NEPCA2021 Is Ready for Submissions!

We recently mentioned that this Fall conference would be held virtually from Thursday, October 21-Saturday, October 23. We’re very excited for the opportunities this affords a great many of us during these times.

We now invite the community to submit proposals for this year’s conference. In the past year, we have updated our areas and therefore, encourage those submitting a CFP to revisit the conference areas page and find the best area for you and the conference details can be found on the Conference webpage as well.

The call will be open until August 1, 2021. You cansubmit your proposal at this link, which will ask the following questions about your proposal:

• Proposal Type (Single Presentation or Panel)

• Subject Area

• Working Title

• Abstract (250 words)

• Short bio (50-200 words)

Social & Special Event Proposals

This year, we are also looking for proposals for special and social events. Given that it is virtual, we know that we miss some of the communal aspects that occur at the physical conference. So, if you have an idea for an event, session, etc, please feel free to pitch them. These can include but are not limited to:

• Network Opportunities: sessions for networking around a particular topic, geographic area, career stage, etc

• Advice sessions: tips for tenure, how to publish an academic book, converting academese into accessible writing and speaking, course design tips, etc

• Nerd-outs: sessions where a particular topic, section of pop culture, or the like is offered up as a purpose of gathering and chatting)

• Watch parties: new shows, old movies, classic commercials, or Saturday morning cartoons, etc

• Games: lots of different games out there to play via virtual environment from trivia to role playing games to board games

If you would like to submit a proposal for a social event, please fill out this form. If you have further questions, please reach out to us at northeastpopculture@gmail.com.

Call for Volunteers

Area ChairsCurrently, we are also looking for some new area chairs. If you are interested in learning more, we encourage you to check out the role of the Area Chair and also visit our open information session on Tuesday, March 9 from 4pm-5pm (EST). If you are interested in joining us, please email Executive Secretary, Lance Eaton (northeastpopculture@gmail.com) to receive an invite.

Open Chairs include:

• Performance Studies

• Travel, Tourism, and Global Culture

• Comedy Studies

Open Spots on CommitteesWe currently have three committees that are also looking for volunteers to serve this year. They include the Graduate Student Award Committee, Book Award Committee, and the Peer Review Committee. Each committee plays a pivotal role in the organization and helps us to engage in meaningful ways with scholarship and the community. If you are interested in any of these, please check out their role descriptions and contact NEPCA Secretary, Lance Eaton (northeastpopculture@gmail.com) for more information.

Thank you everyone and we look forward to seeing your proposals and seeing you at this year’s conference!

P.S. You can always check out the Conference Page for the latest news on the conference.