UPDATE: The Witching Hour: A Harry Potter Symposium (5/15/05; 10/6/05-10/10/05)

CALL FOR PAPERS: THE WITCHING HOUR
Salem, MA
October 6-10, 2005
Deadline: May 15, 2005
A Harry Potter Symposium presented by HP Education Fanon, Inc.

UPDATE: Keynote Speakers: Henry Jenkins, John Cech
Special Guests: Marleen Barr, Vicky Dann, Eliza T. Dresang, Tamora =
Pierce, Nancy Farmer, Charles de Lint, Ellen Datlow, Holly Black, =
Charles N. Brown =20

The Witching Hour is an interdisciplinary symposium designed to allow
scholars and adult enthusiasts of the Harry Potter series to gather and
share research. The conference programming will engage attendees in a =
broad
exploration and understanding of the Harry Potter texts and phenomenon, =
as
well as foster dialogue between academics and fans. The theme of the
symposium - as befits the season, locale and current tone of the series =
- is
choice, moral ambiguity and the darkness within everyone. While we shall
warmly receive submissions dealing with our theme, we wish to stress =
that we
welcome proposals on any and all topics - whether academic, creative or
fan - relating to Harry Potter, including examinations of writing, art =
and
young adult fantasy literature. Suggested topic tracks include, but are =
in
no way limited to:

Literary: critical issues concerning the novels themselves, as well as =
the
wider arena of children's and young adult literature, including =
structural
analysis, genre considerations, and the response of the academic
establishment and publishing industry

Social Sciences: critical responses to the texts through the lenses of
anthropology, sociology, psychology, folklore, and so forth

Education: The use and abuse of the novels in the classroom and =
libraries,
censorship controversies and teachers' and librarians' guides

Creative: Examinations of the writing or artistic creative process

Legal: Analyses of legal issues raised by the text of the novels, =
including
wizarding law as set forth therein, and legal controversies relating to =
the
phenomenon or the fan community

Fandom Studies: Studies of the fan response to the novels, including
discussions of specific fan activities (e.g., vidding, artwork and
fanfiction), and critical examinations of fanfictional tropes

Guides: Examinations of subjects such as the history of the wizarding =
world,
a beginner's guide to the online fandom, and an overview of the numerous
Harry Potter "companion" encyclopedias

Film: Critical responses to the Harry Potter films

Music: Studies of the use of music in the Harry Potter books, films and =
fan
culture, such as analyses of the John Williams score or an examination =
of
fans' musical activities

In addition to formal papers, The Witching Hour is seeking a variety of
presentation models, including pre-organized critical panels, round
table-style discussions, and craft-based workshops. We intend that the =
round
tables and workshops, in particular, focus on audience participation and
interaction. Finally, our website contains a list of panels for which we =
are
seeking participants.
Please visit our website, http://www.witchinghour.org, for more =
information
on these elements and the conference itself, as well as an overview of =
our
review process for submissions and biographies of our review board =
members.

All submissions must be made electronically via =
http://www.witchinghour.org
by May 15, 2005. Applicants should be prepared to provide a 400-500 word
abstract, a 50-100 word summary for program schedules, and a brief =
50-100
word personal biographical note. Presenters must be registered for the
conference by August 1, 2005. Please direct all queries regarding =
academic
programming to Catherine Tosenberger at programming_at_witchinghour.org.
To subscribe to our conference newsletter, please e-mail
updates_at_witchinghour.org.

HP Education Fanon, Inc. (HPEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
founded in 2002 to promote and produce educational, Harry Potter-themed
symposia on an international scale. HPEF produced its first event, =
Nimbus -
2003, in July 2003. More information can be found at
http://www.witchinghour.org/who/hpef.html.

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Received on Mon Feb 07 2005 - 17:09:55 EST