Proliferations of Lovecraft
A Global Interdisciplinary Conference

Sunday 18th April 2021 - Monday 19th April 2021
Vienna, Austria

From humble beginnings in the pages of early 20th century pulp fiction magazines, the stories of H.P. Lovecraft continue to exert a powerful influence over the human imagination, leaving an indelible mark on various facets of society. The ideas, language, imagery and themes of Lovecraft’s so-called ‘weird fiction’ and horror fiction offer fascinating engagements with the workings of the human mind as it grapples with the known and unknown world. It is little wonder that Lovecraft’s work has inspired a proliferation of fiction, philosophy, art, politics, games, literary criticism, cocktails, music and more. But what is it about Lovecraft’s work that serves as a catalyst for such a diverse array of cultural products? How has the use of Lovecraftian ideas in these cultural products assisted in the evolution of, or deviation from the original body of work? What meanings are created by reviving Lovecraft’s work in a particular way, in a particular context, and in a particular period in time? How can Lovecraft’s work become a catalyst for expressing new ideas?

Proliferations of Lovecraft provides a platform for inclusive interdisciplinary engagements aimed at exploring these questions. The organising committee welcomes proposals on any subject linked to Lovecraft’s thinking and writing.

Key Topics
Key topics, themes and issues for discussion may include, but are definitely not limited to:

~ Lovecraftian adaptations in literature, film, television, video and games
~ Eldritch music
~ why people are drawn to Lovecraftian ideas
~ philosophy and Lovecraft
~ sanity as a feature of video games and board games
~ faith, belief and the supernatural
~ race/gender studies
~ Lovecraft fandom
~ optimism vs. pessimism
~ meaning of monsters
~ presentations of your own proliferations of Lovecraft
~ science and technology
~ Lovecraft across cultures
~ Lovecraftian ideas in public policy
~ Lovecraft and mental health
~ strategies for thinking, writing, teaching Lovecraft

What To Send
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, storytelling, performances, poster presentations, panels, q&a’s, round-tables etc.

300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 2nd October 2020. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chair.

All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 9th October 2020.

If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 12th February 2021

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: Lovecraft Submission.

Where To Send

Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:

Liza Blackman: liza@progressiveconnexions.net
Len Capuli (Project Administrator): viennalovecraft@progressiveconnexions.net

What's so Special About a Progressive Connexions Event?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format: at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashioned conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.
 
A chance to network with international professionals: the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.
 
A chance to be part of constructing change: There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.
 
An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you: Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field - what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.
 
An unforgettable experience: When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.
 
Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.
 
Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.
 
Please send all enquiries to: viennalovecraft@progressiveconnexions.net
 
For further details and information please visit the conference web page: https://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/evil/lovecraft/conferences/
 
Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions