CFP for a special topics issue of Studies in the Literary Imagination entitled "New Criticisms on the Works of Ernest J. Gaines." The deadline for proposals is March 30, 2015.
Full name / Name of organization: Lillie Anne Brown, Ph.D., Department of English and Modern Languages, Florida A&M University
Contact: lillie.brown@famu.edu
Studies in the Literary Imagination (SLI), a publication of the Department of English, Georgia State University, is accepting "Special Topic" proposals for future issues of the journal. I wish to submit a proposal for a Special Topics issue on the literary works of Ernest J. Gaines. As you know, Gaines, at age 82, is a literary icon, still writing and living in the great state of Louisiana. From his first published short story, The Turtles (1956), to the 2006 publication of Mozart and Leadbelly, he has not wavered from his love of all things "Point Coupee" and the memory of life on the plantation of his birth in 1933. From his humble beginnings on the False River Plantation to his position as Emeritus Professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, his passion for "his people" has not wavered. The author's short stories--as well as his longer works--reflect his deep and abiding love for the land, the people and the culture of his upbringing. Community, heritage and generational bonding are major themes in his stories, and he respectfully acknowledges his ancestors' influence upon him as a writer.
While he received national attention for the publication of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971) and A Lesson Before Dying (1993), there are a number of literary works in-between which deserve a newer, critical lens, in particular Catherine Carmier (1964); Of Love and Dust (1967); In My Father's House (1978); and A Gathering of Old Men (1983). Note, however, that The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and A Lesson Before Dying are not excluded from this call for scholarly essays.
I am seeking scholars who are interested in submitting new (and unpublished) essays on the author's works which might be included in a Special Topics issue in the journal. If the Special Topics proposal is accepted, I will serve as Consulting Editor.
According to SLI's requirements, a list of approximately 8 potential contributors will constitute a full issue, which, according to the editor, takes approximately two years for publication from start to completion. If you are interested in contributing to this scholarly engagement, forward the following information no later than March 30, 2015:
*Name
*Degree, Rank and Academic affiliation
*Title of Paper
*Abstract (300-500 words)
*Vita
Information should be sent (by Word attachment) to lillie.brown@famu.edu.
Hard copies may be sent to:
Dr. Lillie Anne Brown
Associate Professor
Department of English and Modern Languages
418 Tucker Hall
Florida A&M University
Tallahassee, FL 32307