Call for Papers: CRSF 2016

CRSF 2016 

Monday 27th June
With keynotes from: 

Dr Caroline Edwards (Birkbeck, University of London) 

and 

Dr Patricia Wheeler (University of Hertfordshire) 

Returning for its sixth consecutive year, CRSF is a one day postgraduate conference designed to promote the research of speculative fictions, including SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY and HORROR; showcasing some of the latest developments in these dynamic and evolving fields. CRSF attracts an international selection of delegates and provides a platform for postgraduate students to present their current research, encourages discussion with scholars in related subjects and the construction of crucial networks with fellow researchers. The University of Liverpool, a leading centre for the study of speculative fiction and home to the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, will host the conference. CRSF 2016 will run in conjunction with the Science Fiction Research Association’s (SFRA) annual conference held on the 28th-30th June 2016.

We are seeking abstracts relating to speculative fiction, including, but not limited to, papers on the following topics:

•Alternate History •Alternative Culture •Animal Studies •Anime •Apocalypse •Body Horror •Consciousness •Cyber Culture •Drama •Eco-criticism •Fan Culture •Gaming •(Geo)Politics •Genre •Gender •Graphic Novels •The Grotesque •The Heroic Tradition •Liminal Fantasy •Magic •Meta-Franchises •Morality •Monstrosity •Music •Non-Anglo-American SF •Otherness •Pastoral •Poetry •Politics •Post-Colonialism and Empire •Proto-SF •Psychology •Quests •Realism •Sexuality •Slipstream •Spiritualism •Steampunk •Supernatural •Technology •Time •TV and Film •Urban Fantasy •Utopia/Dystopia •(Virtual) Spaces and Environments •Weird Fiction •World Building •Young Adult Fiction.

Please submit an abstract of 300 words for a 20 minute English language paper and a 100 word biography to CRSF.team@gmail.com by Monday 7th March 2016.

For further information email the conference team at CRSF.team@gmail.com or visit our website: www.currentresearchinspeculativefiction.blogspot.com

You can download a PDF version of this call for papers here.

Call for Papers: CRSF 2015

Current Research in Speculative Fiction 2015

Monday 8th June 2015

University of Liverpool

With Keynote Lectures from:

Dr. Andrew M. Butler (Canterbury Christ Church University)

Dr. Sarah Dillon (University of Cambridge)

Returning for its fifth consecutive year, CRSF is a one day postgraduate conference designed to promote the research of speculative fictions, including SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY and HORROR; showcasing some of the latest developments in these dynamic and evolving fields. CRSF attracts an international selection of delegates and provides a platform for postgraduate students to present their current research, encourages discussion with scholars in related subjects and the construction of crucial networks with fellow researchers. The University of Liverpool, a leading centre for the study of speculative fiction and home to the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, will host the conference. We are seeking abstracts relating to speculative fiction, including, but not limited to, papers on the following topics:

•Alternate History •Alternative Culture •Animal Studies •Anime •Apocalypse •Body Horror •Consciousness •Cyber Culture •Drama •Eco-criticism •Fan Culture •Gaming •(Geo)Politics •Genre •Gender •Graphic Novels •The Grotesque •The Heroic Tradition •Liminal Fantasy •Magic •Meta-Franchises •Morality •Monstrosity •Music •Non-Anglo-American SF •Otherness •Pastoral •Poetry •Politics •Post-Colonialism and Empire •Proto-SF •Psychology •Quests •Realism •Sexuality •Slipstream •Spiritualism •Steampunk •Supernatural •Technology •Time •TV and Film •Urban Fantasy •Utopia/Dystopia •(Virtual) Spaces and Environments •Weird Fiction •World Building •Young Adult Fiction.

Please submit an abstract of 300 words for a 20 minute English language paper and a 100 word biography to CRSF.team@gmail.com by Monday 9th March 2015. Queries can be sent to the same address.

A PDF of the CfP can be downloaded from this link. Please share this information widely with all who may be interested. Although CRSF only accepts papers by Postgraduate students and those who have recently completed their Ph.D, we welcome delegates from across the genre spectrum: from fan to professor, via author and undergraduate student.

Join the facebook event here.

Artist Wanted

CALLING ALL ARTISTS: We're looking for some art work to grace our 2015 call for papers. If you'd be interested in submitting something then drop us an email at crsf.team@gmail.com

Our ideal piece would:

• Look good in black and white
• Contain the themes of science fiction, fantasy, and horror
• There are no strict dimensions of size, however it must be able to fit onto the CfP and take up no more than 1/3 of the space on an A4 Piece of paper.
• It does not need to include any text, nor the CRSF logo.

