This panel will discuss the place of humour and laughter in African literatures and literatures from the African diaspora. What are the various ways in which humour manifests itself, and to what end? Diverse methodological approaches are welcome. Please send a 250-word proposal and a short bio. 

At their most basic level, sporting events are about numbers: wins and losses, percentages and points, shots and saves, clocks and countdowns. However, when it comes to sports narratives—the expert commentary before, during and after, the athlete interviews and press conferences, the fan debates around a television or in online forums, etc.—the stories quickly leave the realm of analytics and enter into mythos. The narratives we tell make sports so compelling. We shape athletes into heroes or scapegoats, Davids or Goliaths. We mold the sporting event into a comeback tale or a fall from grace. In other words, we make sports dramatic.

DEADLINE EXTENDED (New Deadline: May 1, 2018)

I welcome chapter proposals for an interdisciplinary collection on the life, oeuvre, and legacy of the famous nineteenth-century French Jewish actress Eliza Rachel Félix (1821-1858). Scholars in the fields of literary and cultural studies, theater, Jewish studies, history of art, journalism, etc. are encouraged to contribute the proposals. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

--Rachel as a Jewish actress

--Rachel as a tragedienne

--Rachel’s roles

--Rachel’s impact on the French theater

--Rachel’s influence on nineteenth-century actresses

--Rachel as a symbol of resistance and revolution

--Rachel as a national and international celebrity

"Aging and Theatre/Performance"