Literature and Global Popular Music 2027 Modern Language Association Adaptation Forum Call for Papers How does literature travel through global popular music? How do novels, poems, plays, and other literary forms resonate when translated into sound, lyrics, stage performance, music videos, and media circulation across borders?This guaranteed session invites studies of musical adaptations that illuminate the cultural, social, and political resonances of literary works. How do literary forms find new life in global popular music? In what ways do these adaptations reshape questions of identity, memory, translation, and power across national and linguistic boundaries?Possible topics include (but are not limited to): 

• Musical adaptations of canonical and non-canonical literary texts 
• Global circulation and localization of literary narratives through song 
• Intermediality and adaptation theory in popular music 
• Diasporic and transnational reinterpretations 
• Literary citation, sampling, and remix culture 
• Performance, embodiment, and the politics of voice 
• Industry, media, and the commodification of literary texts in music markets 

Interdisciplinary approaches from literary studies, adaptation studies, cultural studies, media studies, translation studies, and related fields are welcomed. Submission Guidelines: Please submit a 300-word abstract and a 100-word bio. Deadline for Submissions: Friday, March 6, 2026 Please send submissions and inquiries to: Nayoung Bishoff (nayoung.seo@gwu.edu)