CALL FOR PAPERS, ABSTRACTS, AND PANEL PROPOSALS
Wrestling Studies Area
Co-Chairs CarrieLynn D. Reinhard (creinhard@dom.edu) and Christopher J. Olson (olson429@uwm.edu)
Midwest Popular Culture Association / Midwest American Culture Association Annual Conference
Friday-Sunday, 2-4 October 2020
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Westin Minneapolis
Minnesota is famous for its impact on professional wrestling. Minnesota has produced many classic superstars like the Road Warriors, Larry Hennig, the Andersons, Bob Backlund, and Molly Holly, as well as new stars like Curtis Axel, the Daivaris, Chad Gable, and Erick Rowan. In many ways, Verne Gagne and the American Wrestling Association (AWA), both based out of Minneapolis, helped establish modern professional wrestling. After wrestling for AWA and WWF, Jesse Ventura made headlines when he became Minnesota’s 38th governor. Minnesota matters in professional wrestling.
For this year’s conference, along with regular proposals related to professional wrestling, we’re interested in any that focus on the relationship between Minnesota and professional wrestling. We’re especially interested in proposals that consider the “places” of professional wrestling: from physical places like event halls and wrestling schools or cities, states and territories, to digital places like social media and websites. Minnesota is an important place in professional wrestling, so let’s talk more about why “place” matters as a concept in pro-wrestling studies.
Submit paper, abstract, or panel proposals (including the title of the presentation) to the appropriate Area on the Submissions website (submissions.mpcaaca.org). Individuals may only submit one paper, and please do not submit the same paper to more than one Area.
Deadline for receipt of proposals is May 15, 2020.
For more details, visit: https://mpcaaca.org/minn-2020.
Please include your name, affiliation, and e-mail address of each author/participant. A preliminary version of the schedule will be posted on our website around August 2020. The final version will be distributed in hard copy at the conference.
The Midwest Popular Culture Association is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely. At this point, we intend for the conference to go ahead as planned in October. Please note that the deadline for registration is September 15. In the event that the conference is moved into a virtual setting, postponed, or canceled, we will notify you with how the organization will respond as soon as possible. Please check the MPCA website or follow MPCA on Twitter or Facebook for the latest information.
Special Notes Regarding Proposal Submissions: (1) AV equipment will be rented from the hotel by the Association. The Association does not provide laptops, cords, or speakers. (2) If necessary, indicate and submit potential scheduling conflicts along with your proposal. (3) If you wish your presentation to be listed as MACA (rather than MPCA), please include this request with your proposal.
Please plan to attend the entire conference. Panels will run at the following approximate times: Friday 9:00 am-6:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am -5:30 pm, and Sunday 9:00 am-2:00 pm. Special events will include game night on Thursday evening, featured speakers and awards ceremony on Friday evening, and a keynote speaker on Saturday evening. These events will be free for conference registrants. Area Chairs are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting, which this year will be held on Saturday from 12:30-2:00 and will include a lunch.
MEMBERSHIP DUES & REGISTRATION FEES: Membership renewal forms for the 2020 calendar year and 2020 conference registration forms will be available on the website in the coming weeks. All participants must register for the conference. Registration is $100 for undergraduate students with ID, $150 for reduced rate members (graduate students with ID, retirees, and unemployed), and $180 for regular members. There will be a $15 late fee for registration on-site or postmarked after September 15, 2020. (This fee is waived for residents of countries other than the USA or Canada.) Payment on-site will be by cash, check, or via credit card on Square. To preregister, send a check anytime to Malynnda Johnson, 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute, Indiana, USA 47809. Make check payable to Midwest Popular Culture Association. A registration-membership form may be printed from our website at <http://www.mpcaaca.org>.
Day passes will be available for guests of the conference who are not presenting a paper.
A special group rate for a limited block of rooms reserved on a first-come, first-served basis will be secured with the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati. Check for details at the MPCA website.
Attendees are financially responsible for all costs related to their participation in the conference, e.g., transportation, lodging, meals, registration, membership, etc. Graduate students are invited to apply for competitively awarded travel grants from MPCA/MACA. Details on these grants are available here.
Cancellation Policy: If you submit a proposal (or if you accept an invitation to appear on a panel), you are promising to attend the conference if your proposal is accepted and you are promising to pay the conference registration fee, the Association membership fee, and a late fee of $15 if applicable. If your proposal is accepted and you do not attend the conference, it is expected that you will (1) notify all members of your panel, your Area Chair, and the MPCA/MACA Executive Secretary (Malynnda Johnson) of your cancellation; (2) provide such notification as early as possible; (3) arrange to have your paper distributed at the panel; (4) arrange for somebody else to carry out any other duties you may have; and (5) pay your membership and registration fees (plus late fee if applicable). If conditions 1-5 are met, you may file a written request, after the conference, for a refund of half your registration fee. For co-authored papers, all authors are welcome and encouraged to attend, but only one author is required to attend.