| Publishing Opportunities |
|
Please review the following before submitting a CFP: We can not verify the validity of offers posted on this site. We encourage all participants to use caution when responding to solicitations from unfamiliar people or organizations, or visiting their websites. Specifically, we caution users against providing any of the following information to unknown parties:
Please review the following before submitting a CFP submission request: If you are interested in posting a CFP to our website, please fill out this form. All submissions are reviewed before they are published on the website. It will generally take 24-48 hours for the submissions to appear live, although it can take longer on the weekends or near holidays. We appreciate your patience.
Publishing Opportunities: Posted 1.10.25 Call for Proposals: Edited volume on screenwriter, actor, director, and comedienne Elaine May
***EXTENSION*** Abstracts now due by January 25, 2026.
SCREEN STORYTELLERS
The Works of Elaine May Edited by Jonathan Winchell
This edited volume on the works of Elaine May will be a book in the SCREEN STORYTELLERS series published by Bloomsbury Academic. Seeking 250-word abstracts for previously unpublished chapters on Elaine May’s work as a screenwriter and comedy writer. Final chapters will be 3,000-3,500 words, written for an audience of student readers. Reach out to: jhwinchell237@gmail.com
Posted 1.05.26 Call for Papers: From Golden Girls to Girls: The Heritage and Legacy of Sex and the City Co-editors Heather M. Porter and Michael Starr invite proposals or completed essays for an edited collection of scholarly works that explore the ground-breaking HBO series Sex and the City (1998 -2004) along with shows that came before and after, including the divisive …And Just Like That (2022-2025) which has just finished its three-season run. Proposals should demonstrate a clear methodology and strong thesis and a familiarity with prior and current conversations and publications concerning the series, and any incorporated series. The collection seeks to showcase a range of theoretical lenses; we are hence interested in diverse disciplinary approaches concerning a wide variety of topics. Though not prescriptive, it may be productive to consider the following list of topics: The legacy of Sex and the City Spin offs, prequels, sequels (the movie sequels, The Carrie Diaries, …And Just Like That) Series that inspired and were inspired by Sex and The City (e.g. Golden Girls, Girls, Hot in Cleveland, Younger, Gossip Girl, Emily in Paris etc) Sexuality / gender / Queer theory / identity Race relations Sex, dating and relationships Star images: texts, bodies and performance Specific character studies Producers, writers, directors (Candace Bushnell, Darren Star, Michael Patrick King et al) Nostalgia and reunions Paratexts and production elements “The city”: place and space Fandom / fan tourism Virtual cultures and engagements (e.g. #wokecharlotte) Sex and the City and the #metoo movement Hate watching and anti-fandom Queries and Submissions: Please send queries and abstracts for proposed chapter-length original work (350-500 words) to sexandthecitybook@gmail.com (subject line: Sex and the City Collection). Proposals should be submitted no later than June 1, 2026. Selected contributors will be notified by September 1, 2026. We suggest but do not require that proposals include a working bibliography. Please provide in a separate document or in the body of the email a brief author biography and selected list of prior publications/conference presentations. We are currently discussing the book proposal with a publisher who is very interested in the collection, hence are working on a production timeline which would tentatively allow the book a 2027 publication date. Essays in this collection will be peer reviewed. Posted 12.12.25 Call for Submissions: A Special Issue of the Popular Culture Studies Journal on Prediction and Popular Culture Volume Editors: Megan M. Wood & Jeff St. Onge Abstract (~500 words) due: January 15, 2026 to Editors via email (m-wood@onu.edu; j-stonge@onu.edu) Full CFP link: https://www.mpcaaca.org/special-issue-cfp-prediction-and-popular-culture Overview: Popular culture is not simply a reflection of contemporary society—one of its most enduring functions is to stage ways of imagining the futures we may one day inhabit. The narratives of popular cultural texts are often situated in speculative worlds, and with surprising frequency their imagined futures become our lived realities. Films, music, television, and literature have predicted technological shifts, societal transformations, and changes in our relationship to nature and government. This proposed special issue asks: How are popular cultural forms and narratives foretelling tomorrow’s realities, and what role does this predictive work play in shaping our present moment? By analyzing how cultural artifacts anticipate and interpret technological, artistic, and political transformations, the included essays will collectively foreground popular culture’s unique power to mediate anxiety, spark critical dialogue, and mobilize reflection at moments of uncertainty. Together, they will demonstrate the intertwined emotional, ethical, and societal stakes in imagining—and critiquing—tomorrow's realities, offering new frameworks for understanding prediction as a cultural practice. Ultimately, the argument of this special issue is that popular texts are not only blueprints for the future but resources for navigating the precarious present. We welcome contributions that spotlight a distinct dimension of popular culture’s forecasting function in order to explore the theme of how cultural texts from the past help us make sense of the present, and/or how contemporary texts imagine the future. Any topic related to popular culture and prediction is welcome. Already slated for this special issue are essays on contemporary disunion fantasy fiction and the affective politics of futurity; the 1980s cyberpunk imaginary; anticipatory critiques of AI in 1990s sci-fi television; and the critical prescience of 1960s–70s rock operas on the near future of music and artistic labor. We especially encourage proposals that move beyond these terrains–engaging different texts, genres, mediums, eras, communities, regions, or mechanisms of prediction. Possible areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Game worlds and simulations Sports fantasy and betting cultures Children’s media Influencers, memes, and/or social media True crime and procedural media Fashion and design Techo-futurist and/or astro-futurist media Medical and bioethical media Environmental and climate media Contributors and Abstracts If interested, please submit an abstract (500 word max) to Megan Wood (m-wood@onu.edu) and Jeff St. Onge (j-stonge@onu.edu) by January 15, 2026. Authors will be notified of acceptance by February 15. Papers should be 5,000-7,000 words and will be due by May 1, 2026. Please reach out to either editor with any questions!
