8:49 PM
A number of intriguing calls for papers have come through my inbox lately, so I thought I'd post the most interesting-looking ones here. Anyone who reads this blog has to have somewhat similar interests...
SFF Critical Book on Doctor Who
The Unsilent Library: Adventures in New Doctor Who
Published by the Science Fiction Foundation
edited by Simon Bradshaw, Antony Keen, and Graham Sleight
The Science Fiction Foundation, which has published a number of books on sf (including The Parliament of Dreams: Conferring on Babylon 5 and Terry Pratchett: Guilty of Literature) is now seeking contributions for a new book, proposed for publication in 2010, on Doctor Who. This book will focus on the series' revival since 2005. Contributions are invited on all aspects of the new series, including its scripting, production, and reception, as well as links to the "classic" series. A variety of critical approaches/viewpoints will be encouraged.
Potential authors are asked to submit brief proposals (max. 250 words) for chapters by 1st March 2009. Final chapters (max. 6,000 words) will be due by 1st August 2009. Please send proposals to sjbradshaw@mac.com.
Contributions should follow the style guide at http://www.sf-foundation.org/publications/styleguide.html.
Worldcon 2009
The World Science Fiction Society invites papers for the academic track of the 2009 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon): Anticipation. This year's Worldcon returns to Canadian soil for the first time since 2003 and will be held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Québec (Canada) from Thursday 6 August through Monday 10 August, 2009. This is the first time for Montréal to host Worldcon and only the second Canadian city in Worldcon's lengthy history.
Science fiction has its roots in as much the anticipations of H. G. Wells's scientific romances as Jules Verne's voyages extraordinaires. Anticipation is also a commonly used French term for Science Fiction literature and has bilingual echoes. In honour of our location in the world's second-largest French-speaking city, the suggested theme for this year is "Anticipations in Science Fiction."
The Academic Track is pleased to present Special Keynote Speaker John Robert Colombo, one of the pioneering forces in Canadian SF. Other special guests at Worldcon include:
Guest of Honor: Neil Gaiman
Invitée d'honneur: Élisabeth Vonarburg
Artist Guest of Honour: Ralph Bakshi
Editor Guest of Honour: David Hartwell
Publisher Guest of Honour: Tom Doherty
Fan Guest of Honour: Taral Wayne
Master of Ceremonies: Julie Czerneda
The academic track welcomes fifteen-minute papers (in English or French) on a broad range of themes and topics related to science fiction. Please send 300 word abstract (including any audio-visual requirements) as a Rich Text Format file attachment to both Academic Track Division Heads (see below). Although the deadline is January 15, 2009, we will consider late submissions on a case-by-case basis.
Christine Mains: cemains@shaw.ca
Graham J. Murphy: grahammurphy@trentu.ca
SFRA 2009
SFRA 2009: Engineering the Future and Southern-Fried Science Fiction and Fantasy
June 11-14, Atlanta, GA (Wyndham Midtown Hotel)
Guest of Honor: Michael Bishop
Special Guest Authors: F. Brett Cox, Paul di Filippo, Andy Duncan,
Kathleen Ann Goonan, and Jack McDevitt
SFRA is currently accepting individual abstracts and panel proposal for its 2009 conference. We welcome paper and panel submissions that explore any aspect of science fiction across history and media and are particularly interested in those that engage one or both of the conference themes, "Engineering the Future" and "Southern-Fried Science Fiction and Fantasy," or the work of one or more of the conference's guest authors.
The 2009 conference's two themes and its selection of guest authors are inspired by the conference's location in Atlanta and its co-sponsorship by Georgia Tech's School of Literature, Communication, and Culture. Atlanta, a storied locale in American history, is also in many ways an international city of the future, home to 21st century information, entertainment, technological and military industries, peopled with 21st century demographics, and prone to 21st century situations.
How is the future engineered in science fiction and how has science fiction already engineered our present? The American south has long been well known for its gothic fiction, but it has increasingly figured in works of science fiction and fantasy too. So it is equally fitting to ask, how has the south been an inspiration of science fiction and fantasy and what will its global future in speculative arts and letters be?
