Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup for the month of July! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Events, Fan Gatherings, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world.
- The Almost Human fandom believes that Fox's decision to cancel Almost Human was disappointing, but they want to send the boys out in a blaze of creativity! The Almost Husbands Fic Challange is a mini Jorian fic and art challenge, with open posting throughout July. Slash and close friendship pieces welcome.
- Westercon is the "West Coast Science Fantasy Conference" held annually in the western part of the United States. Westercon 67 will take place in Sacramento, California from 3-6 July 2014. In addition to workshops and panels, the program features special guests, a masquerade and costume ball, an art show, musical events, and a writers workshop.
- Readercon is an annual conference or convention devoted to "imaginative literature" — literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the unclassifiable works often called "slipstream." Readercon features over 150 writers, editors, publishers, and critics, attracting prominent figures from across the U.S., and international. They are joined by some 600 of their most passionate and articulate readers for a long weekend of intense conversation. Readercon 25 is 10-13 July 2014 in Burlington, Massachusetts.
- Wolf's Bane The UK's second Teen Wolf convention, will be in Birmingham 11-13 July. The weekend will be complete with Guest Talks, Photo and Autograph sessions, Evening Entertainment and lots of fun! Guests include Holland Roden, JR Bourne, Daniel Sharman, Adam Fristoe, Seth Gilliam, Charlie Carver, and Max Carver.
- DashCon is an event on where Tumblr fans can gather and meet. Tumblr is a community so full of love, support, and creativity, and DashCon will be a place where they collaborate and connect outside of their laptops in Chicago 11-13 July 2014.
- System Administrator Appreciation Day is held to show appreciation for the work of systems administrators and other IT workers. It is celebrated on the last Friday in July. The first System Administrator Appreciation Day was celebrated on 28 July 2000. There are many suggestions for the proper observation of the holiday, the most common being cake and ice cream, so if you're reading this, thank your SysAdmins!
- Comic Con International returns to San Diego, California for its 45th year. This mult-media, multi-genre, multi-fandom convention features panels involving celebrities, entertainers, and creators from a diverse range of entertainment. Special events, autograph signings, an exhibition hall, and screenings of films and television episodes occur throughout the 4-day event. San Diego Comic-Con will run from 24-27 July.
Calls for Papers this month come from:
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“Manga Futures: Institutional and Fannish Approaches in Japan and Beyond” Manga Studies is now emerging as an important field of scholarship and criticism within Japanese Studies and Cultural Studies. Today’s students are not simply consumers of manga. They live in a convergent media environment where they occupy multiple roles as fans, students and “produsers” (producers + users) of Japanese cultural content. Many students are engaged in “scanlation” and “fansubbing” sites as well as the production and dissemination of dōjin (fan-produced) work. These practices contribute to manga’s global appeal, influence and ease of access, but also raise ethical and legal issues, not least infringement of copyright.
Invited proposals include, but are not limited to, the following themes: Fan appropriations of and contributions to manga culture in Japan and beyond, Ethical and legal challenges in the production and consumption of manga, Institutional support for or criticism of manga culture, The use of manga in Japan studies and Japan language pedagogy, The future of “manga studies” – theory and methods.
Due date for proposals: 13 July 2014
Help out a researcher!
This month we have received a request for research participation from Barbara Galiza, a masters student of Digital Culture & Society at King's College London. She is writing a thesis on the evolution of digital platforms used for fandom and is looking for participants to answer a survey. Her study was approved by the college's Research Ethics Office.
If you have any questions about her research, she may be contacted at barbara.galiza [at] kcl.ac.uk. Her supervisor is Btihaj Ajana who may be reached at btihaj.ajana [at] kcl.ac.uk and by telephone at +44 (0)20 7848 1011, or by mail at:
King's College London
Room 222, 26-29 Drury Lane
London WC2B 5RL
The research results will be presented at the Digital Research in Humanities and Arts conference in September and her completed dissertation will be published online and shared with the OTW.
If you have requests for research participation, please view our policy for inclusion at our website.
The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year!
