Call for Papers

Want to represent CLA at the American Literature Association Conference in Boston, MA in 2027? Read on!

As an affiliate organization of the American Literature Association, the College Language Association (CLA) is seeking proposals for 1–2 panels at the American Literature Association’s 38th Annual Conference, to be held May 26–29, 2027, at The Westin Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts.

CLA invites abstracts for individual presentations and fully formed panel proposals that explore Black diasporic literatures, cultures, histories, and pedagogies. We welcome scholarship that examines African American and Black diasporic literary traditions, cultural production, identity, history, education, migration, memory, race, and community.

Proposals may engage with a wide range of literary periods, genres, authors, texts, and critical approaches. We especially welcome interdisciplinary work drawing from literary studies, cultural studies, history, education, African American studies, and related fields.

Submission Guidelines

• Individual presentation abstracts should be approximately 250 words.
• Fully formed panel proposals should be no more than 500 words.
• Individual and panel proposals should include a brief CV or description of each presenter’s qualifications.
• Please include your name, email address, brief vita, and any requests for A/V equipment.
• Presenters must be members of CLA for an abstract or panel proposal to be considered

Please send abstracts or panel proposals to Dr. Shayla M. Atkins, Membership Engagement Director, at membership@clascholars.org no later than November 6, 2026. 

About the American Literature Association Conference
The American Literature Association’s 38th Annual Conference will take place May 26–29, 2027, at The Westin Copley Place, 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116. The conference director is Dr. Olivia Carr Edenfield of Georgia Southern University, and the featured reader is Andre Dubus III. The conference fee is $200, with a reduced fee of $125 for graduate students, independent scholars, and retired faculty.

The ALA website contains additional information and instructions for submitting proposals, as well as information for representatives of participating author societies. Information about CLA and how to join CLA can be found at www.clascholars.org.