Conferences and Announcements
Check here to find news and announcements relating to CCL and CCL members. Also listed here will be information about conferences, calls for papers, and other happenings that may be of interest to anyone exploring various themes in Christianity and literature.
CCL Election Results
The newly elected officers who will serve on CCL's Board of Directors in 2012 are as follows (unlisted positions will continue to be filled by the current officer):
President: Roger Lundin, Professor of English, Wheaton College, roger.lundin@wheaton.edu
Treasurer: Scott LaMascus, Oklahoma Christian University, scott.lamascus@oc.edu
Midwest Regional Representative: Avis G. Hewitt, Grand Valley State University, hewitta@gvsu.edu
Southwest Regional Representative: Evan Jay Getz, Houston Baptist University, egetz@hbu.edu
Southeast 2012 Regional Conference
Anderson University, Anderson, South Carolina
April 12-14, 2012
The 2012 Southeast Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature invites the submission of papers that explore interpretations and manifestations of God's Grace in literature, with particular interest in the works of Flannery O'Connor.
Proposals from undergraduates and proposals for projects exploring other intersections between faith and literature are also welcome. Presenters should be members in good standing with the Conference on Christianity and Literature. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Ralph Wood of Baylor University.
Please send 400-500 word abstracts (preferably via email) to Dr. Margaret Wooten. The deadline to submit an abstract is Friday, January 20, 2012
For more information, contact Dr. Wooten at (864) 231-2162 or mwooten@andersonuniversity.edu.
Western 2012 Regional Conference
Belief and Unbelief in Postmodern Literature
Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington
May 24-25, 2012
Keynote Speakers: Amy Hungerford, Yale University, author of Postmodern Belief: American Literature and Religion since 1960 (Princeton, 2010); Kathryn Lofton, Yale University, author of Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon (University of California, 2011)
In recent years, the so-called “New Atheists”—Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens—have taken up the cudgels against religious belief. At the same time, the “New Atheist Novel” (to borrow the title of Arthur Bradley and Andrew Tate’s new book) has made its debut as a genre, thanks to the efforts of sympathetic writers like Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie, and Philip Pullman.
And yet religious belief is far from dead. Among the many contemporary manifestations of popular religion, there is the phenomenon of Oprah Winfrey and her congregation of faithful viewers—the subject of a new book by Kathryn Lofton. And Amy Hungerford has examined the nature of “postmodern belief” in the work of Allen Ginsberg, Don DeLillo, Cormac McCarthy, and Toni Morrison, among other post-1960 writers.
While we specifically invite papers on literature of the post-1960 era, we welcome papers on belief and unbelief in older literary works as well. We also welcome proposals for entire sessions from prospective session organizers.
Email one-paragraph abstracts and session proposals by December 15, 2011, to:
Dr. Mark Walhout
Department of English
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, WA 98119
phone: (206) 281-2981
email: mwalhout@spu.edu
web site: spu.edu/depts/english/ccl
Located in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, Seattle Pacific University is just minutes away from downtown Seattle, Lake Union, Discovery Park, the University of Washington, and, of course, innumerable coffee shops.
South-Central 2012 Regional Conference
The Bible in Literature
New Orleans, Louisiana
May 26-27, 2012
Paper presentations and creative writing on any aspect of the theme—allusions to the Bible, biblical themes and narratives, biblical figures and types, etc.—are welcome. Length should be about 8 pages (15-20 minutes). Please send proposals (1-page abstract) to Dr. Claudia Champagne at cchampagne@olhcc.edu by January 31, 2012 (acceptance sent by February15). Presentations at SCCCL 2012 will be limited in number in order that all sessions may be plenary, so selection of proposals will be competitive.
The conference will take place at Hampton Inn Downtown/French Quarter, 226 Carondelet Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. Registration ($75) and hotel reservations ($129 per night) must be completed by April 25, 2012 (no extensions). All participants must be members of the Conference on Christianity and Literature by April 25, 2012 ($35 regular membership/$30 graduate students). Travel grants are available from CCL for graduate students.
SCCCL 2012 is sponsored by the Department of English, History, and Mathematics of Our Lady of Holy Cross College, New Orleans, Louisiana, A Ministry of the Marianites of Holy Cross.
