The Societas Ovidiana welcomes proposals for a virtual panel to be held at the International Congress on Medieval Studies (ICMS) on May 8-10, 2025.

Given the global turn in medieval studies, it is important to reconsider the place of ancient authors beyond the sphere of European reception.

This panel invites global perspectives on the medieval reception of Ovid.

Proposals might consider, but are not limited to the topics of:

SEL Studies in English Literature 1500–1900 Themed Issue (64.1, Winter 2026):
“Reproduction without Bodies, Bodies without Reproduction”

CALL FOR PAPERSRoundtable: “Slowly Engaging with the Indigenous Turn” (in person)
60th International Congress on Medieval StudiesKalamazoo, MichiganMay 9-10, 2025  In 2020, Bitterroot Salish scholar Tarren Andrews, in discussing the recent Indigenous turn in medieval studies, asks medievalists to “slow down” their engagement with Indigenous studies, “to be more deliberate, to be thoughtful, and to consider first the ethics of kinship and reciprocity that we owe Indigenous peoples, places, and communities who have labored to craft Indigenous studies as an academic field” (2).

CALL FOR PAPERSPanel: “Red Reading the Premodern” (hybrid)
60th International Congress on Medieval StudiesKalamazoo, MichiganMay 9-10, 2025 This panel takes up Cherokee scholar Scott Andrews’ 2018 challenge to interpret (non-Indigenous) literature from Indigenous perspectives, an approach that he labels a 'Red Reading,’ and extends it to premodern texts. Red Reading allows us to reconsider premodern texts, divorcing them from engrained approaches towards a plurality of perspectives.

Violence in elections is a critical issue that threatens the very fabric of democracy. To address this challenge, we are compiling a comprehensive book titled "Democratic Harmony: Techniques for Eliminating Violence in Elections." This book aims to explore various strategies, approaches, and techniques that can promote peaceful and harmonious elections, ultimately leading to stronger democracies.

We invite researchers, scholars, practitioners, and experts in the field to contribute chapters to this important publication. The book will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, electoral stakeholders, academics, and anyone interested in fostering democratic harmony and ensuring violence-free elections.

Sub-Themes

Genre and Video Games - Science Fiction

We are seeking short chapters of approximately 2500-2700 words for an edited collection on literary genres in video games. We invite submissions for the “science fiction” category of the collection.  

Genre and Video Games - Fantasy

We are seeking short chapters of approximately 2500-2700 words for an edited collection on literary genres in video games. We invite submissions for the “fantasy” category of the collection.  

Genre and Video Games - Gothic and Horror

We are seeking short chapters of approximately 2500-2700 words for an edited collection on literary genres in video games. We invite submissions for the “Gothic and Horror Fiction” category of the collection. 

This year’s 50th anniversary of the publication of Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, led to a celebration of the writer’s half century of popularity, along with his garnering ever-increasing attention and acclaim from literary circles. Margaret Atwood’s essay in The New York Times this March spoke of the book’s prescient themes, while underscoring how King’s nearly 80 texts continue to be ahead of the curve in terms of their all-inclusive progressive themes, stating:

As audience interest in late-night talk shows and glossy print magazines dwindles, a group of internet-based series now provides celebrities the platform to promote their newest project and allegedly “reveal” more of themselves. These series use different techniques to produce revelatory moments tailor-made for social media circulation. First We Feast/Complex’s Hot Ones and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date maximize cringe, whether by the guest’s physical pain generated by spicy wings or their interpersonal torment produced by Dimoldenberg’s awkward questioning.

Conference 5-6- December 2024: in-person (Gdansk, Poland) and online (via Zoom)  

Scientific Committee:

Conference 5-6 December 2024: in-person (Gdansk, Poland) and online (via Zoom)  Scientific Committee:
Professor Wojciech Owczarski – University of Gdańsk, Poland
Professor Polina Golovátina-Mora – NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology


CALL FOR PAPERS:

In our modern world, which some have argued to be disjointed while immersing itself ever deeper in crisis, the turning back towards “the olden days” and the ensuing nostalgia constitute a noticeable phenomenon, both individually (the memory of biogra

If Horatio’s famous quote “Ut pictura poiesis” seems incontrovertible when we look at William Blake’s illuminated books, “Ut musica poiesis” could be the next unquestionable truth when one comes across the thousands of musical renderings inspired by Blake’s verses.

Messengers from the Stars is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, offering academic articles, reviews, and providing an outlet for a wide range of creative work inspired by Science fiction and Fantasy. The 2025 issue will be dedicated to the following theme:

‘Getting Medieval’: Fantasy and the Middle Ages