, and Boudica, or follow a dark road through Gondor, Camelot, or any valley of shadow. We can find the Epic in the hall of Heorot and in the rooms of Schaherazade. Examinations of modern epics might include the American west, the Marvel Universe, or the world of Miyazaki. A journey, a quest, an awakening – all these and more are part of Fantastic Epics. We also welcome proposals for individual papers and for academic sessions and panels on any aspect of the fantastic in any media. The deadline for proposals is October 31, 2016. We encourage work from institutionally affiliated scholars, independent scholars, international scholars who work in languages other than English, and graduate students.
For more information on the IAFA and its conference, the ICFA, or to download a PDF version of this CfP, see http://www.fantastic-arts.org/. To submit a proposal, go to http://www.fantastic-arts.org/icfa-submissions/.
The submission portal opens on September 1st and closes on October 31st.
To contact the Division Heads for help with submissions, go to http://www.fantastic-arts.org/annual-conference/division-heads.
Dear ICFA attendees,
We regretfully announce that Terri Windling will be unable to join us at the conference next week. Nonetheless, we intend to honor and celebrate her work as planned, in addition to the fine work of our other guests, Holly Black and Cristina Bacchilega. I am delighted to report that we will still hear Terri’s Guest of Honor speech on Thursday, which will be delivered by Ellen Kushner.
The conference will cancel only two events out of more than 150 total sessions, so while we will miss Terri Windling’s presence, we trust your conference experience will be an excellent one. Please join us in wishing Terri the best.
Warm regards,
Sydney Duncan
President, IAFA Board of Directors
Hello Everyone!
The Thirty-Seventh International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts is right around the corner! The on-line registration system will be open until March 2, 2016. After March 2, the on-line system will be closed temporarily so that the conference committee can commit to the hotel for space and meal requirements. The system will open again for on-site registration on March 16th. Please note that date changes for registration purposes are reckoned by local time in Orlando, Florida
Although you can join the association even if you don’t attend the conference, current IAFA membership is required if you are presenting a paper at the conference. If you haven’t already done so, you can renew your membership and register for the conference here: https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/JoinUs.
If you are not presenting, but still want to attend the conference and hear some amazing papers, you do not have to be a member of IAFA, but you do have to register for the conference. You can register for the conference here: https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/JoinUs.
A list of all fees associated with the conference can be found here and a “How To” guide for membership renewal can be found here, and a “How To” guide for registering and paying for the conference can be found here.
Student Caucus (SCIAFA):
The purpose of the Student Caucus (SCIAFA) is to foster and promote growth, scholarship, and fellowship among the student members of the IAFA and to address the needs of students working in the field of the fantastic, by establishing mentoring and other programs, through coordinating efforts with the main body of the IAFA. If you are a student member of the IAFA, you are automatically a member of SCIAFA
Discussion List:
All IAFA members are invited to join the IAFA listserv. You may do so by clicking here.
Volunteering:
Interested in helping us make ICFA 37 a success? We are looking for volunteers to assist with the book room, registration desk, and A/V. Please use the survey link below to let us know when and where you would like to help. If you know of other people attending the conference that would like to volunteer and earn ICFA bucks to help them keep coming back, please share the survey with them. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Valorie Ebert, Membership and Registration Coordinator (iafareg AT gmail.com).
Please Note: We need extra volunteers to help load and unload the bookroom. If you plan on being at the hotel Monday and/or aren’t leaving until the following Sunday or Monday and would like to help with this important task, please indicate your willingness on the volunteer survey or contact Valorie Ebert, Membership and Registration Coordinator (iafareg AT gmail.com).
** Book Room Set Up normally begins at 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning. They need all the help they can get, so if you are at the conference early on Monday, stop by and lend a hand.
** Book Room Breakdown normally begins at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Again, they need all the help they can get, so if you are an early riser, go lend a hand.
You can find the volunteer survey here.
ICFA Accessibility Policy:
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 can find our accessibility policy here.
Social Media:
If you are on Facebook you can connect with IAFA here. In addition, if you are a student you can also join the Student Caucus Facebook page here.
If you have any questions or need any help with membership renewal or registration, please email me at iafareg AT gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you in March!
Regards,
Valorie