cfp.english.upenn.edu

The subject matter

As a result of the successful call for papers for an upcoming MLA conference panel on fame in adolescent and children’s literature, we are accepting abstracts of 500 words for a proposed anthology on the topic. Essays devoted to one of the following themes will be considered (as will relevant, original themes not listed below):

• The dangers of fame
• The child as celebrity (whether wanted or unwanted fame)
• The child and infamy
• The YA author and celebrity
• Fame as the new "normal" (what is "normal" when fame becomes
the norm--sexting, YouTube, viral videos, Facebook, etc.? Is
there such thing as celebrity when everyone has it?)
• Mediums of fame (how does fame, and the famous, perpetuate
itself or themselves?)
• Metafame (fame-perpetuating books like Hunger Games/Harry
Potter/Gossip Girl that are, themselves, treatises on fame, media,
etc.)
• Is celebrity inherently "bad"?
• Authorial intent, message, and the child reader

Emailed submissions should be original in scope and not previously published or under review for publication. Submit proposals to both editors at jguillard@vcu.edu & n.wilson@wayne.edu for review.

The editors
Nicole Wilson, Ph.D., (Wayne State University) and Julianne Guillard, Ph.D., (Virginia Commonwealth University) will edit the collection. Dr. Wilson will convene the 2013 MLA Children’s Literature Association endorsed panel on fame; Dr. Guillard’s research interests include the author as celebrity & pop culture.

They can be reached at n.wilson@wayne.edu ; jguillard@vcu.edu.

Deadlines

Abstract (500 words) submission due: Sept. 1 2012
Notification of accepted abstracts: Nov. 1 2012
Full papers returned to editors (3,000-6,000 words): Feb. 1 2013