Welcome to the Monsters, Monstrosities, and the Monstrous 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:

Monsters, Monstrosities, & the Monstrous

Our special topic area (hopefully to become a standing area) will finally provide a home for everything monsters at PCA. We are proud to be the sister area of Vampire Studies who inspired us to create this area for the rest of the monsters. Please join us in exploring the themes, influences, and impact of the monster as a cultural and historical touchstone.

Across the globe and throughout the centuries, the label of monster has been invoked to separate the “natural” from the “unnatural” and the acceptable from the socially unacceptable. Whether referring to mythological creatures, the Victorian creations that have become standards through Universal film adaptations, or as a shorthand to denigrate othered peoples, the monster has no shortage of applications and, sometimes, reevaluations.

We specifically welcome papers or presentations that focus on the use of the monster as a teaching tool or educational lens.

As the term monster has a wide application, topics can be anything from the inhabitants of Sesame Street to medieval studies to medical oddities. Potential paper topics include:

• Children’s books, toys, or related media
• Film and television including remediations
• Literary texts
• Board games, RPGs, video games, and pinball
• Monsters queering societal norms and the monster as “other”
• Propaganda materials
• Sideshows and oddities

Please note: Anyone interested in presenting specifically on the vampire is heartily encouraged to apply to our sister section, Vampire Studies. They provide a space to discuss and share aspects of the global vampire, while we are here to give their monstrous kith and kin a home of their own.

Scope of the paper topics accepted under this area: From Grendel to Grover and Hannibal Lecter to high rises, topics in this area span the monstrous in form, behavior, and theory. 

List of example paper titles:

“Using Cohen’s Seven Monster Theses When Teaching Frankenstein”

“Monsters Helping Children Understand Death in A Monster Calls”

“Monstrifying the Other for Entertainment: From Freak Shows to B-Movies”

“The Monster and his Monstrosity: H. H. Holmes’ Murder Hotel” 

“Deromanticizing the Monster in What We Do in the Shadows.”

Submission requirements: Please submit an abstract (maximum of 300 words) through the PCA website.

Please address any questions or concerns to the co-chairs:

Colleen Karn,  David Hansen, & Cassandra Karn at MonsterStudiesPCA@gmail.com 

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