International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts

Call for Papers
Threshold, Boundary, and Crossover in Fantasy

Organised by Alex Gushurst-Moore, Mariam Hale, and Jun Qiang (PhD Students at the University of York)
As part of the York Fantasy Discussion Group

To be held in York 12th-13th March 2020

Keynote speakers: Professor George P. Landow (Emeritus Professor, Brown) and
Dr Rob Maslen (University of Glasgow)

‘There was nothing Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur. She immediately stepped into the wardrobe and got in among the coats and rubbed her face against them, leaving the door open, of course, because she knew that it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe. Soon she went further in and found that there was a second row of coats hanging up behind the first one. It was almost quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe. She took a step further in – then two or three steps – always expecting to feel woodwork against the tips of her fingers. But she could not feel it.’ – C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, first published in 1950.

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers on the subject of ‘threshold, boundary, and crossover’ in fantasy. Creative interpretation of the theme is encouraged, and particular precedence will be given to papers looking at interdisciplinarity in fantasy studies. We wish to push the limits of how we interpret and understand fantasy as a categorical term, interrogating the idea put forward by art historian Walter Schurian that ‘the fantastic can also be found in other fields of art, such as literature, architecture, music and film; fantastical tendencies and currents can even be observed in the natural sciences, for example in the form of unusual, chance opinions and theories.’ As such, we welcome papers from scholars working in any field or discipline. Some thematic prompts include:

Interdisciplinarity
Intertextuality
Cross-cultural exchange
International exchange
National fantasies
Gender
Selfhood, self and other
Children/ YA/ Adult
Journey, pilgrimage, passage
Ancient/ Medieval/ Modern
Between worlds
Frames, framing devices and literal thresholds
Hermeticism
Retellings
Portals and transportation
Genre, categorisation, classification
Ideas of here and there
Fin-de-siècle
Youth and age
Fantasy and science fiction

To submit a proposal, please send (in one document) a biography of c. 100 words and a paper abstract of no more than 400 words to fantasythreshold2020@gmail.com by September 13th 2019. Queries can be directed to this email address also.

Call for Chapters – Screening Loss: An Exploration of Grief in Contemporary Horror Cinema

deadline for submissions:
September 30, 2019

full name / name of organization:
Associate Professor Jan Selving / East Stroudsburg University; Assistant Professor Erica J. Dymond / East Stroudsburg University

contact email:
screeninglosssubmissions@gmail.com

Horror films have long held a place in cinematic history as an expression of the monstrous, the un-nameable, and the unknown. They are a powerful point of catharsis in which viewers see their deepest fears played out onscreen, whether the threat is fully embodied or less concretely defined. As a result, grief and loss have always figured heavily in this genre.

This collection addresses horror films’ treatment of loss, specifically grief and how grief shapes, magnifies, and escalates the horrific. Selected films should be from the last twenty years. This contemporary approach will lend the collection a sense of urgency. Moreover, in addition to conventional horror films, we highly support explorations of less frequently examined films that contain a high degree of complexity in content and aesthetics. A24 films are the perfect example of this. Additionally, examinations of genre-defying films such as Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer and David Lowery’s A Ghost Story are especially encouraged.

We value inclusivity and welcome abstracts that focus on international films as well as those who are historically underrepresented.

The book is structured to be a reader for film seminars as well as a tool for research. As a result, each chapter will focus on a single film. And, while the chapters are narrow in this sense, we fully expect that contributors will wish to reference other films and works of art in their essays.

We welcome all theoretical approaches. Likewise, given the interdisciplinary nature of this collection, we invite abstracts from academics not only in film studies, English, and communications, but also psychology and sociology.

Suggestions for films include but are not limited to:

Ari Aster’s Midsommer (2019)

Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer’s Pet Sematary (2019)

Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Robert Eggers’s The VVitch (a.k.a. The Witch) (2015)

Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (2014)

Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018)

David Lowery’s A Ghost Story (2017)

Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2015)

Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (2014)

Tomas Alfredson’s Låt den Rätte Komma (Let the Right One In) (2008)

J. A. Bayona’s El Orfanato (The Orphanage) (2007)

Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2009)

Takashi Miike’s Ôdishon (Audition) (1999)

Please submit a 500-word chapter abstract and a biography of no more than 250 words by September 30, 2019 to screeninglosssubmissions@gmail.com. All abstracts will be given full consideration. We will notify all applicants of the results by October 31, 2019. If selected, the contributor has until June 30, 2020 to submit her/his/their completed chapters.

