Convention Alley 2008 Call for Papers

[Sheryll Townsend]

Call for Papers

This international conference envisions bringing the Harry Potter 
fandom together in the beautiful city of Ottawa to discuss J.K. 
Rowling's novels with one another and with literary scholars. In 
addition to keynote speakers and programming sessions presented by 
fans and professionals, the convention will feature directed 
discussion groups as well as informal opportunities for fans and 
scholars to get to know one another and to enjoy the city of Ottawa.

The Canadian Programming Committee seeks proposals for presentations, 
moderated panels and workshops on any topic relating to the Harry 
Potter novels and/or their fan community. We strongly encourage 
members of the fandom community to participate, and also welcome 
submissions by members of the professional and academic communities. 
While potential topics and suggested submissions are noted below to 
get your creative juices flowing, we are interested in any and all 
ideas - please do not feel limited by the potential topic areas or by 
the examples of potential submissions!

Presenters should be at least 18 years old, as the conference 
programming is intended for adults. However, participants are 
encouraged to bring their families and many of the informal events 
will be open to family members.

Programming Sessions
Potential programming session topics include, but are not limited to, 
the following areas:

Characters in the Harry Potter series. Thanks to the myriad of 
characters created by Rowling, there are innumerable opportunities 
for presentations in this area. A submission might propose comparing 
Draco Malfoy as he is portrayed in Rowling's canon vs. Malfoy as he 
is known in fanfiction or a look at Severus Snape, probably Rowling's 
most debated character. 

Mythology in the Harry Potter series. Rowling draws heavily from 
mythology in the series, from the three-headed dog Fluffy (based on 
Cerberus who guarded the Underworld in Greek mythology) to names such 
as "Argus" and "Narcissa". A submission might highlight the 
characters that are based on mythology, explain their mythological 
basis and provide a rationale for why Rowling chose to link those 
characters with these specific myths. 

Education in the Harry Potter universe. We invite teachers (and 
administrators) in the fandom to compare their jobs to the ones held 
by their analogs in the Harry Potter novels. Possible topics include 
detailed analyses of Rowling's views on the state's role in 
education, and how the teachers in Rowling's universe would fare in 
the "real world". 

Symbolism in the Harry Potter series. Proposals might explore how 
Rowling uses symbols and metaphors to express her views and the goals 
of the series. For example, submissions might analyze metaphors of 
death ("beyond the veil") or symbols of Christ (the stag, the 
phoenix, Harry's repeated resurrections). 

Fandom Influences in the Harry Potter series. A proposal in this area 
might review Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and 
the Order of the Phoenix to identify instances where Rowling may have 
responded to popular questions from the fandom (e.g., how to 
pronounce "Hermione"). 

Understanding and Exploring British Terms in the Harry Potter novels. 
For non-British readers, some of Rowling's British expressions and 
terms are, well - foreign! A submission in this area might propose a 
roundtable discussion run by British fans that would entertain 
audience questions on dialects and British terms in the novels. 

Theories Past and Present. Is your theory still valid now that canon 
is closed or has it been blown out of the water? Are there still 
topics open to speculation? 

What would you have done? Are there parts of the story that left you 
wondering? Parts of the story left unresolved? What would you have 
changed, added or removed? How would those have benefited the 
storyline?

The Programming Committee cannot stress enough that these topic areas 
are merely suggestions. They should not, therefore, be interpreted in 
any way as limitations on the subject matter of potential proposals. 
Proposals on any and all facets of the Harry Potter fandom are 
welcome and encouraged. The Committee only requests that your 
proposal be respectful of the interests and views of others in the 
fandom.

Time Blocks
Proposals should specify the estimated amount of time needed for 
presentation and discussion.

Programming sessions will be held on Friday, June 20, and Saturday, 
June 21. Our goal is to make all of the programming sessions as 
interactive as possible. Accordingly, for individual presentations, 
we suggest a planned presentation of between 30-45 minutes, followed 
by a 30-minute audience participation session. This is a guideline, 
however – presenters are welcome to propose other ideas for 
encouraging audience participation. Strictly lecture-based 
presentations are discouraged, however. Accordingly, proposals must 
include an outline for how audience participation will be solicited.

The suggested time period for moderated panels and workshops is 
between one hour and 90 minutes. As with the individual 
presentations, proposals for moderated panels should include a 30-
minute audience participation session.

A volunteer staff member will be present at each session to introduce 
the presenter, assist with any technical difficulties and facilitate 
the audience participation component.

Proposal Submissions
Proposals submitted via regular mail must be postmarked no later 
than: February 15, 2008. Proposals submitted electronically must be 
received by: February 28, 2008. Proposals may take the form of a 500 
word abstract or a completed conference paper (approximately 5-7 
pages). Any attachments must be in Microsoft Word to be readable. 
Proposals should be sent via e-mail (preferred) or regular mail in 
advance of the submission deadline to the following: E-Mail 
submission: convention_alley at yahoo.ca. Please use "Ottawa 2008 
Programming Submission" in the subject line.

You may also mail your proposals to:

Convention Alley
Box 36004
1106 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1Y 4V3
Canada

Proposal Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated based on an assessment of the level of 
interest conference participants will have in the topic area and the 
originality of the ideas presented, as well as the use of correct 
spelling and grammar.

Notification and Submission of Final Papers
We plan to notify presenters whose proposals are selected for 
presentation at the convention during the week of week of March 17, 
2008. We regret that, in order to keep conference fees as low as 
possible, we are unable to fund presenters' registration, hotel 
and/or travel costs, or provide any other form of remuneration. 
Presenters will need to register for the conference at their own 
expense when they confirm that they will present (confirmations must 
be postmarked or e-mailed by March 31, 2008).

Presenters must submit their final completed paper in an electronic 
format (either as a text file or in Word) to the above e-mail address 
by April 30, 2008 (preferred) or by regular mail to the above address 
by April 15, 2008. Completed papers sent by regular mail must be 
submitted on a disk. All submissions will be edited for consistency 
of style, acronym use, and correct punctuation and grammar. 
Guidelines to ensure uniform style in the published proceedings will 
be provided to each successful presenter when selection notifications 
are issued. No changes will be made to submitted text without the 
prior approval of the author.