Midwest 2012 Regional Conference
The Public Life of Literature
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
April 18-20, 2012
Featured Speaker: Marilynne Robinson, author of Housekeeping, Gilead, Home, Mother Country, The Death of Adam, and Absence of Mind
For its 2012 Midwest Regional Meeting, the Conference on Christianity and Literature (CCL) solicits papers and panel proposals that address the conference’s theme: The Public Life of Literature. Such papers might consider, for instance, whether literature can function as public testimony, whether story can preach without becoming preachy, whether confessional poetry embraces or eschews repentance, or the like. Papers and panels focused on pedagogy or texts written in world languages are most welcome, too, as are papers that examine the work of any of the Festival of Faith and Writing’s 2012 participants, including Newbery winner Clare Vanderpool; poets Li-Young Lee and Maurice Manning; graphic novelist Craig Thompson; novelists and essayists Marilynne Robinson, Walt Wangerin, and Jonathan Safran Foer; or memoirists G. Willow Wilson and Mark Richard. For a complete list of the writers taking part in the Festival, see www.calvin.edu/festival.
Scholars writing about any of the Festival of Faith and Writing’s featured authors may also submit their papers for the Festival’s academic track. Such papers should be fitted to the Festival’s constituents, who tend to be serious lay readers rather than specialists. Those who want their papers considered for the Festival’s academic track must submit their manuscripts in full. For those proposals intended for the CCL, an abstract of 200-300 words will suffice. The CCL will also jury papers for an undergraduate track of panels; students interested in this track should send complete 10-page papers, labeled “undergraduate,” to the organizers.
All participants must be members of, or join, the CCL as well as register for the conference. Those delivering papers at the Festival of Faith and Writing must additionally register for the Festival. We heartily invite all members of the CCL, though, to attend both the Conference’s regional meeting and the Festival of Faith and Writing. To that end, all CCL members who register for the Midwest conference will receive discounted registrations to the Festival. Graduate students may also apply for a small travel grant. For a complete run-down of membership and registration fees, see www.calvin.edu/festival after August 15, 2011.
Please submit abstracts and papers to cclconference@calvin.edu no later than November 1, 2011.
See the conference poster here.
Northeast 2011 Regional Conference
Ecocriticism and Christianity in Literature
Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts
October 21-23, 2011
We invite you to submit a proposal for our upcoming conference on Ecocriticism and Christianity in Literature to be held at Regis College, Weston, MA, October 21-23, 2011. Please submit a 250-word abstract no later than July 15, 2011. Papers can be from any period of literature and on works of literature written in languages other than English, but all papers must embrace an ecocritical approach in the context of Christianity.
Participants must be current members of the Conference on Christianity and Literature. Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to participate.
Please email (by July 15) your proposals (individual 20-minute papers or several papers in a 75-minute session) to MAV@regiscollege.edu and vetterma@comcast.net.
Joan Hallisey and Mary-Anne Vetterling
Co-Chairs, Biennial Northeast Regional Meeting of Christianity and Literature, 2011
The Moviegoer at Fifty
Call for Papers for a Session Hosted by The Walker Percy Center for Writing and Publishing at Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University, New Orleans, LouisianaOctober 14-16, 2011
Keynote Speaker: Jay Tolson
Proposals: We welcome both session proposals and individual paper abstracts addressing any topics relevant to Walker Percy, The Moviegoer and pertinent contexts.
Please send two-page session proposals and/or one-page individual paper abstracts by May 31, 2011 to wpc@loyno.edu. For a complete description of the conference, please go to our website: http://loyno.edu/wpc/call-papers
Please direct any questions to:
Dr. Mary McCay, Director : (504) 865-3389 email: wpc@loyno.edu
Rhoda Faust, Administrative Assistant: (504) 864-7041 email: wpc@loyno.edu
We hope you will join us!
Christianity and the Literature of the Global South
Call for Papers for a Session sponsored by Christianity and Literature at the MLA in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
January 5-8, 2012
Call for Papers for a Session sponsored by Christianity and Literature at the MLA in Seattle. Proposals requested (in English) on aspects of Christianity in the literature of the Global South (Southern U.S., Caribbean, Latin America, Australia, Africa, etc.). Your paper might be focused on Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Saints (even a particular saint), the Bible, the mixture of the sacred and the profane, priests, nuns, Christianity vs indigenous religions, etc. Title, abstract, CV by March 15, 2011; Mary-Anne Lee Vetterling (mav@regiscollege.edu) and Mary-Anne Vetterling (vetterma@comcast.net).