The volume is intended for publication through Lexington Books, who has expressed interest in this project.

FRAMES Cinema Journal
Call for Papers: Magical Women, Witches & Healers
Issue 16, Winter 2019

Chief Editors: Ana Maria Sapountzi & Peize Li Book Review Editor: Patrick Adamson

Almost every culture on earth contains within its history some form of magic and magical women. From the high priestesses of Ancient Egypt to the oracles of Ancient Greece, the brujas of Latina America to the voodoo queens of the Caribbean and New Orleans, the shamanesses of Mongolia to the mudangs of Korea, the medicine women of Native America to the witches of Medieval Europe, female figures with the ability to harness and utilise earthly, cosmic, and spiritual forces have transcended cultures and proved an irresistible topic in history, myth, and folklore.

Since cinema’s inception and throughout its global history, the figure of the magical woman has appeared countless times and in a plethora of manifestations, her image and function designed and determined by national, cultural, historical, political, and ideological contexts.

The magical woman begins her flight in silent cinema, first appearing in films such as The Witch of Salem (Raymond B. West, USA, 1913) and Häxan (Benjamin Christensen, Sweden-Denmark, 1922). She then manifests in mid-century productions, such as Bell, Book and Candle (Richard Quine, USA, 1958) and Baeksabu-in/Madame White Snake (Shin Sang-ok, South Korea, 1960), and continues her presence in Viy/Spirit of Evil (Konstantin Yershove & Georgi Kropachyov, Russia, 1967), Himiko (Masahiro Shinoda, Japan, 1974),Suspiria (Dario Argento, Italy, 1977), Eve’s Bayou (Kasi Lemmons, USA, 1997), The Craft (Andrew Fleming, USA, 1996), and Practical Magic (Griffin Dunne, USA, 1999). In recent years, the figure has been foregrounded in works such as Tulen Morsian/Devil’s Bride (Saara Cantell, Finland, 2016), The Love Witch (Anna Biller, USA, 2016) and I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, Zambia, 2017), confirming her resilience in and importance to cinema.

In light of the magical woman’s prominence across contemporary culture, the 16th Issue of Frames Cinema Journal seeks to investigate her new filmic manifestations in 21st century cinema and revisit those of the past century. Due to the rich nature and history of the magical woman figure, we are excited to hear from contributors working in a variety of aspects of film studies. We are particularly keen on papers which examine the figure from a feminist, historical, spiritual, ecological, and ideological perspective.

Topics to discuss and analyse the magical woman figure through may include, but are certainly not limited to:
The magical woman and feminism/feminist issues.
The magical woman, gender, and sexuality.
The magical woman, and the female body and its experience.
The magical woman, emotion and feeling.
The magical woman and activism (e.g. feminist, eco-feminist, LGBTQIA+)
The magical woman and politics/geopolitics/ecopolitics.
The magical woman, ecology, and nature.
The magical woman, modernity, post-modernity, and/or capitalism.
The magical woman and traditional/modern setting.
The magical woman, religion and spirituality.
The magical woman, girlhood, and the girlhood experience.
The magical woman and motherhood.
The magical woman and sisterhood.
The magical woman and fashion.
The magical woman and female persecution and/or accused women.
The magical woman, national identity, and/or ancestry.
The historical, literary, and/or poetic magical woman figure and her filmic adaptation.
The magical woman and genre.
The magical woman and stardom.
The magical woman and film festival programming.
Notes for Authors:
Frames accepts written pieces and video essays for submission. Written pieces can be either essays for our Features section, which should be between 5,000-7,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography) or shorter articles for our Point-of-View (POV) section, which may be between 1,000-3,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography). Book reviews are typically 1,000 words. If you would like to publish a book review, please contact our Book Review Editor, Patrick Adamson, at pa41@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Video essays can be of varying length and should be discussed with the editors on a case-by-case basis. Video essay submissions must be sent to the editors in the form of a link using an online streaming source (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.)