Posted 12.11.25
We are currently seeking educational materials to populate the forthcoming Children’s Literature section of the University of British Columbia’s Pop Pedagogies Archive page (link: https://pop-culture.arts.ubc.ca/pop-pedagogies-archive/). This will be an open-access resource library for educators teaching at a variety of levels. We are looking for contributions of teaching materials relevant to the intersection of popular culture and children’s literature. Submissions can range from course syllabi to individual lesson plans and unit outlines. All contributors will retain the rights to their submitted materials. The UBC Pop Pedagogies Archive aims to bring popular culture into the centre of scholarly and pedagogical work, exploring its potential to illuminate and catalyze social transformation while assisting students with the development of critical thinking and media literacy skills. If you have teaching materials or content that aligns with this mission, we would love the opportunity to review them for potential publication on our website. To submit, follow the link above to the Pop Pedagogies Archive and click the “Submit Pedagogical Materials” button. Here, you will be asked to provide the information you would like to be affiliated with your contribution, and given a space for file uploads. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We look forward to reading your work! Warm wishes, Dakota Brown MA Children’s Literature, in-progress (She, Her) Pop Pedagogies Initiative Research Assistant Pop Culture Cluster The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus kodak@student.ubc.ca Charli Brown MA Children’s Literature (She, Her) Senior Program Assistant Pop Culture Cluster The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus pop.culture.comms@ubc.ca
Posted 10.14.25 Editor-Elect Leland G. Spencer is now processing new manuscripts for general issues of Critical Studies in Media Communication. Critical Studies in Media Communication welcomes research that understands communication, critical studies, and media studies in the broadest possible terms. Since its inception, CSMC has published some of the most theoretically sophisticated and critically rigorous pieces of scholarship in the field. The journal publishes research that critiques the operation of power in the media. CSMC especially invites articles that center the voices and experiences of women, Black, indigenous, and people of color, queer and trans people, and people with disabilities—as scholarly interlocutors and as subjects of study. With respect to methodology, the journal welcomes all appropriate methods, including rhetorical, theoretical, critical, interpretive, (auto)ethnographic, poetic, creative, empirical, or mixed-method approaches. Potential topics include but are not limited to: the use of media in social movements, critical analyses of media texts or genres, theory development, the role of media in public and civic affairs, the political economy of the media, global media systems, and media industry studies. We welcome submissions from scholars, students, activists, and practitioners at any stage of their careers. All submissions undergo rigorous peer review in a mentorship-centered process committed to developing excellent scholarship. Preferred length for scholarly research and theory manuscripts is 6,000-9,000 words including endnotes and references; a 100-word abstract and 4-5 keywords should accompany submissions. Book reviews are also welcome and should be 1,200-1,500 words. Submissions should be formatted in APA style (7th edition). To submit, go to rb.gy/dvf29j
Posted: 8.21.25 Disney and Maternal Figures Call for Papers Special Issue for The International Journal of Disney Studies.
