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Mythcon 49
July 20 - 23, 2018


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Mythcon 49

Call for Papers
On the Shoulders of Giants

Atlanta, Georgia
July 20 - 23, 2018




Mythcon 49 main page Boromir by Donato Giancola

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Call for Papers

Download PDF of Call for Papers here
- NOTE: Deadline extended to May 15, 2018


CONFERENCE THEME

On the Shoulders of Giants


The Mythopoeic Society has launched into a series of 50th anniversaries: the founding of the Society in 2017, the conception and launch of our scholarly journal Mythlore in 2018, and the establishment of our mythopoeic conference in 2019. Our theme is suggested by the ways in which Inklings scholarship has built on such good foundations. We will celebrate these foundation and fifty years of building “On the Shoulders of Giants” at Mythcon 49. Papers exploring this theme might include, but are not limited to any of the following:
• The past, present, and future of mythopoeic scholarship and independent journals
• Academic, audience, and critical reception of mythopoeic literature
• The history of fandom, fan communities, and fan-fiction
• Adaptations of mythopoeic literature — film, music, gaming, and more
• The mythopoeic giants who inspired the Inklings — including Homer, Dante, Milton, George MacDonald, William Morris, G.K. Chesterton, and the most prolific of them all, Anon.
• Giants as literary figures in myth, fairy tale, and mythopoeic literature — Atlas, Goliath, the Norse Giants, Grendel, Gogmagog, Tolkien’s Trolls, the Giants and Ettins of Narnia


GUESTS OF HONOR

Robin Anne Reid, Scholar

Robin Anne Reid is a Professor in the Department of Literature and Languages at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where she specializes in creative writing, critical theory, and marginalized literatures. She edited the two-volume Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Greenwood, 2009), with Judy Ann Ford, Professor of History, Texas A&M-Commerce. She and Dr. Ford team-taught a series of undergraduate and graduate courses on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, both face to face and online. Their collaborative essay, '[T]hings that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be:' Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings On-Line, appeared in Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works, edited by Leslie Donovan (MLA, 2015). Dr. Reid has also published on Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Other recent Tolkien publications are an essay on female bodies and femininities in The Lord of the Rings in The Body in Tolkien's Legendarium, edited by Christopher Vaccaro, a bibliographic essay on the history of scholarship on female characters in Tolkien's work in Perilous and Fair, edited by Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie Donovan, and a bibliographic essay on race and Tolkien studies in Tolkien and Alterity, edited by Christopher Vaccaro and Yvette Kisor. Besides her work on Tolkien and feminist science fiction, she has also published on fan productions and fan activism in online media fandom. She is a regular contributor to “The Year’s Work in Tolkien Studies” in the annual journal, Tolkien Studies.


Donato Giancola, Artist

Our Artist Guest of Honor Donato Giancola balances modern concepts with realism in his paintings to bridge the worlds of contemporary and historical figurative arts. He also teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the Illustration Master Class in Amherst, Massachusetts and online through the SmArt School, and appears at various institutions, seminars, and conventions, from San Diego to Rome to Moscow, where he performs demonstrations in oil paint and lectures on his aesthetics. Please see his full bio on his donatoart.com website for influences, awards, and credits.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION


Papers dealing with the conference theme are especially encouraged. We also welcome papers focusing on the work and interests of the Inklings (especially J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams), on our Guests of Honor, and on other mythopoeic authors and themes. Papers from a variety of critical perspectives and disciplines are likewise welcome. Each paper is generally given a one-hour time slot, but papers should be timed for oral presentation in 40–45 minutes to allow time for questions. Two shorter papers can also be accommodated in a single one-hour time slot. We also welcome proposals for panels consisting of several shorter papers on related topics or for open panel discussions on subjects appropriate to Mythcon. All presenters must register for the full conference; please see the Mythcon 49 web page, www.mythcon.org, for information and rates.

Participants are encouraged to submit papers chosen for presentation at the conference to Mythlore, the refereed journal of the Mythopoeic Society (www.mythlore.org). All papers should conform to the 8th edition of the MLA Style Manual. Presenters who are full-time undergraduate or graduate students are encouraged to submit their completed conference papers in advance for consideration for the Alexei Kondratiev Student Paper Award. Please see www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/alexei.htm for more information.

Paper abstracts of no more than 300 words, along with contact information, should be sent to the Papers Coordinator at the address below by May 15, 2018. Please include the anticipated duration of your presentation and any A/V requirements you feel are essential. We will make every effort to accommodate your A/V requests, but this cannot be guaranteed. You will be notified after the deadline if your paper or panel proposal has been accepted.

Jason Fisher
Mythcon 49 Papers Coordinator
visualweasel@yahoo.com


ABOUT THE MYTHOPOEIC SOCIETY


The Mythopoeic Society is an international literary and educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and mythopoeic literature. We believe the study of these writers can lead to greater understanding and appreciation of the literary, philosophical, and spiritual traditions which underlie their works, and can engender an interest in the study of myth, legend, and the genre of fantasy. Find out about the Society s activities at: www.mythsoc.org




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