cfp.english.upenn.edu

This year the conference will be held in lovely St. Louis, Missouri from March 31 to April 3 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel St. Louis, 800 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri(314) 621 9600
1 (800) HOTELS-1 (800 468-3571). Please see the official web-site for more information at http://www.pcaaca.org/conference/national.php.

Contemporary Southern literature remains a growing area for further/future discussion(s) and criticism(s) within the context of society. This CFP seeks contributors offering a wide variety of interpretations and criticisms of contemporary Southern literature and culture against the backdrop of popular culture and postmodern society, although other approaches are also solicited. Presentations covering a broad range of Southern literature pieces, critical approaches, and cultural interpretations are welcome; presentations should be developed for a 15-minute reading.

●Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
• Any new and rising Southern literary work
• Contrasts between Flannery O'Connor's and other contemporary author's work
• Explication of canonical work
• Film and television work depicting Southern Culture
● Southern literature in the age of postmodernism
● Gender roles in contemporary work
● Religion and/or feminist themes
●Southern Nostalgia and History
● New readings of traditionally-accepted Southern literature
● Film explications (discussion of traditionally “southern” elements)
● Anything dealing with Southern literature or culture
● Comparative readings.
●Home Remedies
●Legends
●Biography

These are only suggestions, and all approaches and subjects are welcome and appreciated. Film, art, archival histories, oral histories, anything, basically, is open to discussion. The goal is to learn more about the South and its parameters.
Please be open and creative with the items you propose; all submissions concerning popular culture are considered. Additionally, if you have a panel that deserves special attention, please let me know in your letter or email so I can recommend it to the PCA administration. Basically, anything dealing with the South is fair game—film, novels, stories, poetry, theory, recipes, etc., anything remotely Southern fits the bill!

Please submit a no more than a 250-word abstract to Dr. Christopher Bloss, Area Chair, by December 20, 2009. Contributors will be notified by email within two business days of submission. The conference takes place March 31 through April 3. Please submit an email abstract (Word or RTF only) to: chris.bloss@gmail.com.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or require additional information.
• Graduate students are highly encouraged to apply. This is not simply a forum for seasoned professionals, although they are also welcome, but a place to experience the art of scholarly presentation in a comfortable environment. Information about hotel reservations and conference registration may be found at the conference web-site. Check the conference web-site as the time grows closer at http://pcaaca.org/conference/national.php
Please provide title of paper, school affiliation (if any), email address, and phone number. These will only be used in case we absolutely need to contact you.
Sincerely,
Chris,
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Dr. Christopher R. Bloss