Call for Papers – 2017

The 41st Annual Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference
October 19-21, 2017
Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, Ohio

~ SHAKESPEARE: NOW AND THEN ~
with plenary speakers
Hugh Grady
Professor Emeritus, Arcadia University
Lisa S. Starks
University of South Florida St. Petersburg

How do time, and the times, figure in the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries? What is Shakespeare’s time? Was it then? It is now? Will it be in the future?

The 2017 meeting of the OVSC seeks papers that consider how the works of Shakespeare and other early modern authors resonated in their own time, and how they continue to do so in ours. How do early modern writers’ views of time shed light on their own contemporary surroundings? On their own pasts? How does Shakespeare’s voice speak to, with, and/or against the voices of his contemporaries? In what ways do adaptations and interpretations of early modern works reach — or fail to reach — today’s audiences? How do the era’s plays and poems comment on the issues of their own times, and our own?

Proposals for papers of 20 minutes, roundtable topics, or panels of three or four members on Shakespeare’s work and that of his contemporaries are welcome. Please send abstracts of 300-500 words to Professor Susan Oldrieve at soldriev@bw.edu.

Undergraduate students are invited to present their work during seminar-style roundtables. Participants will be asked to submit 300-500 word abstracts, followed by 8-10 page papers for pre-circulation.

Deadlines: Deadline for consideration is September 8, 2017.

Location: Baldwin Wallace is just outside of Cleveland, 10 minutes from the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Downtown Cleveland is 20 minutes from campus, and public transportation is available.

The OVSC publishes a volume of selected papers each year and conferees are welcome to submit revised versions of their papers for consideration. Students who present are eligible to compete for the M. Rick Smith Memorial Prize.

Questions or submissions can be directed to Professor Susan Oldrieve (soldriev@bw.edu).

Click here to open the print version (PDF) of the 2017 OVSC Call for Papers: OVSC 2017 cfp.