Hello everyone! It’s that time of year again when I start calling in people for next year’s talks! If you’d be interested in doing a talk with us a few details:
Our talks run each weekend. We ask each speaker to do the talk twice (where possible) on either a Saturday or a Sunday. The usual times are 10am and 7pm BST/GMT but these can be adjusted for contributors in other time zones. Talks are not restricted to academics – we welcome all forms of expertise. Speakers receive an honorarium of (at the moment) £80 and any donations received through sign-ups on eventbrite.
Interested? Well, keep reading! Each month has a different theme. We welcome creative interpretations of the theme and if you have a pitch that you’re not sure fits, I’m happy to chat to you about it (contact at the bottom of the page). I’ll be accepting pitches throughout the year, but don’t leave it to the last minute. Talks are accepted on an ongoing basis so it can be a ‘first-come, first-served’ situation. We also welcome recommendations for speakers.
Our space is open, friendly and queer and trans inclusive. We particularly welcome papers from people in marginalised groups and I’m happy to discuss any concerns people may have. We also particularly welcome scholars from outside of the UK and the US. We also want to facilitate access for disabled scholars so if you have accessibility requirements or require specific support or conditions for contributing to our programme, please get in touch. All talks are online to allow access to anyone and from anywhere in the world.
So, what are the themes?
January: Science fiction and horror/the Gothic (Full)
February: Witches (we particularly welcome papers on ‘witchcraft’ and magic traditions in non-European cultures) (Full)
March: Religion and the Gothic/horror. This month, each week will look at a different religion. Please note that we have already booked papers on Judaism and Christianity. (Full)
April: The supernatural and Horror in African fiction. We welcome papers from all different countries and traditions on literature, film and also folklore. (Please note: we welcome papers from all countries, cultures and continents all year round, not just in the month’s dedicated to them) (1 space left)
May: Eco horror, nature and the Gothic/horror. We welcome papers on all aspects of the natural world and horror/the Gothic. Themes could include ecohorror, cli-fi, caves, geology and the Gothic, Gothic landscapes, the sea… (Full)
June: Latin America and horror/the Gothic/the supernatural/magical realism
July: Horror film. This month we’re asking for each talk to be an overview of a genre or movement. Examples include, creature features, Giallo, J-horror, folk horror… (Full)
August: Northern Gothic. We welcome talks on all areas of Gothic literature, film, tv, music and tourism which fit with the definition of Northern Gothic (rooted in Northern Britain).
September: Gothic, horror, the supernatural and dark speculative fiction from Oceania.
October: Crime. Any intersection of the Gothic or horror and crime you can think of! We also welcome history papers. (Full)
November: Gothic, horror and the supernatural in Asian literature, film and folklore. (Full)
December: Ghosts
Hopefully, there’s something here for everyone! We’re really looking forward to all your submissions. Please do browse the ‘Online Talks’ and ‘Sunday Gothics’ page to see what topics have already been broached.
To do a talk with us, please submit an abstract or blurb for the talk of up to 250 words to sam@romancingthegothic.com. No biography or bibliography is required. We accept papers based on their strengths. If you haven’t written an abstract before, I run occasional abstract writing workshops. Please get in touch to ask about them.
Romancing the Gothic 