The deadline for proposals is April 1, 2009 at midnight EST. Please submit paper and panel proposals by email to sfra2009@gmail.com. Include all text of the proposal in the body of the email (not as an attachment). Please be sure to include full contact information for all panel members and to make all AV requests within each proposal.
For more information, email
Thinking After Dark: Welcome to the World of Horror Video Games
The research group Ludiciné from the University of Montreal, in collaboration with the Research Group on the Creation and Formation of Cinematographic and Theatrical Institutions (GRAFICS) from the University of Montreal and the NT2 Laboratory on Hypermedia Art and Literature from the University of Quebec in Montreal, solicits your proposals for the bilingual (French/English) international conference titled Thinking after Dark: Welcome to the World of Horror Video Games. This conference will be held in Montreal from April 23 to 25, 2009.
Call for papers
As fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind (Lovecraft), human beings have always taken a malicious pleasure in frightening themselves. If literature and cinema were and still represent good means for the expression of horror, nowadays, the experience of fear is as intense in video games.
While academia has been studying horrific literature and films for a few decades, such an interest for the videoludic side of horror has not, until now, showed up. Yet, since the cinematic staging of fear in Alone in the Dark in 1992, Survival Horror has become a prolific genre offering a wide selection of significant games such as the Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame series. Because it is at the crossroads of diverse cultural heritages and the latest technological
developments, and because it exhibits the ins and outs of the matrix that governs all but a few games (spatial navigation and survival), horror video games require a deeper study.
This international conference wishes to study horror video games (not necessarily labeled survival horror) from an eclectic range of critical and theoretical perspectives. It aims to fill a gap in game studies between general theory and analysis of particular genres and games.
Possible Topics
Here are some examples of relevant themes we wish to explore in this conference:
Historical approach
- Origins and history of horror video games
- Impact of the technological evolution on horror video games
Theoretical approach
- Simulation of horror, fear, terror
- Narratives and themes of horror video games
Transmedial approach
- Transmedial study of horror video games (Games/Films/Literature)
- Remediation in films, literature and video games
Socio-cultural approach
- Transnational analysis of horror video games (United States/Japan)
- Social and cultural meanings of horror video games
- Horror video games and censorship
Analytical approach
- Aesthetics of horror video games (lighting, sound, editing, 1st/3rd person perspective)
- Study of specific games or series (Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, Fatal Frame, etc.)
The organizing committee remains open to proposals that respect the general spirit of this call for papers.
Please submit your proposals no later than January 15, 2009 at the following e-mail address:
Your proposal must include:
1. The title of your paper and an abstract (no more that 500 words).
2. Your academic status, your institutional affiliation, your department and your contact information (mailing address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address).
3. A short biography underlining your work related to the themes of the conference (no more than 250 words).
A selection of papers will be published in a special issue of Loading..., the journal of the Canadian Game Study Association.
For further information, please visit our website:
Organizing committee
Bernard Perron, Conference Head, Associate Professor, Department of Art History and Film Studies, University of Montreal
Martin Picard, coordinator, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
Richard Bégin, Invited Professor in Film Studies, Literatures Department, Laval University
Carl Therrien, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
Dominic Arsenault, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
Guillaume Roux-Girard, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
The Third Annual Science Fiction Foundation Masterclass
Location: University of Liverpool
Dates: June 10th, 11th and 12th, 2009
Class Leaders: Joan Gordon, Adam Roberts, Paul Kincaid.
The Science Fiction Masterclass is held in conjunction with the University of Liverpool. The aim of the Masterclass is to provide those who have a serious interest in sf criticism with the opportunity to exchange ideas with leading figures in the field, and also to use the SFF Collection.
The Masterclass will take place from June 10-12th at the University of Liverpool. Each full day of the Masterclass will consist of morning and evening classes, with afternoons free to prepare. Class leaders for 2009 will be Joan Gordon, Adam Roberts, and Paul Kincaid.
Applicants should write to Liz Batty at sff.masterclass@googlemail.com
Applicants must provide a short CV of either: academic credentials, essay/book publications, reviews and writing sample (this may be from a blog); all of these will be valued equally as we are looking for a mixture of experiences and approaches. A range of hotel recommendations will be forwarded to those accepted.
