Call for Chapters - Positioning Pooh: Edward Bear after 100 Years
Call for Chapters - Positioning Pooh: Edward Bear after 100 Years
Deadline for Submissions: October 31, 2018
Editor: Jennifer Harrison, East Stroudsburg University, USA
Contact email: jharriso11@esu.edu
I am currently seeking chapter submissions for an edited volume celebrating the centenary in 2026 of A. A. Milne’s The World of Pooh. This collection is under contract with the University Press of Mississippi in conjunction with the ChLA, and will be included in the ChLA’s centennial series.
As classics from the “golden age” of children’s literature, Milne’s Pooh stories have received considerable attention from critics and fans over the years; however, less critical attention has been devoted to the continuing relevance of the Pooh phenomenon in contemporary children’s culture. As recent critics have discussed, the Pooh stories are complex and multifaceted, written in many different modes and employing a vast array of different narrative styles and techniques; they have also undergone transformation and adaptation into a plethora of related cultural artefacts.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of The World of Pooh, therefore, this volume will explore Pooh in light of cutting-edge children’s literature and culture theory, with a particular focus on how the Pooh stories have engaged critical theorists across the decades since its publication. Anticipated publication of this volume is for 2020 - the birthyear of Christopher Robin, and the year in which the “real” Winnie was adopted by London Zoo.
Submissions of an interdisciplinary nature are particularly welcome, as are submissions which examine the relationship between the texts and modern adaptations and artefacts. High-priority areas for inclusion in the volume include:
- Pooh across cultures and from multicultural perspectives
- The marketing of the Pooh franchise
- Postcolonial and ecocritical readings
- Interdisciplinary readings (especially readings from outside the Arts)
However, this list is nowhere near exhaustive and I am happy to consider any submission which focuses on the Pooh stories and their role in modern children’s culture.
I hope to include chapters by authors from a variety of disciplines and viewpoints, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of current studies in children’s literature and culture, as well as the diverse relevance of the Pooh stories in modern children’s culture. Please submit a 500-word chapter abstract and a biography of no more than 250 words by October 31, 2018, to: jharriso11@esu.edu. Full chapter drafts will be due by December 31, 2018.
All proposed abstracts will be given full consideration, and submission implies a commitment to publish in this volume if your work is selected for inclusion. All questions regarding this volume should be directed to: jharriso11@esu.edu.