Skip navigation

Category Archives: IAFA

ICFA 42 Proposal Submissions Deadline Extended

We have extended the deadline for ICFA 42 proposal submissions to 4 December at 11:59 PM (Orlando time). There is still plenty of time to get your proposal submitted!

CFP: https://www.fantastic-arts.org/2020/call-for-papers-for-the-42nd-annual-international-conference-on-the-fantastic-in-the-arts-climate-change-and-the-anthropocene/

ICFA 42 Information

ICFA 42 “Climate Change and the Anthropocene”

When: March 18–21, 2021, via Zoom

Guest scholar: Stacy Alaimo (University of Oregon)

Guest author: Jeff VanderMeer

Call for papers (proposals due November 29, 2020): https://www.fantastic-arts.org/2020/call-for-papers-for-the-42nd-annual-international-conference-on-the-fantastic-in-the-arts-climate-change-and-the-anthropocene/
Detailed scholarly proposal info: https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/Proposal
Netiquette: https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/Netiquette
Accepted papers/presentations due: March 1, 2021

We are repeating the theme from 2020’s canceled ICFA 41. You may propose the same paper. Previous acceptance for ICFA 41 does not guarantee acceptance for ICFA 42.

All dates and times are reckoned in Orlando, Florida, time (GMT-5).
Authors

Please reach out to 2nd VP David Higgins (iafa.2vp@fantastic-arts.org) with questions or concerns.
Registration

The registration portal for ICFA 42 is now open (https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/event-3870896). Registration is $40 for regular registration, $20 for student/adjunct. Registration closes on February 22, 2021.

Do you have a credit from last year? (Credits are good for 2 years.) When logged in, look at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen; it will indicate your credit amount. To apply the credit, create an invoice, and then email me so I can apply it.

Important: Credits cannot be transferred between accounts. If you have a credit, make sure you’re logged in correctly before registering and creating an invoice.

If you think you have a credit but it’s not showing up, first check to make sure you’re logged into the correct account (usually it’s Gmail versus your institutional email address). You may have to tell the system you lost your password to gain access. Inadvertently being logged into the incorrect account is the #1 reason users experience problems.

If that isn’t the issue, then email me and I will research it.

Merch

We are partnering with our usual merch vendor, a small company based out of Orlando, to print, package, and mail the merch. No extras will be printed for sale at a future physical convention. Prices are designed to break even; this is not a fund raiser. Merch will automatically be sent to the address on file in your membership account.

We were able to stop ICFA 41’s merch print run, so there is no ICFA 41 merchandise available, and the few test items that were printed were discarded by the vendor.

Social media

Join the Listserv: http://lists.iafa.org/listinfo.cgi/iafa-l-iafa.org
Follow us on Twitter: @IAFA_TW, #ICFA42
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FantasticArts/

Forthcoming

Info will be forthcoming regarding volunteering, Graduate Student Caucus, online infrastructure, and more!

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

—Karen Hellekson, coregistrar (iafareg@gmail.com)

Deadline Extended: Call for Applications, Division Head of the International Fantastic (IF) Division and the Film and Television (FTV) Division

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts is accepting applications for the position of Division Head of the International Fantastic (IF) Division and the Film and Television (FTV) Division. (Please see division descriptions below.)
Division Heads are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the First Vice President, who chairs the Council of Division Heads, after formal discussion and majority vote of the Board. The term is for three years.

Both the IF Division Head and the FTV Division Head will begin full Division Head duties immediately following the conference in March of 2021 without a shadow year.

Each Division Head organizes and supervises all conference activity within a subdivision of fantastic scholarship. Division Heads work under the guidance of the First Vice President. Division Heads are responsible for recruiting session proposals and papers and are responsible for formatting these to the requirements of the First Vice President. Division Heads are responsible for forwarding all information to the First Vice President in a timely fashion. Division Heads have the responsibility to check the draft program for accuracy and AV needs. Division Heads are expected to liaise with other Division Heads and the First Vice President. The First Vice President is the final arbiter of the program under the aegis of the Executive Board. At the conference the Division Heads oversee sessions in their respective Divisions and collect suggestions for future topics, special guests, etc.
Those interested in applying must send a cover letter explaining their interest in, and qualifications for, the position, and a current CV, to the First Vice President, Valorie Ebert at iafa.1vp@fantastic-arts.org, no later than 10 November 2020.