Applications will be assessed by an Applications Committee consisting of Peter Wright, Joan Haran, and Farah Mendlesohn.
Completed applications must be received by 31st January 2009.
R.D. Mullen Fellowship
Science Fiction Studies announces the R.D. Mullen Fellowship supporting research in the J. Lloyd Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Utopian Literature at the University of California at Riverside. Awards of up to $1500 are available to fund
research in the archive during the 2009-10 academic year. Students in good standing in graduate degree-granting programs are eligible to apply. We welcome applications from international students.
The Mullen Fellowship, named in honor of SFS's founding editor, promotes archival work in the Eatons extensive holdings, which include over 100,000 hardcover and paperback books, over 250,000 fanzines, full runs of all major pulp and digest magazines, and the manuscripts of prominent sf writers such as Gregory Benford, David Brin, and Anne McCaffrey. Other noteworthy parts of the Collection are: 500 shooting scripts of science fiction films; 3500 volumes of proto-sf boys books of the Tom Swift variety; works of sf in numerous foreign languages, including Chinese, Czech, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish; a large collection of taped fan conventions and taped interviews with American, British, and French writers; reference materials on topics such as applied science, magic, witchcraft, UFOs, and Star Trek; an extensive collection of anime and manga; and the largest holdings of critical materials on science fiction and fantasy in the United States. Further information about the Eaton Collection can be found online at: http://eaton-collection.ucr.edu.
Applications should include a cover letter explaining the candidates academic experience and preparation, a CV, a 2-3 page proposal outlining an agenda for research in the Eaton archive, a prospective budget detailing expenses, and two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the candidates academic work. Applications should be mailed to: Professor Rob Latham, Department of English, UC-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521-0323.
The deadline for submission is January 31, 2009. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of sf scholars, and successful applicants will be notified by March 1, 2009. Any questions should be addressed to Rob Latham at: rob.latham@ucr.edu.
Ars Electronica
The 23rd Prix Ars Electronica - International Competition for CyberArts is open for entries.
From its very inception in 1987, the Prix Ars Electronica has been conceived as an open platform for various disciplines at the intersection of art, technology, science and society. More than 3,000 submissions in 2008 have further enhanced the Prix Ars Electronica's reputation as an internationally representative competition honoring outstanding works in the cyberarts.
The aim of the competition is to continually keep the Prix Ars Electronica updated in line with leading-edge developments in the dynamic field of cyberarts.
This year, six Golden Nicas, twelve Awards of Distinction and approximately 70 Honorary Mentions as well as [the next idea] Art and Technology Grant and the Media.Art.Research Award are presented to participants. The 2009 winners will receive a total of 122,500 euros in prize money.
Prix Ars Electronica 2009
Online Submission Deadline: March 6, 2009
Contact: info@prixars.aec.at
Categories:
Computer Animation / Film / VFX
Digital Musics
Interactive Art
Hybrid Art
Digital Communities
[the next idea] Grant
Media.Art.Research Award
u19 - freestyle computing
More details about all categories and online submission are available only online at: http://prixars.aec.at
Please feel free to forward this to all interesting/ed parties.
With best regards,
Bianca Petscher
on the behalf of the Prix Ars Electronica 2009 Team
Hypertext 2009
The Twenty-First ACM Conference on Hypertext and Hypermedia
June 29th - July 1st, 2009, Torino, Italy
SCOPE
The ACM Hypertext Conference is the main venue for high quality peer-reviewed research on "linking." The Web, the Semantic Web, the Web 2.0, and Social Networks are all manifestations of the success of the link. The Hypertext Conference provides the forum for all research concerning links: their semantics, their presentation, the applications, as well as the knowledge that can be derived from their analysis and their effects on society.
Hypertext 2008, held in Pittsburgh, was a real success. The number of submissions and attendees was up, a successful Student Research Competition took place, and a rejuvenated social linking track added new ideas and connections to the traditional core of the conference.
IMPORTANT DATES
* Technical tracks paper submission deadline: February 2nd, 2009
* Notification to authors: March 16th, 2009
* Camera-ready (final papers to ACM): April 6th, 2009
LOCATION AND DATES
Hypertext 2009 will be held from June 29th to July 1st at the Villa Gualino Convention Center, on the hills overlooking Torino.
