Midwest Modern Language Association

Cincinnati, Ohio. November 9-12, 2017

Festival of Language CFP

(permanent session)

Topic: Art as Activism

Proposals of original creative and/or critical works, fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, painting, collage, photography, theory, pedagogy, hybrid work, etc. (or any combination of these and beyond) of 500 words or less should explain why the work you wish to present is activism and what it challenges. Samples may be included in the 500-word limit. Or the submission may include only a 500-word or less excerpt of the work to be presented. Works may challenge your own perceptions, be forms of resistance against the status quo, be lightly or deeply political, etc. While it is not required, works that are imaginative and/or blend/distort/reconfigure ideas of what a traditional paper or presentation might include and/or presentations that move outside the ordinary are encouraged. (Lightly activist works will be considered as well.)

Panel proposals that fit the above criteria or bring together a variety of genres are also welcome.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY: proposals of original creative works of resistance and activism (however defined) to be presented as “a reading eXperiment” are also welcome. These proposals should include a 500-word or shorter sample of original creative writing. This panel will be an eXperiment in crossing borders as panelists read original creative works as juxtaposed against expectations, perceptions, other creative works, and audience members. Each panelist will be the front person, play backup to, and read in conjunction with others in eXperiments that challenge the way readers and audience members think about the performance, reception, and vitality of creative readings. Neither readers nor audience members will know exactly what to expect ahead of time. Audience members should feel free to bring work, as audience participation is encouraged in some eXperiments.

Send proposals to festivalwriter@gmail.com with MMLA 2017 in the subject line by midnight on April 20, 2017.

Organizer: Jane L. Carman, Festival of Language / Lit Fest Press / a reading experiment