Welcome to the Literature & Madness community! We’re so happy you’re here and we want you take full advantage of the opportunities our new platform provides. Please read over the code of conduct so we can continue to ensure a safe and supportive space for all. Thank you for your dedication to the Popular Culture Association!

Call for Papers

The Literature and Madness section of the Popular Culture Association is soliciting 15-20 minute papers for the upcoming year’s annual PCA/ACA conference in Atlanta, GA, scheduled for 8-11 April 2026. Abstract submission runs 1 September 2025 through 30 November 2025.

Contributors are encouraged to think broadly about either or both terms of “literature” and “madness.”  For instance, madness can be addressed in its contemporary medical forms, as codified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), or it can be considered in any of the forms it has been assigned in other historical periods.  Likewise, literature can be viewed widely.  Past panels have included analysis of popular and canonical literary works and/or genres, but they have also included analysis of film, opera and musical theatre, song lyrics, instrumental music, single-media and multi-media art, and the cultural and economic conditions surrounding the production, publication, performance, and/or installation of such works.

Abstracts of 250-300 words must be submitted electronically on the PCA/ACA Web site, through the links and process detailed at https://pcaaca.org/.  Prospective contributors who have questions about submitting an abstract or who encounter difficulty with the electronic links and process on the PCA/ACA Web site should contact the Area Chair for the section:

Russ Pottle

Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Worcester State University

486 Chandler Street

Worcester, MA 01602

rpottle@worcester.edu

508.929.8493

Important Dates to Remember:

• Database opens for Submissions - Sept. 1, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Begins - Sept. 1, 2025
• Deadline for Paper Proposals - Nov. 30, 2025
• Travel Grant Applications Due - Dec. 15, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Ends for Presenters - Dec. 31, 2025
• Regular Registration Begins for Presenters - Jan. 1, 2026 
• Travel Grant Decisions / Notifications - Jan. 31, 2026
• Regular Registration Ends for Presenters - Jan. 31, 2026
• Late Registration Starts for Presenters - Feb. 1, 2026
• Preliminary Program draft available - Feb. 6, 2026

Those Presenters Not Registered by Feb. 15 Will be Dropped from the Program

CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, GA - April 8-11, 2026