The capital of the Piedmont region, Torino lies at the foot of the Alps, the majestic mountains that hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.
First the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, then one of the European centers of baroque, today Torino is a dynamic city known for its industry, art and culture, sports, research and education, and cuisine.
The timing of Hypertext 2009 provides an excellent opportunity to visit Italy in conjunction with the International Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation, and Personalization in Trento (UMAP 2009 - http://umap09.fbk.eu/), and the International Workshop and Conference on Network Science in Venice (NetSci 2009 - http://www.netsci09.net/).
PROGRAM
Hypertext 2009 will feature two stellar keynote speakers: Lada Adamic (University of Michigan) is a noted scholar of social networking and the winner of the 2008 Engelbart Award; Ricardo Baeza-Yates is Vice-President of Yahoo! Research for Europe and Latin America, leading the labs in Spain, Chile, and Israel.
In the conference technical program, professionals from academia, industry, and the media will present innovative ideas and tools exploiting the broad range of links increasingly connecting people, information, communities, and structures. Research topics will be organized into three tracks:
track 1. Information Structure and Presentation (Chairs: Peter Brusilovsky and Cristina Gena)
track 2. People, Resources, and Annotations (Chairs: Andreas Hotho and Vittorio Loreto)
track 3. Hypertext and Community (Chairs: Mark Bernstein and Antonio Pizzo)
TRACK 3: HYPERTEXT AND COMMUNITY
Chairs:
* Mark Bernstein, Eastgate Systems, Inc. (UK)
* Antonio Pizzo, University of Torino (Italy)
The Hypertext and Community track will explore, examine, and reflect upon social cyberculture in electronic media, ranging from literary fiction and creative scholarship to blog and microblog networks, social sites, games, auctions, and markets. Topics will include:
* Hypertext literature
* Theory and practice of expression in wikis, weblogs, and social spaces
* Personal journals, weblogs, and social media
* Net art, literary hypertext, interactive fiction, and games
* Behavioral patterns of social linking
For additional information on the track and the Program Committee, please visit http://www.ht2009.org/track3.php
SUBMISSIONS
Papers must report new results substantiated by experimentation, simulation, analysis, or application. Authors are invited to submit papers presenting original, not previously published works. Submission categories may include regular research papers (max 10 pages) discussing mature work, and short papers (max 5 pages) describing preliminary results of on-going work or novel thought-provoking ideas.
All submissions should be formatted according to the official ACM SIG proceedings template (http://www.acm.org/sigs/publications/proceedings-templates) and submitted via EasyChair (http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ht2009). Accepted papers will appear in the Hypertext 2009 Conference Proceedings and also be available through the ACM Digital Library.
DEMOS AND INDUSTRIAL SESSION
Technical demonstration of new tools and innovative applications of hypertext are solicited. One-page demo descriptions, including a list of any required supporting equipment, should be sent to by e-mail to Giancarlo Ruffo, Demo Chair (ruffo@di.unito.it).
Important Demos Dates:
* March 30th, 2009: Submission of proposals
* April 15th, 2009: Notification to proposers
* June 29th, 2009: Demos day
ORGANIZATION
GENERAL CO-CHAIRS:
Ciro Cattuto (ISI Foundation, Torino) and Giancarlo Ruffo (University of
Torino)
PROGRAM CHAIR:
Filippo Menczer (Indiana University)
WORKSHOPS CO-CHAIRS:
Santo Fortunato (ISI Foundation, Torino) and Rossano Schifanella
(University of Torino)
TREASURER:
Roberto Palermo (ISI Foundation, Torino)
*sociopatterns blurb*
The attendees of Hypertext 2009 will also have a chance to experiment with applications mixing real-world data and on-line data. We will deploy active RFID tags in the badges of volunteers and we will run a data collection platform that provides the real-time relations of physical proximity between the attendees. The data collection and visualization systems will be provided by the SocioPatterns project (http://www.sociopatterns.org), and will expose API methods that allow developers to mash up real-world links between the attendees with other types of linking information from the Web.
