CALL FOR PAPERS

The International Comic Arts Festival invites scholarly paper presentations for its eleventh annual meeting, to be held at the Madison Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., from Thursday, October 12, through Saturday, October 14, 2006. We welcome proposals from a variety of disciplines and theoretical perspectives. All proposals should address the history, aesthetics, cultural significance or critical reception of comic art (including comic strips, comic books, albums, graphic novels, political cartoons, other panel cartoons, caricature, or comics in electronic media).

Proposals will be refereed via blind review.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
For its scholarly presentations, ICAF prefers argumentative, thesis-driven papers, clearly linked to larger critical, artistic or cultural issues. We strive to avoid presentations that are merely summative or survey-like in character. Where possible, papers should be illustrated by relevant images ( e.g., slides, transparencies). In all cases, presentations should be timed to finish within the strict limit of TWENTY (20) MINUTES (roughly eight to nine typed, double-spaced pages).

Proposals should not exceed 300 WORDS. At the bottom of the proposal, the author should precisely state her/his audiovisual equipment needs. Note that ICAF cannot provide a VCR, freestanding DVD player, or monitor. Proposals requiring computers or data projection equipment should include exact system specifications. Presenters relying on computers are urged to bring their own equipment for backup, including adaptors. (Though ICAF strives to meet basic equipment needs, we cannot guarantee the availability or compatibility of computer equipment.)

REVIEW PROCESS: All proposals will be subject to blind review by the ICAF Executive Committee, with preference given to proposals that observe the above standards. The final number of papers accepted will depend on the needs of the conference program as it develops. (In past years ICAF has typically accepted one third to one half of the proposals it has received.)