ACCUTE’s conference at Congress 2024: Sustaining Shared Futures will take place from June 12-15, 2024 at McGill University in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke. Our call for panel proposals is open until Friday, September 29, 2023. At this time we are accepting proposals for Member-Organized Panels, Joint-Sponsored Panels, and Creative Writing Panels. The General Call will be circulated in October 2023.

Call for Panels to ACCUTE Conference

June 12-15 at Congress 2024

“Sustaining Shared Futures“

McGill University, Montreal

Deadline for Panel Proposals Extended to September 29, 2023

ACCUTE is excited to announce that Congress 2024 will take place at McGill University in Montreal. The ACCUTE Conference runs from June 12-15, 2024.

The ACCUTE Conference includes general panels as well as organized panels. At this time, ACCUTE is accepting proposals for Member-Organized Panels, Joint-Sponsored Panels, and Creative Writing Panels for the 2024 conference.

To download a copy of this Call for Panels to your device, please click here.

MEMBER-ORGANIZED  PANELS

Member-Organized Panels are proposed by an ACCUTE member for the annual ACCUTE conference. Member-Organized Panels are not invitational: the organizer describes the topic but does not pre-select the participants. As with general submissions to the ACCUTE conference, paper proposals and submitted papers are peer reviewed, with the panel organizer acting as the first vettor. The organizing member is expected to attend the ACCUTE conference and act as Panel Chair.

JOINT-SPONSORED PANELS

Joint-sponsored panels are co-sponsored by another academic association. These panels are initiated by an ACCUTE member who is also a member of the organization that jointly sponsors the panel. Joint-sponsored panels are intended to foster links between ACCUTE and other scholarly associations, whether those associations regularly attend Congress or not. Of special interest to ACCUTE are those organizations that address fields that have traditionally been under-represented at our conference. While ACCUTE welcomes panels that correspond with the annual Congress theme, any topic that reflects ACCUTE’s mandates or the interests of its members will be considered.

CREATIVE WRITING PANELS

Creative Writing Panels are also member-organized panels, but they are organized as part of the Creative Writing Collective (CWC) and will focus on creative writing practice, pedagogy, and professional concerns. They may also take the form of literary readings or presentations on creative writing contexts and research. The CWC encourages proposals covering a range of topics, such as decolonization and creative writing; creative writing mentorship and pedagogy; building anti-racist writing workshops; craft and process. The submission process is the same as for Member-Organized  panels.

PANEL FORMATS

ACCUTE panels are typically 90 minutes in length. A panel may follow the conventional three- or four-paper format, but we also encourage proposers to consider alternative formats such as:

• Round Table: Participants briefly present and have a discussion on a designated topic.
• Workshop: Participants work collaboratively and with attendees on a practical problem (eg., a crux in interpretation, developing course syllabus, constructing an effective grant proposal).
• Demonstrations: Participants present on teaching or technological innovations, with explanations and discussion.
• Interview session: Participants give a brief presentation and are then interviewed by the next panelist, who then presents their work.
• Creative writing panel: Discussion based on participants’ creative work. Collaborative presentations: Participants present as a group or team (rather than individually).
• Closed-Door Meetings: Participants meet privately in the context of ACCUTE. Such a meeting space can be made available to those who request it, especially for priority and equity-deserving groups.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PANEL PROPOSAL

To submit a panel proposal, please send an email to info.accute@gmail.com with the following information:

• The proposed panel title and format, including type of proposal (Member-Organized, Creative Writing, or Joint-Sponsored; if Joint-Sponsored indicate the co-sponsored organization)
• Your name, institution, and email address
• The text of the CFP to a maximum of 200 words

If accepted, your CFP will be circulated in September with a deadline for submissions of late November. Submissions will come through the Online Proposal Submission Form on the ACCUTE website, and then be forwarded to panel organizer(s) for first vetting.

Submissions not selected for the panel will go into the General Pool for consideration.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CFP?

Some CFPs attract many submissions; some, few or none. A successful CFP is neither too general (Munro’s fiction, problems in poetry) nor too specific (Jungian approaches to The Great Gatsby, use of the first person in experimental fiction). It identifies an interesting or timely topic or critical problem, or an under-represented area, and reflects current scholarship in that field. Think of the eventual audience as well as the potential submitters: try to pick a topic that is not overly specialized and that has a general or cross-field appeal. Craft the CFP carefully, without issuing too many directives, and let your submitters show what they can do with it. Finally, be sure to spend some time publicizing the CFP to the kinds of scholars who would be an asset to the event.

We encourage anyone planning a panel to consult ACCUTE’s Equity Statement and to consider how their panel fulfills the ambitions and values it seeks to uphold. Please contact Erin Knight at info.accute@gmail.com with any questions. For questions specific to Creative Writing panels, you may contact Adam Dickinson at adickinson@brocku.ca.