IF Division description:
The International Fantastic division welcomes scholarship in all subgenres of the fantastic in world media. “International” means either non-anglophone or originating in a culture considered foreign within the anglophone world; this may include minority or Indigenous texts within an anglophone country. Projects in postcolonial and diaspora studies, area and language studies, translation theory and studies, comparative literature and media, non-anglophone epistemologies and technocultures, the role of the international division of labor and global finance in textual development, gender and queer studies especially in the Global South, international justice movements, global research methodologies and national archives, and Indigenous and Trans-Indigenous Studies are welcome.

FTV Division description:

The Film and Television division welcomes critical scholarship, panels, and theory roundtables that deal with cinema and television and engage any genre of the Fantastic, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror. As with other narrative forms, the analysis of film and television can be taken up multiple ways and through varied critical lenses.

Call for Papers for the 42nd Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Climate Change and the Anthropocene

  • October 26, 2020 – 6:58 pm
  • Posted in CFP, IAFA, ICFA
  • Comments Off on Call for Papers for the 42nd Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Climate Change and the Anthropocene

Call for Papers for the 42nd Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Climate Change and the Anthropocene

March 18-21, 2021

ICFA 42 will be a virtual event.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 4 DECEMBER.

Since the turn of the millennium, the term Anthropocene has been widely popularized to describe the massive changes humanity has inflicted upon the planet through our technologies and ways of living—influences so substantial that some believe we have entered into a new geological epoch. Climate change, and its related crises of ecological damage, forced migrations as weather and arable land shift, and mass extinctions of nonhuman species, are imaginative and materially entwined. Climate change asks us to think in spatial and temporal scales that exceed human lifetimes and perceptions, while the concept of the Anthropocene encourages us to think in global, perhaps cosmic registers about humanity’s pasts and possible futures.

Amitov Ghosh suggests in The Great Derangement (2017) that among the difficulties of confronting climate change is the fact that it is “unthinkable” via the conventions of realist fiction. Taking our cue from Ursula K. Le Guin’s phrase “realists of a larger reality” in her acceptance speech for the Medal for Distinguished Contributions to American Letters, IAFA 42 (March 18-21, 2021) will explore the power of fantastic genres to make climate change and other crises of the Anthropocene visible and intelligible. How have fantastic genres helped us represent and respond to this reality? How might these genres offer us new ways for thinking about humanity, our planet, and the complex entanglements between them? How might we reimagine ourselves and the future in the face of climate change? We welcome papers and panel proposals addressing these and related questions across any genre, every language, and across all media of the fantastic. We encourage submissions about Black authors, filmmakers and creators, and by Black scholars.

Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:
• Texts engaging questions of eco-horror aesthetics and themes
• Environmental racism
• Critiques of the term Anthropocene from a Critical Race Studies perspective, and those from the intersection of Black Studies and the Environmental Humanities.
• Non-anglophone speculative fictions related to the anthropocene
• Fantastic texts by that explore indigenous worldviews on ecology
• Analyses of how specific motifs or themes emerge and change with time, such as climate-driven apocalypse or images of urban worlds
• Texts that imagine innovative technologies and/or new lifeways that offer new patterns for human habitation
• Texts or other media that interrogate questions of ontology, especially humanity’s relationship with other life
• Engagements with alternative terms used to frame our present era—Donna Haraway’s Cthulhucene, Jason Moore’s Capitalocene, and the like
• Work emerging from ecocritical frameworks and methodologies
• Work emerging from posthumanist frameworks and methodologies, especially human-animal studies
• Work emerging from environmental humanities and petrocultures frameworks and methodologies
• Dystopian and/or utopian responses to climate change
• YA and children’s literature and its distinct strategies for representing climate change
• Work on significant authors of ecologically themed works, such as Kim Stanley Robinson or N.K. Jemisin or the subgenre solarpunk
• Analyses of texts or other media that question the human/animal boundary
• The role of fantastic texts in offering new theoretical rubrics for thinking about climate change and the Anthropocene

The conference will feature Guest Scholar Stacy Alaimo (University of Oregon) and Guest of Honor Jeff Vandermeer. We encourage proposals that engage the work of these two distinguished guests.

The IAFA Portal open for submissions on 2 November and close on 29 November, URL forthcoming.

We are pleased to announce that the themes for our 2022 and 2023 conferences will be “Fantastic Alterities” and “The Black Fantastic: The African Diaspora and Speculative Fiction”, respectively.

Submission process:

Paper or session proposals will go to the appropriate Division Head as usual.
Once accepted, the author may choose one of the following formats:
• Papers will only be accepted in .pdf, maximum 2000 words.
• Presentations will be accepted in PowerPoint or MP4 format, and should be between 10-15 minutes.

The papers/presentations must be read before the sessions, which will be limited to discussing of them. Authors will not be allowed to summarize them due to time limitations.

