DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEB. 2, 2025

Proposals for conference papers are now being accepted for "Taylor Evermore: A Swift Symposium," held in person at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on April 25-26, 2025. 

Taylor Swift has been referred to as “our modern Shakespeare,” placing her in conversation with the literary canon. Swift’s entire discography connects to, alludes to, and is inspired by writers across eras. From Coleridge, Wordsworth, Blake, and Baudelaire, to Plath, Cather, Austen, and Brontë, Taylor Swift’s discography ties invisible strings across literary history. This conference aims to assert Swift’s lyrics as “difficult poems” (Grossman) to recontextualize her body of work and other intense poetics.

Topics might include, but are not limited to: 

• Analyses of Swift's connections to other literary authors, texts, movements/eras, etc. 
• Critical interpretations of Swift's lyrics
• Examinations of Swift as a cultural text and/or counter-text
• Intersectionality: gender, class, disability, race, LGBTQIA+ representation, etc. 
• Pedagogical practices and applications of Swift

We welcome abstracts of 250 words maximum proposing 15-minute papers. 

Please submit your proposals by February 2nd, 2025 (previously 1/15) by 11:59 pm PST via this Google form: https://forms.gle/r4oLGLb59y78sijn8

This form will ask for the following: 

• Contact information and institutional affiliation (if applicable)
• a 250 word abstract
• a brief biographical statement

Please reach out to Josie Kochendorfer (bpsdc@iup.edu) and Kristin Mlay-Kuhns (dckfc@iup.edu) if you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to reading your submissions!