Permanent Section Calls for Papers

Permanent Sections address a range of established topics of perennial concern to scholars in our discipline. Because the field is continuously evolving, the MMLA welcomes proposals to establish a new Permanent Section on an emerging topic. Inquiries may be sent to [email protected].

Each Permanent Section has a pre-selected, qualified Organizer/Chair who not only decides whether the panel will be tied to a version of the Convention's theme or have an open topic but also drafts its call for papers by the March 15 deadline. The Organizer then receives and vets individual paper proposals to build a full, three-paper panel, which may also include a paper of his/her own. All proposals accepted to a Permanent Section are automatically added to the MMLA's Convention program and do not require a second round of approval by the Program Committee.

Individual proposals to a Permanent Section are due to the Organizer by his/her imposed deadline but no later than April 25 (please see the calls for papers below for more information). After soliciting, reviewing, and selecting individual proposals, all Permanent Section Organizers must submit the following materials to the MMLA by May 01:

1. Organizer's Name, Email Address, and Affiliation
2. Panel Title (15-word maximum)
3. Presenter Names, Email Addresses, and Affiliations
4. Paper Titles (15-word maximum each)
5. Abstracts (approximately 250 words each)

For a helpful resource that breaks down the primary components of a strong abstract, visit Karen Kelsky's "How to Write a Paper or Conference Proposal Abstract" page on her website, The Professor is In.

Calls for Papers