West 2011 Regional Conference
Transformative Journeys: Literature, Faith, and Metamorphosis
Vanguard University of Southern California, Costa Mesa, California
April 7-9, 2011
Over 90 people attended the 2011 conference at Vanguard University from April 7-9. Participants included scholars from Hong Kong, Japan, British Columbia, the American South, Southwest, and East Coast. Jeff Hittenberger served as the keynote speaker at one of two plenary sessions. Live vocal and acoustic performances provided by the music department enhanced the cultural atmosphere, along with readings of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. About two dozen undergraduates presented or attended this year from three different campuses. Our twenty-five panel sessions and 77 presenters reflected an array of visionary global cultures and regional transformations in celebration of Christian journeys.
Southwest 2011 Regional Conference
Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, TX
September 29-October 1, 2011
We are delighted to host the 2011 SWCCL meeting at Hardin-Simmons University (Abilene, Texas, September 29-October 1, 2011). See our CALL FOR PAPERS for details regarding themes and our featured guests: www.hsutx.edu/swccl . We are excited about our themes, but off-theme papers and creative works regarding Christianity and Literature are also invited. We encourage your students—graduate and undergraduate—to submit abstracts of their best work, and we hope you will share this CALL with interested colleagues in other disciplines and institutions. (Deadline for abstract submission: May 30, 2011.)
Abilene is an easy two-hour drive (on Interstate-20) from Fort Worth. It is also served by several American Eagle flights each day, all originating from DFW. Our faculty and students look forward to showing off our beautiful campus and west Texas hospitality.
Address abstracts and program questions to Traci Thompson, Associate Professor of English; Head, Department of English
325-670-1305
tthomp@hsutx.edu
Download the Call for Papers poster here
New CCL Officers Announced
New officers and directors have been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Conference on Christianity and Literature. They are:
Secretary: Mark Eaton, Azusa Pacific University
Director-at-Large: Patricia Ward, Professor Emerita, Vanderbilt University
Southeast Director: William Tate, Covenant College
Mideast Director: Jeanne Murray Walker
All terms begin January 1, 2011. The Secretary is elected to a two-year term, while the directors are elected for three-year terms.
Southeast 2011 Regional Conference
Faith and the Supernatural
Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia
April 7-9, 2011
Throughout history, we have used stories about the supernatural to better understand faith--to better understand what to believe in and what it means to believe. The 2011 Southeast Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature invites the submission of papers that explore the various intersections of faith and the supernatural in literature. Potential areas of exploration might include:
• Religious issues in literary genres that include the supernatural: the epic, medieval romance, the Gothic, magical realism, etc.
• Issues of faith in paranormal fiction (stories about vampires, werewolves, Olympians, or other paranormal characters)
• Angels, miracles, spiritual visions, etc. in literature
• Faith and/or religion in the genre of fantasy
• Christian responses to literature featuring magical or supernatural elements
• Challenges to teaching the supernatural in literature from a Christian perspective
• Faith and the supernatural in texts from popular culture, including film and television
Proposals from undergraduates, proposals on literature not written in English, and proposals for projects exploring other aspects of Christianity and literature are also welcome. Presenters should be members in good standing with the Conference on Christianity and Literature.
Deadline to submit a proposal has been extended to January 31, 2011. Please send either 400-500 word abstracts of individual papers or complete papers to Susannah Clements (sclements@regent.edu). Upon acceptance, submission of complete papers suitable for 15-20 minute presentation will be required by March 7, 2011. Download a copy of the Call for Papers here.
For more information, please see the conference website at https://www.regent.edu/acad/undergrad/general/christianity-and-literature/home.cfm.
South-Central 2011 Regional Conference
Sin, Piety, and Celebration in Literature and the Arts
New Orleans, Louisiana
February 11-12, 2011
Paper presentations and creative writing on any aspect of the theme—including Carnival (Mardi Gras), holiday celebrations (religious or secular), revelry of any kind, festivals, and sacred rituals—are welcome. Length should be about 8 pages (suitable for a presentation of 15-20 minutes). Download a copy of the Call for Papers here. For more information, contact Dr. Claudia Champagne at cchampagne@olhcc.edu.
SCCCL 2011 will be held at the New Orleans Hampton Inn Downtown/French Quarter, 226 Carondelet Street and is sponsored by the Department of English, History, and Mathematics of Our Lady of Holy Cross College.
