Gramma: Journal of Theory and CriticismCALL FOR PAPERS for Volume 31 (2026)

In an age of intense preoccupation with the self and self-representations of all types, it is relevant to explore the need for introspection and self-portrayal in relation to pain. Since pain--physical, emotional or both--is often an incentive for introspection, and writing about it can potentially facilitate the process of healing, this collection seeks to explore the multiple functions of self-reflexivity and self-representation in the face of adversity. Many autobiographies have been founded on the pain of loss, diaries have often traced the development of troubled mental states or physical illness, a large number of memoirs have focused on traumatic experiences, letters have been written to express intense emotions rooted in pain, and modern forms of self-representation in blogs and social media may combine all the above.

We would like to explore how various kinds of autobiographical writing process pain: Is suffering representable in language? Can the writing process help alleviate pain or does it prolong it, by necessitating a continuous focus on it? Does it hide or even repress it, as the attempt to verbalize pain might eventually intensify it? And what are the workings of memory when one is to recall pain inflicted in the past? Could we see the process of writing about pain as another version of “the talking cure”—“the writing cure”? Does the author of an autobiographical text become involved in a process of self-psychoanalysis, occupying at once the position of the patient and the psychoanalyst? And what are the effects of reading self-writings focused on pain? Could such texts trigger the readers’ engagement with their own traumas? Could this be one reason that these writings attract attention? And as these self-writings sometimes intend to help fellow sufferers or raise public awareness about e.g. wars and war crimes, oppressed groups or victims of specific forms of aggression, do they succeed?

We are looking for essays that address the above questions, as well as questions related to them, and we are particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches. Essays could explore self-writing about pain in autobiographies, memoirs, diaries, letters, blogs and social media platforms, in relation, but not restricted, to

theories of selfhood

gender and identity

trauma and affect theories

psychotherapy

memory

genocide, forced migration, the Holocaust

illness and disability

personality disorders

the sentimentalization and trivialization of negative experiences

publishing one’s traumas to gain fame, money, acceptance, forgiveness, etc.

We invite the submission of abstracts of 500 words, accompanied by select bibliography and a short bio (maximum of 250 words). These files should be sent to wordsofsuffering@yahoo.com by April 30th, 2025. Prospective contributors will be notified of the editors’ answer by May 30th, 2025. Complete essays (6,500-7,000 words) are to be submitted by September 30th, 2025.

Informal queries could be sent to Effie Botonaki (botonaki@enl.auth.gr) and Theodora Patrona (tpatrona@enl.auth.gr)

Journal Website: https://ejournals.lib.auth.gr/gramma/index