All submissions to Frames should not be under consideration elsewhere, and should be original and previously unpublished.

Proposal abstracts should be no more than 250 words and must be accompanied by an indicative bibliography. A brief biography of approx. 150 words should be provided along with the abstract. Abstracts should be sent through as Word Documents and titled “Frames Issue 16 Author First name Author Surname” (e.g. Frames Issue 16 Jane Doe). Please submit your proposal to Ana Maria Sapountzi and Peize Li at framesjournal@gmail.com.

Timetable for Frames Cinema Journal Issue 16:
Abstract Proposal Deadline: 13/09/2019
Abstract Decision Announcement: 23/09/2019
First Draft Deadline (written & video content): 04/11/2019
Final Draft Deadline: 09/12/2019
Intended Publication Date: 16/12/2019
Abstracts are to be submitted no later than Friday 13 September, 2019, as they will not be considered after that. Authors should expect to be notified of the editorial committee’s decision by Monday 23 September, 2019.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Ana Maria Sapountzi & Peize Li
Frames Cinema Journal Chief Editors

email: framesjournal@gmail.com
website: framescinemajournal.com
twitter: @FramesJournal

Decentering the Anthropocene: Spanish Ecocritical Texts and the Non-Human

deadline for submissions:
September 16, 2019

full name / name of organization:
Maryanne Leone, Assumption College, and Shanna Lino, York University

contact email:
maleone@assumption.edu

Abstracts and articles are sought for an edited collection to be entitled Decentering the Anthropocene: Spanish Ecocritical Texts and the Non-Human. Ecocriticism examines literary and cultural representations of the natural environment and diverse life forms, often in the context of broader political, economic, and social issues and often with an ethical commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. In this context, ecocritical work may interrogate how texts treat anthropocentrism, or the centralization of humans’ perspectives, needs, and experiences over those of other beings.

As conversations about climate change and ecological degradation have become more urgent in the last 10-20 years, Spanish writers, directors, and artists are addressing the environment in their works with ever-increasing frequency. Scholars also have begun to take note, leading to the founding of research hubs such as GIECO (Grupo de Investigación en Ecocrítica) and the journal Ecozon@: Revista europea de literatura, cultura y medioambiente. Recent volumes in this field have considered, for example: contemporary ecocritical cultural production in the context of new materialisms; the intersection between ecology and ethics, politics, and culture in Spain from Francoism to the present day; the relationship between ecocriticism and feminism, myth, and youth literature; and ecocritical analyses of medieval literature.

This collection aims to expand critical study of representations of the environment in Spanish culture in two distinguishing manners: first, by exploring specifically the more-than-human; and second, by tracing the historical representation of these elements in Spanish works from the early-modern through the post-crisis periods. Our purpose is to highlight the central roles that the beyond-human has played in texts of all periods that counter those political, economic, and social strategies that have led to the current state of ecological devastation.

Alternate beings evoked alongside the normative human may include animals, hybrid animal- humans, plant life, ghosts, spectres, avatars, angels and apparitions, robots, cyborgs, androids, monsters, vampires, witches, and others. Likewise, ecocritical readings of the more-than-human may refer to foci such as land- and seascapes, urban, suburban and non-urban topographies, parks, tourism, waterways, natural resources, and so on.

Ecocritical studies are encouraged of any form of Spanish cultural production from general and genre fiction (crime, sci-fi, vampire, graphic, nautical, mystical) to (cyber)poetry, theater, performance art, film, photography, or other art forms. Theoretical approaches may include ecosophy, anotherness, ecofeminisms, animal studies, intersectionality, ecojustice, and others.

Interested contributors should send 300-500 word abstracts, in English, and brief biographical statements via email to the editors Maryanne Leone (maleone@assumption.edu) and Shanna

Lino (slino@yorku.ca) by September 16, 2019. Essays are to be approximately 20-25 pages long, typed double spaced, written in English, and follow the 8th edition MLA guidelines, with endnotes and a list of works cited. The editors will contact authors regarding accepted abstracts by late September. Completed articles will be due January 6, 2020.