Alluvium General Call for Papers 2022

Image by Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash

We are delighted to share a call for submissions for Alluvium, a partner journal of the British Association of Contemporary Literary Studies. Alluvium is a scholarly open access journal featuring short essays of around 2000-3000 words on key issues and emerging trends in 21st century writing and criticism. The journal publishes six issues a year, employing a system of post-publication peer review by the engaged commentariat on the message boards of the journal’s website, enabling vital current ideas to find a rapid readership.

The editorial board of Alluvium welcomes proposals for essays to be published in 2022. We consider articles on a rolling basis. We seek both broad contributions, engaging with the definition of contemporary literature and criticism and its relationship with 21st century culture, society and politics, and more specific contributions on particular issues, themes or genres in contemporary literary production.

Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:

• Literary responses to contemporary politics
• Ecocriticism and climate crisis
• Digital humanities
• New perspectives on cultural and critical theory
• 21st-century genres including historical fiction
• Medical humanities
• Dystopian / utopian visions
• Pedagogical approaches to contemporary literary studies
• 21st century literary prize culture
• Literature and inequality
• Literature and the contemporary arts
• Decolonising the contemporary
• Decolonial and intersectional approaches to contemporary theory and literature
• Disability and contemporary literature
• Gender (LGBTQ*) in contemporary literature

In the spirit of BACLS’ rolling definition of ‘the contemporary’, Alluvium assumes a fluid and hybrid understanding of the contemporary moment, rather than a given periodisation. We welcome proposals either for single articles or for series of two or three articles and we encourage the use of visual material.

If you are interested in contributing to Alluvium in 2022 please email an abstract (max 250 words) outlining your proposed article/s. We particularly encourage submissions from PGR and ECR colleagues, and from people who identify with groups that are currently underrepresented in literary studies. We are keen to include voices of researchers from a range of academic disciplines, alongside those of creative practitioners. If you require any additional editorial assistance (extended deadlines, dyslexia or language support, etc.), please let our team know so we can take this into account. We will do our best to support you and accommodate your needs.

Please send abstracts and a short bio-note (including your name, email, and institutional affiliation) to editorial@alluvium-journal.org. Please also include an indication of when you plan to deliver this article during 2022.

Calls for contributions to special issues will be announced separately in the news section of our website and via Twitter.