cfp.english.upenn.edu

• A one-day conference at Sheffield Hallam University on June 24th 2011

• It could be said that the narrative voice is the most important feature of the successful short story, that plot, character and dialogue can be dispensed with, but the voice is everything. Although he wouldn't agree with this statement, Frank O'Connor called his book about the short story The Lonely Voice, recognising the importance of the speaker.
The short form is less neglected in academia than it once was, but tends, nevertheless, to be included in courses as an afterthought. The Story campaign, supported by the BBC and the Booktrust, has done much to raise the profile of the form in recent years. It seems timely to bring scholars together with writers and publishers, to share ideas, theory, criticism and experience.

Papers are invited from all disciplines on the short story as a form, or genre. Topics might include:
• Narration and Gender
• Narration and Class
• Narration and Nation
• Narration and perspective
• Narration and closure
• Narrative rule-breaking
• The death of the reliable narrator
• The story and the lyric
• The short story in the marketplace
• The short story in the academy
• The short story in the writers' group

Please submit 300 word proposals by February 14th 2011, to: Felicity Skelton, Room 1123 Owen Building, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 1WB.
f.skelton@shu.ac.uk