To me, methought, who waited with a crowd,
There came a bark that, blowing forward, bore
King Arthur, like a modern gentleman
Of stateliest port; and all the people cried,
"Arthur is come again: he cannot die."

"Morte d'Arthur" (1842)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Mythcon 46 Program

Mythcon 46 convenes this summer in Colorado Springs, from 7/31 to 8/3, and the program is devoted to The Arthurian Mythos. Tentative program and conference details are available at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-46/.

I append the original call for papers (recently extended to 5/1) below:

The Arthurian Mythos: Well of Inspiration

Author Guest of Honor: Jo Walton
Jo Walton is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002, the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy award for Lifelode in 2010.

Scholar Guest of Honor: John Rateliff
Inklings and Tolkien Scholar, winner of the 2009 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies for The History of the Hobbit Part One: Mr. Baggins; Part Two: Return to Bag-end.

The rich and varied Arthurian Mythos has provided inspiration for countless authors over centuries, including the Inklings. Each individual picks and chooses certain parts of that Mythos, and interprets it according to personal inclination, cultural, and chronological biases. Consider, for example: the varied and often contradictory ways the characters are interpreted; aspects of Arthuriana most studied or most ignored; historical background; its place in legend and myth. We also welcome papers focusing on other work and interests of the Inklings (especially J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams), of our Guests of Honor, and other fantasy authors and themes. Papers from a variety of critical perspectives and disciplines are welcome. Papers from graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged; we offer an award for “Best Student Paper.” See details here (http://www.mythsoc.org/awards/student-paper/).

Each paper will be given a one-hour slot to allow time for questions, but individual papers should be timed for oral presentation in 40 minutes maximum. Two presenters who wish to present short, related papers may also share a one-hour slot. Participants are encouraged to submit papers chosen for presentation at the conference to Mythlore, the refereed journal of the Mythopoeic Society (http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/). All papers should conform to the MLA Style Manual.

Paper abstracts (250 word maximum), along with contact information, should be sent to the Papers Coordinator at the following email address by 1 May, 2015. Please include any AV requests and the projected time needed for your presentation. You will be notified if your paper is accepted after that date.

Edith L. Crowe
Faculty Emerita, San Jose State University
edithcrowe@comcast.net