Disney, as a cultural juggernaut, has long played a role in shaping societal understandings of family, gender roles, and the maternal. From absent mothers to evil stepmothers to magical godmothers, Disney’s portrayals of motherhood are both enduring and evolving. This special issue seeks to explore how Disney constructs, complicates, and circulates ideas of motherhood across its vast narrative universe. While motherhood in Disney media has often been sidelined or stereotyped, recent texts such as Encanto, Turning Red, and Brave reflect a growing attention to the complexities of maternal identity. As contemporary conversations around gender, reproductive rights, and caregiving become more urgent, it is essential to examine how a global media empire like Disney frames and reimagines motherhood, and what these representations reveal about cultural anxieties and aspirations.
This special issue invites scholarly work that examines motherhood in Disney texts, animated or live-action, canonical or lesser-known, made by the Disney studios or any of their various acquisitions (e.g., Marvel, Lucasfilm, etc.). We encourage contributors to critically engage with how Disney mediates maternal power, agency, vulnerability, and identity. Contributions may examine biological mothers, pregnant women, adoptive or surrogate (appointed/substitute) mothers, stepmothers, mother-like figures, and older maternal characters, as well as any other aspect that defines motherhood under this broad conceptualization. This inclusive approach allows for explorations of diverse experiences, roles, and representations that reflect the multiple ways in which motherhood can be understood and enacted. We are especially interested in intersectional analyses that consider how race, class, queerness, age, or ability informs Disney’s portrayals of maternal experience.
Topics that explore Disney’s construction of motherhood may include, but are not limited to:
Submission Guidelines: Full paper submissions will be expected by 1st May 2026 and should be submitted to the IJDS’ website’s Pubkit system (https://www.intellectbooks.com/ijds). When you submit, you will have the opportunity to specify that your piece is for the special issue (though you do not have to).
Please note we are open to accepting articles, commentaries and reviews. Articles should be 6,000--8,000 words, Fresh Perspectives 1,000-3,000 words, and Reviews 1,000 words. The journal uses Harvard referencing, and other submission information can be found on the journal’s website.
For queries or to discuss potential topics, please contact: ● Dr. Marissa Lammon – marissa.lammon@colorado.edu ● Dr. Ali Saha – ali.saha@unimelb.edu.au
Posted: 8.21.25 Screen Storytellers: Call for Proposals: Edited volume on screenwriter, actor, director, and comedienne Elaine May
The Works of Elaine May Edited by Jonathan Winchell
This edited volume on the works of Elaine May will be a book in the SCREEN STORYTELLERS series published by Bloomsbury Academic. Seeking 250-word abstracts for previously unpublished chapters on Elaine May’s work as a screenwriter and comedy writer. Final chapters will be 3,000-3,500 words, written for an audience of student readers.
The SCREEN STORYTELLERS series is designed for students, professors, and enthusiastic consumers of film, television, and new media who seek information about contemporary and historically significant screenwriters that is both accessible and critically rigorous. The intention with this series is to bring much-deserved attention to screen and television writers who have developed noteworthy films and television series of significant aesthetic or cultural achievement, critical acclaim, or commercial success, and to offer close readings of the films and series from the perspective of story, screenwriting craft, audience reception, and cultural impact. Each volume explores the works of a single screen storyteller. The series places a strong focus on examining works by screenwriters often left out of classroom syllabi, including women, writers of color, LGBTQ writers, and international writers.
There have been several books published on Elaine May in recent years, including The Films of Elaine May (ReFocus series) edited by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Dean Brandum, Nichols and May: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers series) edited by Robert E. Kapsis, and Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius by Carrie Courogen. These books explore May as a film director, comedienne, actor, and screenwriter. The Works of Elaine May will focus on May’s work as a writer: screenwriter, script doctor, comedy writer, and improv writer/actor. Please see below for a list of May’s credited and uncredited screenwriting work.
The Works of Elaine May
Elaine May has been one of the most influential comedic voices in American comedy, film, television, and stage for more than seven decades. She revolutionized comedy in the 1950s and 1960s as part of the comedy duo with Mike Nichols, performing on television and Broadway and making Grammy-winning albums. In 1967, May began acting in films, and in the 1970s, she became a groundbreaking screenwriter and film director at a time when few women were writing and directing feature films in Hollywood. She wrote films such as Such Good Friends, Heaven Can Wait, The Birdcage, and Primary Colors and directed films such as A New Leaf, The Heartbreak Kid, Mikey and Nicky, and Ishtar. Although her credits as a screenwriter are limited to seven feature films to date, she was widely known as one of the top script doctors and consultants, working on films ranging from Tootsie to Reds to Bill Murray films such as Ghostbusters II and What About Bob? As a screenwriter, director, actress, and comedienne, she has remained one of the most significant women creatives from the second half of the 20th century to the present day. She is currently in development on a fifth feature film with Dakota Johnson attached in the starring role. |
Print Page
