The Society for the Study of the American Short Story seeks papers for a panel on the American graphic short story to be held at an international symposium on the short story. The conference will convene in Savannah, October 20-22, 2016, at the Hyatt Hotel.

A central focus of the symposium will be the expansion of the short-story genre through the discovery of new writers from all racial and ethnic groups, the development of innovative types of stories (flash fiction, micro-fiction, and other forms), the recovery of fiction published in languages other than English, and the reconsideration of the contributions of other writers to the expansion of the genre. Close readings of stories by any American author are appropriate as are broad discussions of historical periods and movements.  Examinations of the contributions of minority authors are especially welcome as are explorations of stories originally written in languages other than English.

While the graphic short story has achieved some prominence in the United Kingdom, particularly through the nearly nine year-old Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Prize, it remains a largely neglected genre in the United States. In the last ten years, however, acclaim for works such as Eleanor Davis’s How to Be Happy, Adrian Tomine’s Killing and Dying, and Sammy Harkham’s Everything Together: Collected Stories, works marketed as short-story comics and stories rather than as graphic novels, suggests that there is an emerging desire to better understand the formal innovations growing within the American tradition. This panel seeks to explore facets of the American graphic short story, and we welcome papers on form, definition, as well as close readings of individual narratives. Please send a one-page proposal that includes both a paragraph-length description of the paper and a brief CV of the reader to Robert Clark (robert.clark@ccga.edu). The deadline for submissions has been extended to July 1, 2016.

Please note that no audiovisual equipment will be available for the symposium. Speakers need not be members of the American Literature Association in order to be on the program.