Panels will be synchronous, limited to 3-4 participants, and proposals should be sent to the appropriate Division Head, or to the 1st VP.

More information forthcoming at https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/.

Dates to remember:

The submissions portal will open Monday 2 November
SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 4 DECEMBER 11:59 p.m. (all time Eastern US)
ALL registration ends on Monday 22 February 11:59 p.m.
Papers/Presentations due Monday 1 March 11:59 p.m.

Call for Division Head Applications: International Fantastic and Film and Television

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts is accepting applications for the position of Division Head of the International Fantastic (IF) Division and the Film and Television (FTV) Division. (Please see division descriptions below.)
Division Heads are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the First Vice President, who chairs the Council of Division Heads, after formal discussion and majority vote of the Board. The term is for three years.

Both the IF Division Head and the FTV Division Head will begin full Division Head duties immediately following the conference in March of 2021 without a shadow year.

Each Division Head organizes and supervises all conference activity within a subdivision of fantastic scholarship. Division Heads work under the guidance of the First Vice President. Division Heads are responsible for recruiting session proposals and papers and are responsible for formatting these to the requirements of the First Vice President. Division Heads are responsible for forwarding all information to the First Vice President in a timely fashion. Division Heads have the responsibility to check the draft program for accuracy and AV needs. Division Heads are expected to liaise with other Division Heads and the First Vice President. The First Vice President is the final arbiter of the program under the aegis of the Executive Board. At the conference the Division Heads oversee sessions in their respective Divisions and collect suggestions for future topics, special guests, etc.

Those interested in applying must send a cover letter explaining their interest in, and qualifications for, the position, and a current CV, to the First Vice President, Valorie Ebert at iafa.1vp@fantastic-arts.org, no later than 25 October 2020.

IF Division description:

The International Fantastic division welcomes scholarship in all subgenres of the fantastic in world media. “International” means either non-anglophone or originating in a culture considered foreign within the anglophone world; this may include minority or Indigenous texts within an anglophone country. Projects in postcolonial and diaspora studies, area and language studies, translation theory and studies, comparative literature and media, non-anglophone epistemologies and technocultures, the role of the international division of labor and global finance in textual development, gender and queer studies especially in the Global South, international justice movements, global research methodologies and national archives, and Indigenous and Trans-Indigenous Studies are welcome.

FTV Division description:

The Film and Television division welcomes critical scholarship, panels, and theory roundtables that deal with cinema and television and engage any genre of the Fantastic, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror. As with other narrative forms, the analysis of film and television can be taken up multiple ways and through varied critical lenses.

Final Call for Submissions: 2021 Jamie Bishop Memorial Award

Final Call for Submissions: 2021 Jamie Bishop Memorial Award

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts announces its 15th annual Jamie Bishop Memorial Award for a critical essay on the fantastic originally 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 regarding the Bishop Award and a list of past winners, see https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/Bishop-award-winners-list .

Submission criteria:

· Essays should be of high scholarly quality, as if for publication in an academic journal.

· We consider essays from 3,000–10,000 words in length (or English equivalent), including notes and bibliography.

· Essays may be unpublished scholarship submitted by the author, or already published work nominated either by the author or another scholar (in which case the author’s permission should be obtained before submission).

· Essays must have been written and (when applicable) published in the original language within the last three years prior to submission.

· An ABSTRACT in English and an English translation of the essay’s TITLE must accompany all submissions. The submitted essay DOES NOT have to be translated into English.

· Only one essay per designated author(s) may be submitted each year.

· Submissions must be made electronically in .pdf or Microsoft Word format (.doc, .docx), to the email address noted below.

Deadline for receipt of submissions: October 15, 2020. Essays may be submitted prior to the deadline.

The winner of this year’s Bishop Award will be announced at the 42nd International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March 17–20, 2021.

Prize: $250 US and one year’s free membership in the IAFA. 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:

Terry Harpold

iafa.bishopaward@fantastic-arts.org

IAFA 2021 Statement

IAFA 2021 Statement

Dear IAFA Members,

The Board has been monitoring the ongoing situation with the pandemic closely and has met twice this summer to consider options for the 2021 conference. The future prospects remain unclear, but based on information about our membership, likely timelines for widespread vaccination, ongoing border closures, and our financial options, the Board took the decision at its meeting on September 19, 2020 to move the 2021 Conference to an online format.

