cfp.english.upenn.edu

What is the state of queerness in Caribbean literature and criticism in the early twenty-first century? Do Caribbean writers now find it possible to explore a more diverse range of sexual identities and experiences than formerly; is there a new wave of voices breaking the silence that Michelle Cliff both acknowledged and challenged in the 1980s? This panel will examine queer presences (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, androgynous, hermaphrodite) in Caribbean literature. It seeks both discussions of texts that explicitly present queer characters and engage queer experience, and interesting re-readings of texts not commonly placed within this rubric. Papers (in English) on texts from the francophone and hispanophone Caribbean particularly welcome. Please send 300-word abstracts in body of email to Rachel Mordecai, mordecai@english.umass.edu.