The Hospitable Text: New Approaches to Religion and Literature
London Notre Dame Centre, United Kingdom
July 14-16, 2011
This conference is being sponsored by the Conference on Christianity and Literature, Literature and Theology, Religion and Literature, the University of Notre Dame, and the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship. Plenary lecturers will include: Rowan Williams, Julia Reinhard Lupton of the University of California, Irvine, and and John Schad of Lancaster University.
Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in the relationship between religion and literature, with the broader critical turn to religion in the arts and humanities helping invigorate an interdisciplinary field that has been well served through the work of journals such as Christianity and Literature, Religion and Literature and Literature and Theology. Recognizing the importance of talking further about our different approaches to the field, this conference will bring together a wide variety of scholars in order to enable and enrich contemporary explorations of religion and literature.
See the Hospitable Texts website for details about travel, accomodation, and more.
Midwest 2011 Regional Conference
The Limits of Understanding: Encountering Mystery
University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, IndianaSeptember 22-24, 2011
Guest Speaker: Dr. John Alvis, University of Dallas
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Adam Deville, University of St. Francis
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” writes St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:7). This conference explores literature’s engagement with that “which passes all understanding.” How have humans found rest and peace in the embracing of mystery? How have they wrestled with that which cannot be grasped? How have they rebelled? Surrendered? Resigned themselves? From the mysticism of Saint Francis to the rebellious inquisitiveness of Faust, all human responses to the mystery at the heart of life are of interest.
Abstracts and/or proposals of 250-500 words should be submitted by May 30, 2011. Papers and readings should be about 15-20 minutes. Scholarly studies from a variety of theoretical perspectives are welcome, as is creative writing in all genres. Creative pieces should be submitted in full.
All proposals should be sent as Word document attachments to Dr. Mark Buechsel at mbuechsel@sf.edu. Anyone interested in leading a session should also e-mail Dr. Buechsel. Please contact Angela Springer at aspringer@sf.edu for registration form and hotel information. The regional meeting is being sponsored by the Department of English and Foreign Languages, University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
For the registration form and more information, see our conference website at http://www.sf.edu/sf/ccl.
Mideast 2011 Regional Conference
The Deeds of Love in the Service of Peace
University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
October 28-29, 2011
In Christian tradition love it is not an attitude, a relation, a feeling, or a condition sufficient unto itself. Love requires action, deeds. Sometimes, great deeds and other times, small ones, hidden from view, invisible but effective no less. Christian tradition also promises a messiah who will bring peace, whose kingdom is the most peaceable. While this implies a kingdom ordered by love, Jesus is still the Prince of Peace and not the Prince of Love--at least in the prophet Isaiah.
For the Fall 2011 meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature we invite papers that address the relation of love and peace in literature, and we welcome proposals engaging a variety of perspectives, periods, critical approaches, and religious traditions. We also welcome proposals for papers on any aspect of the relationship between literature and Christianity. Proposals to read creative writing are invited as well.
To propose a paper, please submit a 250-word abstract. Proposals for creative readings should include a 250-word description of the work and a 3-page sample. All proposals should be sent by e-mail to molly.sexton@notes.udayton.edu by July 1, 2011 (deadline extended).
Download a copy of the call for papers, and consult the conference website for conference updates.
Walker Percy: Science and Literature
Christian Scholars Conference
Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
June 16-18, 2011
Proposals are being accepted for this Christian Scholars Conference session, which will examine Walker Percy's dialogue with science, either in his novels or in his published essays. Percy studied to be a physician and became a novelist. Much of his fiction aimed to confront “scientism,” a belief that only science provides knowledge about the universe. He worried that people are unable to recognize the limits of scientific knowledge, and thus, they depend on it even to define the self.
The Call for Papers has been extended to February 15, 2011. Submit an abstract of 250-500 words by February 15, 2011. Submissions should be Word documents and sent as attachments by email to Dr. Jessica Hooten at jhooten@umhb.edu. Notice of acceptance of your paper will be provided by March 1, 2011.
Travel Grants
CCL offers grants to help cover travel expenses to scholars and writers and who are members of the Conference on Christianity and Literature and need financial support to help cover travel needed to support research and writing. More details and applications are on the Scholar Travel Grant Page.
CCL is also offering graduate-student members travel grants of up to $500 to meet travel expenses and registration fees for regional CCL meetings and the annual meeting of CCL at the MLA convention. More details are on the Graduate Student Grant page.
Information about all CCL regional organizations