Comics panel at the SAMLA (South Atlantic Modern Language Association) conference in November. The theme for this conference is High Art/Low Art: Borders and Boundaries in Popular Culture.

For most of their history, comics have been relegated as “low art.” Increasingly, though, they have gained greater recognition as a unique and, sometimes even, profound art form. Although they have received increased academic scrutiny in recent years, comics are still treated as a special genre, one that embodies the idea of “low art.” Occasionally, a work breaks through that designation to receive critical acclaim, as we saw with Maus in 1992 and March in 2016. This panel welcomes papers that attempt to look beyond such critically acclaimed outliers by examining comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels as demonstrations of “high art” (whatever that may mean). By June 1, 2017, please email a 250-word abstract, along with a brief biographical note and any audio/visual requirements, to Jason Todd at jtodd1@xula.edu. Papers should be 10-12 minutes each.

SAMLA 89 conference information can be found at https://samla.memberclicks.net/.
Presenters must be registered members of SAMLA by August 31.

Membership

• Membership dues must be paid by deadline listed on website. Chairs should ask panelists to make sure their membership is paid by the deadline.
• Chair membership submission or renewal deadline is June 9, 2017
• Panelist membership submission or renewal deadline is August 31, 2017
• Failure to submit membership materials by these deadlines will result in the participant’s name being removed from the program.

Registration

• Registration may be paid at any time up until conference attendance.
• Registrations submitted by September 22 will receive a discounted registration price of $140.00 for individuals and $85.00 for student/adjunct/retired members.
• Beginning September 23, registration will be $175.00 for individuals and $105.00 for student/adjunct/retired members.
• All participants must sign-in at the corresponding registration desk (pre-registration or on-site registration) to receive name tag and program.
• Participants must be present and must pay registration in order to present their scholarship at the conference; no papers may be read on behalf of a panelist.
• Any participant who fails to complete registration (including membership) at the SAMLA Conference will receive an invoice from SAMLA following the conference detailing the charges owed.