Is anyone else disappointed that Rowling was not mentioned in the CFP list below of “women authors,” papers about whom will be “warmly welcomed”? The keynote speaker is worth traveling for, though, and I would love to see some of our HogwartsProfessor readers and writers face to face. Lemmeno in the comment boxes or by email if you are thinking of going, especially if you’d be interested in a Rowling panel discussion…

WOMEN READING / READING WOMEN: Call For Papers  

Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature regional meeting  

September 29-October 1, 2022  

John Brown University, Siloam Springs, Arkansas  

This conference theme is inspired by the artist Mary Cassatt’s paintings of girls and mothers with books, in particular “The Reader” on display at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. (Early conference attendees will have the opportunity to tour Crystal Bridges.)

Papers on women authors such as Marilynne Robinson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Flannery O’Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, Charlotte Bronte, Dorothy Sayers, and Mary Shelley are warmly welcomed, as are topics that explore women’s representation in painting, film, or literature, particularly where such representations intersect with Christianity or other religions. Papers dealing with the changing nature of reading and the teaching of literature (Kindle versus print materials; the hybrid classroom) are also welcome.  

The keynote speaker for this conference is Wheaton College’s Dr. Crystal Downing, Co-Director of the Marion E. Wade Center and author of five books, most recently Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers (2020). Downing’s presentation for SWCCL is entitled, “The Seeing of Sayers: A Scandalous Prophet.”

Possible paper topics include, but are not limited to:
•              The intersection of feminism and Christianity  •              Children’s literature  •              The effect of the male gaze on women’s representation in film  •              Masculinist representations of the feminine  •              Women and silence  •              The maternal in literature  •              Women students in the Zoom classroom	•     Women and the construction of the text  •     Restrictions on women’s reading  •     Early church mothers  •     BIPOC women in literary texts  •     Women in community, secular or sacred  •     The Pre-Raphaelites’ use of women subjects  •     Women’s spirituality in popular media

As always, SWCCL is open to other proposals concerning the relationship of Christianity and literature, including panel proposals and creative works. Readings of original poetry and fiction will also be considered (please email conference coordinators for details).  

Undergraduate and graduate students are also encouraged to submit proposals. Undergraduate students must submit their entire paper for consideration; eligible undergraduate papers will be entered into the national CCL Undergraduate Writing Contest for a cash prize and publication on the CCL website. Graduate students accepted to the conference are encouraged to apply for the CCL Travel Grant. For more details on these undergraduate and graduate opportunities, please visit the CCL website for full details:   https://www.christianityandliterature.com/Awards-and-Grants.  

Send abstracts (200-400 words) via email to ahimes@jbu.edu on or before July 1, 2022. Notifications will be sent to all submitters in early August 2022, with the final program being published by mid-September to allow ample time for presenters to make arrangements for their sessions. All presenters must be members of the Conference on Christianity and Literature prior to delivering their paper; membership includes a subscription to the conference’s journal and information can be found on the organization’s website: https://www.christianityandliterature.com/Membership.  

As you may have heard, the A-list celebrity trial of the divorced Jonny Depp and Amber Heard has entered the defense stage. For several weeks, the Depp attorneys have been making their $50 million defamation case against his ex-wife. Heard has counter-sued for $100 million. She took the stand today and told horror stories of the mental, emotional, and physical abuse she suffered from the supposedly drug and booze addled film star during their relationship.

And, of course, J. K. Rowling came up. It wasn’t, though, about what you might expect, namely, how Depp lost the role of Grindelwald after a London court threw out his case against Heard for libel and how Rowling had previously defended keeping him on as the Fantastic Beasts film franchise villain despite Heard’s claims against him. It was the Amphitrite yacht, originally the Vayoliroya, that she testified Depp had sold to Rowling and Heard’s experience with Depp and his two children on their farewell sailing to the Bahamas.

The Daily Mail, a venue perfectly fits for updates from this trial, reported her testimony about what she claims was a nightmare voyage that she and Depp’s daughter escaped by helicopter after they made port. For more about the yacht and how Heard almost certainly if unknowingly perjured herself when she said Rowling bought the yacht from Depp, join me after the jump. [Read more…]

I got an email last month from Leaky Con inviting me to buy tickets to their Orlando event this July. The pictures in this post are all taken from that marketing blast. You’ll note that no one in these fotos is wearing a mask; everyone is shown enjoying the company of others without social distancing or shielding their faces with a screen or face covering.

Which is understandable because the last two and a half years of Leaky Cons have been canceled because of Pandemania and the lock-step conformity of venue owners and event sponsors with risible CDC and WHO recommendations lest they be subject to liability litigation. They don’t have any pictures of Leaky Con attendees partying down with face masks because the events they scheduled in the periods when they were required never happened.

For those considering attendance at this year’s Orlando Leaky Con, please be aware that they are standing by their draconian Covid-hysteric ‘Health and Safety Policy,’ something hidden in the darker recesses of their website:

LEAKYCON ORLANDO 2022 HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY

All those in attendance at LeakyCon Orlando 2022 including, but not limited to, ticketed attendees, special guests, presenters, vendors, press, and staff, will be required to show either proof of full vaccination OR ​​a negative antigen COVID-19 test results from a testing done within 24 hours of entry to the event OR a negative PCR COVID-19 test result from a testing done within 72 hours of each day of entry to the event. Fully vaccinated is defined as at least 14 days after receiving the final vaccine in a one- or two-shot protocol with a vaccine approved by the FDA or WHO (including emergency use authorization).

Attendees will also be required to wear masks at all times during the event, except in designated areas for eating and drinking.

Any additional LeakyCon Orlando 2022 health and safety policies will be announced at a later date ahead of the event in line with the most up-to-date data and public health advice at that time.

This, though, may very well change before the July event. More on that after the jump! [Read more…]