"Speaking Her Truth, Power in the Telling: Contemporary Narratives of Women Writing for Healing, Wholeness, and Re-formation of Sociopolitical Understandings of Sexual Violence" (SSAWW Nov. 7-11, 2018, Denver, CO)

deadline for submissions: 
February 12, 2018
full name / name of organization: 
Nicol Michelle Epple/Indiana University of Pennsylvania
contact email: 

2017 was a year of feminist action and 2018 strongly continues this movement: the year began with the national Women’s March in DC, and the year closed with media reporting mass cover-ups of sexual exploitation and abuse in Hollywood and with the reporting of women finding power in uniting their voices. The #metoo movement was birthed and has become a rallying cry for continued awareness of misogynistic practices, collaboration to resist gendered violence, and recover women’s innate worth. Oprah Winfrey summed up these actions in her 2018 Golden Globes speech stating, “Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I'm especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories.” And, the Women's March continues to propel feminist action into the awareness of pop-culture.

 

This panel seeks to contribute to this ongoing national conversation through considering texts recovering women’s voices overcoming sexual trauma. Of particular interest are papers discussing: memoir as a genre of healing and resistance; the role of writing in emotional recovery from sexual trauma; writing social justice, resistance, and protest; the influence of storytelling as an impetus for social change. Papers discussing the intersection of feminist theory and praxis will add substantially to this panel’s topic of women collaborating voices in resistance to abuse, resisting normalization of sexual misconduct, and advocating for a reframing of gendered stereotypes.

 

Please send your abstract of 250-300 words, biographical information (no longer than 60 words), and any A/V requirements to Nicol Epple, n.m.epple@iup.edu, by February 10th. Notifications will be delivered on February 12th in time for individual proposals to be sent to SSAWW directly if desired.

 

Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW) 2018 Triennial Conference in Denver, Colorado, November 7-11, 2018, “Resistance and Recovery across the Americas”

 

Categories: African-American, American, Memoir, Gender Studies and Sexuality, contemporary literature; Cultural Studies; Feminism; Trauma theory