The Fan Studies Network

Slayage: The Journal of the Whedon Studies Association (slayageonline.com), the Whedon Studies Association, and co-conveners Rhonda V. Wilcox and Tanya R. Cochran solicit your proposal for the sixth biennial Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses (SCW6). This conference dedicated to the imaginative universe(s) of Joss Whedon—the Jossverse(s) or Whedonverse(s)—will be held on the campus of California State University-Sacramento, Sacramento, California, June 19-22, 2014. The university’s Alyson Buckman and Susan Fanetti are serving as local arrangements chairs.

We welcome a proposal of 200-300 words (or an abstract of a completed paper) on any aspect of Whedon’s television and web texts (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D; his films (Serenity, The Cabin in the Woods, Marvel’s The Avengers, Much Ado About Nothing); his comics (e.g. Fray, Astonishing X-Men, Runaways, Sugarshock!, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight and Season Nine); or any element of the work of Whedon and his collaborators. Additionally, a proposal may address paratexts, fandoms, or Whedon’s extracurricular—political and activist— activities, such as his involvement with Equality Now. We invite presentations from the perspective of any discipline: literature, history, communications, film and television studies, women’s studies, religion, linguistics, music, cultural studies, and others. In other words, multidisciplinary discussions of the text, the social context, the audience, the producers, the production, and more are all appropriate. Your proposal/abstract should demonstrate familiarity with already-published scholarship in the field, which includes dozens of books, hundreds of articles, and over a dozen years of the blind, peer-reviewed journal Slayage.

This gathering will mark the 10th anniversary of the first Slayage Conference. As a result, we are planning several special events and guests and giving particular attention to connections among Whedon and his collaborators, his works, and social activism.

An individual paper is strictly limited to a reading time of 20 minutes, and we encourage, though do not require, self-organized panels of three presenters. Proposals for workshops, roundtables, or other types of sessions are also welcome. Fill out the appropriate Word form provided on the Slayage website (slayageonline.com) and send as an email attachment. Submissions by graduate and undergraduate students are invited; undergraduates should provide the name, email, and phone number of a faculty member willing to consult with them (the faculty member does not need to attend). Please submit your proposal to Rhonda V. Wilcox and Tanya R. Cochran at <slayage.conference@gmail.com>. Submissions must be received by January 19, 2014. Decisions will be made by March 1, 2014.

Proposals must be submitted by January 19, 2014.