Welcome to the Stephen King 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 co-chairs of the Stephen King Area—Philip Simpson (Eastern Florida State College) and Rebecca Frost (Independent Scholar)—are soliciting papers, presentations, panels and roundtable discussions which cover any aspect of Stephen King’s fiction and film for the Annual National Joint Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference to be held in Atlanta, GA, from April 8 through April 11, 2026. Papers, presentations, and panels can cover King’s experimentation with medium (e-books, graphic novels, TV series), his more recent fictions, including Fairytale or Holly (the character introduced in the Bill Hodges trilogy) and anything in between. Indeed, feel free to view past programs of the PCA/ACA conference at www.pcaaca.org to see what has been covered during recent conferences.

 

To have your proposal/abstract considered for presentation, please submit your proposal/abstract of approximately 250 words (not to exceed 300 words) through the PCA/ACA Database—http://ncp.pcaaca.org/ — beginning September 1, 2025.  Here you will submit your paper proposal/abstract and also provide your name, institutional affiliation, a bio statement, and contact information. Responses/decisions regarding your proposals will be provided within two weeks of your submission to ensure timely replies. 

 

Once your proposal is accepted, you will be able to purchase registration at the presenter rate. In order to present, you must be a current, paid PCA member for the upcoming conference year and fully registered to present. Do not pay your registration until your proposal has been accepted. Of course, should you have any questions specific to the Stephen King Area, please send an e-mail to stephenkingpca@gmail.com and we will be happy to assist you. 

 

Complete panel proposals of 3-4 people are also welcomed, as are proposals for roundtable discussions with two or more featured speakers and a moderator. For more information, visit the PCA/ACA at www.pcaaca.org.

 

 

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