Diana Wynne Jones was one of the most outstanding 20th-century writers of British children’s fantasy. She is widely recognised among scholars, writers and fans of science fiction and fantasy as a truly ground-breaking writer who made a significant contribution to the genres in which she operated, and her death in 2011 was deeply mourned. This international conference will celebrate her life, and evaluate her contribution to children’s literature, fantasy and science fiction.

We are currently seeking papers on any aspect of Diana’s life and work, including but not limited to:

Her contribution to changing ideas of genre, audience, and form in fantasy and science fiction.
Her contribution to children’s literature, and her engagement with and empowerment of the child reader.
Her status as a female fantasy writer, and the ways in which she engaged with the gender discourse within fantasy and science fiction.
Publishing history and the commercial and creative forces affecting experimental and boundary-breaking work.
Translations of her books, and the international context and reception of her work.

In 2010, Diana donated her archive to Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books. The collection contains stories and other compositions written by Jones when she was a child; draft material relating to 49 published works by Jones, including novels and short stories; draft material relating to numerous unpublished works, including plays, novels and poetry; correspondence and personal papers, including professional correspondence; drafts of articles and talks by or about Jones; and copies of some of Jones' published works, including some foreign language editions. We are particularly interested in papers which make use of this material.

Participants are invited to submit 100-250 word abstracts for 20 minute papers via our online contact form.

Deadline for abstracts: 28 March 2014

Notification of outcome: 28 April 2014

Abstracts should be submitted in doc, docx, or odt format via our online contact form: http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=4895

You can explore the contents of the Diana Wynne Jones Collection via the Seven Stories catalogue: http://collection.sevenstories.org.uk/home/. Contact collections@sevenstories.org.uk to arrange access.

SW Popular Culture and American Culture Association conference. Proposals Due: November 1, 2013

Submit 250-word paper or full panel (title & 250-word abstract for each panelist) proposals at: http://conference2014.southwestpca.org

The conference on Popular and American Culture Studies: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow is issuing a CFP for papers or panel proposals on any aspect of stardom or fandom for their annual Conference, February 19 – 22, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is a great conference for fan studies scholars, grad students, and researchers from other disciplines doing related research to share their thoughts and inspire each other. See the link for suggested topics.

The Children and Childhood Studies Area of the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association (MAPACA) has issued a call for proposals for paper presentations, panels, roundtables, and alternative format presentations for the annual MAPACA conference in November 2013. The area is looking for topics related to the impact of popular culture on children and the role of children and young adults in creating and impacting American culture. Studies involving adult fans of work that is considered "for children" are also very welcome.

Proposals consisting of 300-word abstracts should be submitted via the MAPACA website no later than 14 June 2013. Proposals in other areas of popular culture are also welcome.