More information will follow soon about methods of participation, timelines for events and other considerations regarding membership and registration fees. We are also adjusting the timeframe for the event to maximize chances for participation across time zones, but we will convene during the originally scheduled conference “long” weekend, March 18-21, 2021. We are currently working to sort out these details and will prioritize releasing information about options for participation and presentation, as they most urgently need to be worked out so that the conference application cycle can begin. Please be assured that we continue to work on the rest of the picture and will release additional information as we make further decisions.

We are aware that this news is very disappointing—to us as well! Nonetheless, we believe it a priority to protect the health of our members and guests over other considerations. We also feel that we needed to make this decision early enough to give us time to mount a great online event. Rest assured that we are aware that social interactions are a hugely important part of our conference culture, and we are working on ways to allow maximum interaction and also to recreate a version of some of our most important social gatherings.

Right now, the important information is that we will have a conference and will soon open the submission portal. Do not, however, book hotels or flights since we will not be gathering in person in 2021. Thank you for your patience as we continue to refine our plans and release further information to you as more decisions are taken. We ask that you do not send in questions for further information at this time as we are still in the process of evaluating our options and making decisions. We will update you as quickly as possible as further plans solidify.

We are all committed to ensuring the ongoing quality of ICFA and the future of our organization. While it might not be the same as typical, we will have a 2021 gathering and look forward to seeing you in virtual spaces.

Dale Knickerbocker, IAFA President

Call for IAFA Volunteers

The Executive Board of the IAFA is interested in receiving input on how we can more effectively reach out to and engage with authors and scholars who are Black, Indigenous, or belong to other communities of People of Color (BIPOC), and to increase BIPOC membership in the organization. We do not want to do this in a top-down manner, but by inviting interested BIPOC IAFA members to collaborate in the formation of a committee to advise us on how to do so. I therefore encourage those interested in being part of such an initiative to send an e-mail to me at iafa.president@fantastic-arts.org.

Dale Knickerbocker
IAFA President

News from the IAFA Board

2021 ICFA: I’m sure you are all curious as to how plans are going for next year’s conference. At its June meeting, the Board discussed options for various possible scenarios and contingency plans. We believe it is still too early to make any decisions. We will meet virtually again during the fall. The ICFA will happen in one form or another.

Registration fees are frozen for next year and, for 2021 only, in light of the probable travel uncertainties there will be no late registration pricing. This may have to be revisited should circumstances change (such as the conference being held virtually).

The submissions portal for the 42nd ICFA, “Climate Change and the Anthropocene” (March 17-20, 2021), will open on 1 September and close 8 November 2020.

Other News:
The theme of the 44th ICFA (2023) will be “The Black Fantastic: The African Diaspora and the Speculative Genres”.

Beginning in 2021, the IAFA will offer an additional travel grant specifically for a Black conference attendee.

The Student Caucus of the IAFA elected Samantha Baugus to be its Representative, and Shelby Cadwell to be the Vice Representative. Congratulations to both!

The IAFA is now officially the proud home of the Imagining Indigenous Futurisms Award! https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/Imagining-Indigenous-Futurisms-Award/. We had planned on announcing this years winner at the ICFA, but…

Planning for the conference co-sponsored with the Centre for Studies of the Fantastic at the University of Glasgow for July 2021 continues and is going well.

LINK to the meeting minutes may be found at: https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/MembersOnly/. (sign into your membership account to access them).

Dale Knickerbocker
President

Call for Submissions: 2021 Jamie Bishop Memorial Award

Call for Submissions: 2021 Jamie Bishop Memorial Award

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts announces its 15th annual Jamie Bishop Memorial Award for a critical essay on the fantastic originally 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 regarding the Bishop Award and a list of past winners, see https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/Bishop-award-winners-list .

Submission criteria:

Essays should be of high scholarly quality, as if for publication in an academic journal.
We consider essays from 3,000–10,000 words in length (or English equivalent), including notes and bibliography.
Essays may be unpublished scholarship submitted by the author, or already published work nominated either by the author or another scholar (in which case the author’s permission should be obtained before submission).
Essays must have been written and (when applicable) published in the original language within the last three years prior to submission.
An ABSTRACT in English and an English translation of the essay’s TITLE must accompany all submissions. The submitted essay DOES NOT have to be translated into English.
Only one essay per designated author(s) may be submitted each year.
Submissions must be made electronically in .pdf or Microsoft Word format (.doc, .docx), to the email address noted below.

Deadline for receipt of submissions: October 15, 2020. Essays may be submitted prior to the deadline.

The winner of this year’s Bishop Award will be announced at the 42nd International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, to be held in Orlando, Florida (USA) March 17–20, 2021.

Prize: $250 US and one year’s free membership in the IAFA. 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:

Terry Harpold

iafa.bishopaward@fantastic-arts.org