Conference

STATEMENT FROM THE ORGANIZERS

MARCH 12, 2020: Given the evolving situation and the growing number of presenters who are unable to attend or prohibited from attending, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's conference. All registrants will be issued refunds, and we will contact registered presenters to gauge interest in potentially sharing our work online.


Supernatural Studies 2020 Annual Conference

Our third annual conference will be held on the campus of Iona College, in New Rochelle, NY, on Friday, March 20, 2020. Click here for a map of campus.

Click here for draft program.


Registration

If you are a presenter, please 1) fill out this form and 2) pay the registration fee using the "Add to Cart" button below.

If you are not presenting but wish to attend, please 1) fill out this form and 2) pay the registration fee using the "Add to Cart" button below.

To pay registration fee of $25 (USD), please click "Add to Cart" below.

Keynote Speaker

The keynote address, “The Cinematic Séance,” will be delivered by Dr. Murray Leeder (University of Manitoba).

Dr. Leeder is the author of Horror Film: A Critical Introduction (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018), The Modern Supernatural and the Beginnings of Cinema (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), Halloween (Auteur, 2014), the editor of ReFocus: The Films of William Castle (Edinburgh UP, 2018) , Cinematic Ghosts: Haunting and Spectrality from Silent Cinema to the Digital Era (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015), and a special issue of Cinema Journal Teaching Dossier, and he has published numerous articles and book chapters on film, sci-fi, and horror.

Call for submissions

The Supernatural Studies Association invites submissions for the 2020 Supernatural Studies Conference, to be held at Iona College on Friday, March 20, 2020.

The conference welcomes proposals on representations of the supernatural in any form of text or artifact, such as literature (including speculative fiction), film, television, video games, social media, or music. Submissions regarding pedagogy and supernatural representations will also be considered, as will creative submissions that align with the conference's focus. There is no restriction regarding time periods or disciplinary and theoretical approaches (examples include literary, historical, and cultural studies approaches).

Abstracts of 300 words maximum should be sent to supernaturalstudiesconference@gmail.com by the deadline of February 1st, 2020. The registration deadline will be February 20th. Faculty, graduate students, and independent scholars are welcome to apply. Please note that, due to location and funding, we do not have an associated conference hotel and cannot offer travel support.

Schedule of Presentations

Presentations are 15-20 minutes.

The program will be posted here when it is finalized.

Registration

The registration deadline is February 20, 2020. The fee for registration, which includes all panels, the keynote address, and refreshment, is planned to be $25 (USD). Registration may be completed above on this page.

Accommodations

Due to the small size of the conference, we do not have an agreement with any hotels in the area, but for those wishing to stay as close to the conference as possible, we recommend the Residence Inn New Rochelle. An alternative recommendation is the Radisson New Rochelle.

Getting to the Campus

Metro North Railroad

Take the New Haven line to the New Rochelle Station. Exit the station to North Avenue and take a taxi or the #45 bus to the College entrance (bus runs Monday through Friday).

West Side MTA subway (uptown)

Change at 180th Street for the 241st Street – White Plains Road train. At White Plains Road and 241st Street, take the #42 bus to North Avenue and Main Street, New Rochelle. Transfer to the #45 bus to the College entrance (bus runs Monday through Friday).

By Amtrak North East Corridor Service

Take the train to the New Rochelle Station. Exit the station to North Avenue and take a taxi or the #45 bus to the College entrance (bus runs Monday through Friday).

By Bus From Pelham Bay Station in the Bronx

Take the #45 bus directly to the College entrance (bus runs Monday through Friday).

By Bus From Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue in the Bronx

Take the Fordham Road bus to North Avenue and Main Street, New Rochelle. Then, take the #45 bus north to the College entrance (bus runs Monday through Friday).

By Bus From 241st Street and White Plains Road

Take the #42 bus to Main Street and North Avenue, New Rochelle. Transfer to the #45 bus to the College entrance (bus runs Monday through Friday).

Parking : A limited number of parking will be available on campus, as well as in the parking garage. Street parking is available on President's Street. Campus security will be notified of the event, but it would be useful for attendees to have a paper or electronic copy of their acceptance. Driving directions can be found on this page.

Previous Conferences

2nd Annual Conference, The College of Mount Saint Vincent, March 29, 2019. Click here for a pdf of the 2019 conference program.

1st Annual Conference, Bronx Community College, CUNY, March 23, 2018. Click here for a pdf of the 2018 conference program.