We have no prizes or royalties to offer, but the chosen piece will receive full credit on the CfP and on our blog, facebook etc... and we're happy to link to any other work they may want to promote. We'll also waive conference fees for the artist as a bonus. The fee waiver is transferable if the artist can't come but wants to pass the entry onto someone else.

Please share this with any artists, professional or otherwise, you feel might be interested.

We would need the finished piece of art by December 12th 2014.

Collected CfPs and Events

2014 looks to be a pretty amazing year for UK (and Ireland)-based conferences on speculative fiction. Of course CRSF is returning on June 20th, and London is hosting WorldCon, but there are also many other fascinating and exciting events taking part all over the country. Collected below are links to information regarding these events. If you'd like us to list your event here please let us know:

26th April: Stage the Future: The First International Conference on Science Fiction Theatre, University of Royal Holloway, London.

31st May and 1st June: The Science Fiction 'New Wave' at Fifty Conference, University of East Anglia, Norwich. 

20th June: Current Research in Speculative Fiction (CRSF), Univeristy of Liverpool.

4th July: Visualising Fantastika: an Interdisciplinary Conference, Lancaster University.

9th and 10th August: Nine Worlds Geekfest at the Radisson Heathrow.

11-13th August: Science Fiction Foundation Masterclass with tutors Andy Duncan, Neil Easterbrook and K.V. Johansen, Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

14th-18th August: Worldcon in London.

20th August: Bujold Conference, Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge.

21st August: Irradiating the Object: M. John Harrison, Warwick University.

22nd-23rd August: SF/F Now, Warwick Univeristy.

22nd-24th August: Shamrokon (the Eurocon), Dublin.

5th-7th September: British Fantasy Con, York.

5th & 6th September: Diana Wynne Jones conference, Newcastle.

19th - 21st September: ‘A Fiend in the Furrows’: Perspectives on "Folk Horror" in Literature, Film and Music, Queens University, Belfast.


(Thanks to Edward James who listed most of these events on the Foundation facbook page)

We take no responsibility for content shown on external sites.

Call for Papers: CRSF 2014

The Call for Papers for Current Research in Speculative Fiction 2014 is now here!

The conference will be held on Friday 20th June at the University of Liverpool.

We are proud to be able to announce two brilliant keynote speakers with Dr. Mark Bould (University of the West of England) and Prof. Roger Luckhurst (Birkbeck University London), both will be giving lectures as part of the conference schedule.

Now in its fourth year, CRSF is a one day postgraduate conference designed to promote the research of speculative fictions, including SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY and HORROR; showcasing some of the latest developments in these dynamic and evolving fields. CRSF attracts an international selection of delegates and provides a platform for postgraduate students to present their current research, encourages discussion with scholars in related subjects and the construction of crucial networks with fellow researchers. The University of Liverpool, a leading centre for the study of speculative fiction and home to the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, will host the conference.

We are seeking abstracts relating to speculative fiction, including, but not limited to, papers on the following topics:

•Alternate History •Alternative Culture •Anime •Apocalypse •Body Horror •Consciousness •Cyber Culture •Drama •Eco-criticism •Fan Culture •Gaming •(Geo)Politics •Genre •Gender •Graphic Novels •The Grotesque •The Heroic Tradition •Liminal Fantasy •Magic •Meta-Franchises •Morality •Monstrosity •Music •Non-Anglo-American SF •Otherness •Pastoral •Poetry •Politics •Post-Colonialism and Empire •Proto-SF •Psychology •Quests •Realism •Sexuality •Slipstream •Spiritualism •Steampunk •Supernatural •Technology •Time •TV and Film •Urban Fantasy •Utopia/Dystopia •(Virtual) Spaces and Environments •Weird Fiction •World Building •Young Adult Fiction.

Please submit an abstract of 300 words for a 20 minute English language paper and a 100 word biography to CRSF.team@gmail.comby Monday 10^th March 2014.

For further information email the conference team at CRSF.team@gmail.com or visit our FAQ

CALL FOR PAPERS: CRSF 2013

I'm proud to be able to announce that the Call for Papers for CRSF 2013 has now been released.

Now in its third year, CRSF attracts delegates from all over the world to come to Liverpool and discuss all things speculative fiction. If you would like to present a paper at this year's conference then please submit a 300 word abstract and a 100 word biography of yourself to crsf.team@gmail.com by March 11th. As usual there is no theme for the conference and we will accept any paper of sufficient standard on any topic relating to speculative fictions (science fiction, fantasy, horror etc...).

This year's keynote speakers are two time Arthur C. Clarke Award winning writer Pat Cadigan and Dr. Peter Wright of Edge Hill University whose many credits include co-authoring Teaching Science Fiction.

If you have any questions then please get in touch, there will also be an FAQ added to this website in the coming days.

See you in June!

Glyn Morgan
CRSF Chair