Title: Almanac for the Anthropocene: A Compendium of Solarpunk Futures by Phoebe Wagner & Brontë Wieland

Under contract for Salvaging the Anthropocene series from West Virginia University Press: https://wvupressonline.com/series/salvaging_the_anthropocene

The Handmaid's Tale was originally published in 1985 and was critically acclaimed. It is a novel that has consistently been considered one of Margaret Atwood's best. However, though it was made into a movie in 1990, The Handmaid's Tale has never been more prominent and recognized than it has been since the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

As Chinua Achebe's second novel, No Longer at Ease, first published in 1960, arrives at its 60th anniversary, scholars have an opportunity to reassess its significance not only for African literature, but also for world literature in general. The story is set in the 1950's and richly depicts the cultural tensions of African societies nearing independence from Great Britain. It forecasts both the optimism and the disappointment that would characterize post-independence Africa. In dramatizing the fortunes of the Okonkwo family in rural Nigeria and Lagos, No Longer at Ease forms a sequel to Achebe's first and most famous novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), but is not as widely read and discussed as its predecessor.

Conference Information:

November 7-9, 2019

Pittsburgh Marriott City Center

112 Washington Place

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

https://mapaca.net/conference

Word Count: 300 words

The Disability Studies Area of the MAPACA, a regional organization of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (PCA/ACA), seeks papers for a panel on the intersection of Disability Studies with the Horror Genre. One of the most influential strains of Disability Studies has been critical approaches to media such as literature and film. Disabled characters abound in the horror genre, and disability often features as a thematic focus.

The edited collection, Familial Influences on Superheroes, will examine the role that the family plays on the development of the superhero as portrayed in radio, comics, graphic novels, television series, and feature films.  Many superheroes have experienced the trauma of losing (a) parent(s), which sets them apart from others.  Thus, the individuals that the superheroes gravitate towards become an integral part of their lives, to the point where they form a necessary and vital “familial network” of connections that would either replace those that were lost or never fully established.  This network ranges from “substitute” parents/guardians as well as siblings and relatives, to significant others and even more extended members comprising superher

Roundtable: Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Community College Professor in NeMLA

This roundtable invites faculty at community colleges, junior colleges, vocational colleges and other two-year institutions to discuss the challenges and rewards that come with attending and presenting at academic conferences. With a focus on NeMLA itself, we would like to hear how NeMLA is doing in this regard: what successes or frustrations have you experienced here? What will you do differently or hope to do similarly in future? The goal of this roundtable will be to begin a conversation about these issues, and perhaps leave with concrete goals for the CAITY Caucus to pursue in supporting faculty from two year institutions within NeMLA.