It’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s conferences! Here are two calls for papers for those who are engaged in the scholarly study of Tolkien’s works. Proposals are due this fall.

Tolkien at Kalamazoo 2014

The Tolkien at Kalamazoo group is sponsoring four sessions for the 2014 International Congress on Medieval Studies. We were hoping to have as many as our usual seven or eight panels, but the Congress organizers have cut back on the number of sessions the various sponsoring groups are allowed to present. Still, we hope to have our usual lively group of conference presenters and participants.

The conference will take place at the University of Western Michigan, May 8-11, 2014 in Kalamazoo.

Tolkien at Kalamazoo sessions :
I. Tolkien’s Fall of Arthur
II. Tolkien’s Natural World and Science
III. Tolkien and his Medieval Sources
IV. Tolkien Unbound (A Performance)

The deadline for proposals is September 1, 2013, but sessions often fill up before then. Details about how to submit a proposal and to whom can be found on the Congress website.

While there are hundreds of sessions on various aspects of the Middle Ages at this conference, a few other sessions deal with subjects closely related to Tolkien and/or with medievalisms.  Here are the ones I could find; let me know if I’ve missed any.

C. S. Lewis Society, Purdue Univ.; Center for the Study of C. S. Lewis and Friends, Taylor Univ.: C. S. Lewis and the Middle Ages I–II

International Society for the Study of Medievalism:
I. Medievalism
II. Medievalism and the Academy Today (A Roundtable)

Medieval Electronic Multimedia Organization (MEMO):
I. Medieval in the Middle: Incestuous Scholarship?
II. “Medieval” Games: A Festive Presentation of Digital “Medievalia” (A Workshop)

Tales after Tolkien Society:
The Real Generic Middle Ages

Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages :
What Is the Magic of Merlin? The Appeal of the Wizard in the Contemporary World: In Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages (A Roundtable)

Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association Joint Conference 2014

The PCA/ACA has created a Special Topics area in Tolkien Studies for next year’s conference in Chicago, April 16-19, 2014. They would welcome proposals on any area of the study of Tolkien’s works and from any disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspective. If enough interest is shown, Tolkien Studies may become a permanent section of the conference.

Deadline for proposals is November 1, 2013.

Further details can be found in the poster: PCA Tolkien Studies CFP 2014 [pdf]