I’m back, somewhat windburnt from the Island Dynamics: Darkness conference in Svalbard, as those on my Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram will have seen in many, many photos over the last few days. So here are a couple of quick academic updates:
Just before I left, Fantastika published Volume 3, Issue 1 of their journal, which includes my first ever conference report from 2018’s GIFCon event. I’m very grateful to Head Editor Chuckie Palmer-Patel for giving me this opportunity to contribute, and to Francis Gene-Rowe for his steady editorial hand. I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish Dr Palmer-Patel all the best with her upcoming maternity leave.
This issue also features fantastic contributions from my fellow GIFCon committee members Marita Arvaniti and Katarina O’Dette – and you can download it for free! Find it online at https://fantastikajournal.com/publications/.
Additionally, here’s some very exciting news from GIFCon:
GIFCon has now announced three keynote speakers: world-leading Fantasy scholar Prof. Brian Attebery, who is the author of Strategies of Fantasy, Stories About Stories, and originator of the ‘Fuzzy Set’ theory of genre; celebrated graphic novel theorist Dr. Mel Gibson, known for her work with diversity representation in comics; and multi-award-winning, bestselling YA author and poet Catherine Fisher. As you may have gathered, this will be a wonderful opportunity for Fantasy scholars outside the US to hear one of genre’s most influential academics, as well as some fascinating insights from Dr Gibson and Catherine Fisher. As it happens, the call for papers on ‘Mapping the Mythosphere’ has also been extended to 28th January, so you still have time to get your abstracts in if you’d like the chance to appear alongside them.
GIFCon 2019 takes place over 23rd – 24th May. For more details of this year’s event, and how to submit your abstract to GIFCon, see www.gifcon.org.