Call for Papers

This international conference envisions bringing the Harry Potter fandom together in the beautiful city of Ottawa to discuss J.K. Rowling's novels with one another and with literary scholars. In addition to keynote speakers and programming sessions presented by fans and professionals, the convention will feature directed discussion groups as well as informal opportunities for fans and scholars to get to know one another and to enjoy the city of Ottawa.

The Canadian Programming Committee seeks proposals for presentations, moderated panels and workshops on any topic relating to the Harry Potter novels and/or their fan community. We strongly encourage members of the fandom community to participate, and also welcome submissions by members of the professional and academic communities. While potential topics and suggested submissions are noted below to get your creative juices flowing, we are interested in any and all ideas - please do not feel limited by the potential topic areas or by the examples of potential submissions!

Presenters should be at least 18 years old, as the conference programming is intended for adults. However, participants are encouraged to bring their families and many of the informal events will be open to family members.

Programming Sessions

Potential programming session topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Characters in the Harry Potter series. Thanks to the myriad of characters created by Rowling, there are innumerable opportunities for presentations in this area. A submission might propose comparing Draco Malfoy as he is portrayed in Rowling's canon vs. Malfoy as he is known in fanfiction or a look at Severus Snape, probably Rowling's most debated character.
Mythology in the Harry Potter series. Rowling draws heavily from mythology in the series, from the three-headed dog Fluffy (based on Cerberus who guarded the Underworld in Greek mythology) to names such as "Argus" and "Narcissa". A submission might highlight the characters that are based on mythology, explain their mythological basis and provide a rationale for why Rowling chose to link those characters with these specific myths.
Education in the Harry Potter universe. We invite teachers (and administrators) in the fandom to compare their jobs to the ones held by their analogs in the Harry Potter novels. Possible topics include detailed analyses of Rowling's views on the state's role in education, and how the teachers in Rowling's universe would fare in the "real world".
Symbolism in the Harry Potter series. Proposals might explore how Rowling uses symbols and metaphors to express her views and the goals of the series. For example, submissions might analyze metaphors of death ("beyond the veil") or symbols of Christ (the stag, the phoenix, Harry's repeated resurrections).
Fandom Influences in the Harry Potter series. A proposal in this area might review Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to identify instances where Rowling may have responded to popular questions from the fandom (e.g., how to pronounce "Hermione").
Understanding and Exploring British Terms in the Harry Potter novels. For non-British readers, some of Rowling's British expressions and terms are, well - foreign! A submission in this area might propose a roundtable discussion run by British fans that would entertain audience questions on dialects and British terms in the novels.
Theories Past and Present. Is your theory still valid now that canon is closed or has it been blown out of the water? Are there still topics open to speculation?
What would you have done? Are there parts of the story that left you wondering? Parts of the story left unresolved? What would you have changed, added or removed? How would those have benefited the storyline?

The Canadian Programming Committee cannot stress enough that these topic areas are merely suggestions. They should not, therefore, be interpreted in any way as limitations on the subject matter of potential proposals. Proposals on any and all facets of the Harry Potter fandom are welcome and encouraged. The Committee only requests that your proposal be respectful of the interests and views of others in the fandom.

Time Blocks

Proposals should specify the estimated amount of time needed for presentation and discussion.

Programming sessions will be held on Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21. Our goal is to make all of the programming sessions as interactive as possible. Accordingly, for individual presentations, we suggest a planned presentation of between 30-45 minutes, followed by a 30-minute audience participation session. This is a guideline, however – presenters are welcome to propose other ideas for encouraging audience participation. Strictly lecture-based presentations are discouraged, however. Accordingly, proposals must include an outline for how audience participation will be solicited.

The suggested time period for moderated panels and workshops is between one hour and 90 minutes. As with the individual presentations, proposals for moderated panels should include a 30-minute audience participation session.

A volunteer staff member will be present at each session to introduce the presenter, assist with any technical difficulties and facilitate the audience participation component.

Proposal Submissions

Proposals submitted via regular mail must be postmarked no later than: February 15, 2008. Proposals submitted electronically must be received by: February 28, 2008. Proposals may take the form of a 500 word abstract or a completed conference paper (approximately 5-7 pages). Any attachments must be in Microsoft Word to be readable. Proposals should be sent via e-mail (preferred) or regular mail in advance of the submission deadline to the following: E-Mail submission: convention_alley@yahoo.ca. Please use "Ottawa 2008 Programming Submission" in the subject line.

You may also mail your proposals to:

Convention Alley
Box 36004
1106 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1Y 4V3
Canada

Proposal Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated based on an assessment of the level of interest conference participants will have in the topic area and the originality of the ideas presented, as well as the use of correct spelling and grammar.

Notification and Submission of Final Papers

We plan to notify presenters whose proposals are selected for presentation at the convention during the week of week of March 17, 2008. We regret that, in order to keep conference fees as low as possible, we are unable to fund presenters' registration, hotel and/or travel costs, or provide any other form of remuneration. Presenters will need to register for the conference at their own expense when they confirm that they will present (confirmations must be postmarked or e-mailed by March 31, 2008).

Presenters must submit their final completed paper in an electronic format (either as a text file or in Word) to the above e-mail address by April 30, 2008 (preferred) or by regular mail to the above address by April 15, 2008. Completed papers sent by regular mail must be submitted on a disk. All submissions will be edited for consistency of style, acronym use, and correct punctuation and grammar. Guidelines to ensure uniform style in the published proceedings will be provided to each successful presenter when selection notifications are issued. No changes will be made to submitted text without the prior approval of the author.

Directed Discussion Groups

The only way to improve upon an on-line chat is to have an in-person chat! Directed discussion groups will be scheduled throughout the weekend to accomplish this. These sessions will not have formal presentations, but will be guided by a moderator to get topics started and to move the discussion along. Since it is an unfortunate inevitability that we will receive more submissions for presentations than we can accept, we will invite those individuals who submitted presentation topics that are not chosen to serve as moderators for these panels.

Convention Alley