Call For Papers: Wyrd Con Companion Book 2015

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Call for Papers: The Wyrd Con Companion Book 2015



The Wyrd Con Interactive Storytelling Convention invites papers for December 2015 publication. The Wyrd Con Companion Book features two sections of articles: journalistic and academic. Articles on any form of interactive storytelling are welcome, including, but not limited to, the following: larp, transmedia, tabletop, alternate reality/pervasive games, virtual role-playing, subcultural analysis, etc.

The Wyrd Con Companion Book represents a new trend in scholarship that works to interweave the practical with the theoretical, the experiential with the analytical. Our publication includes articles from scholars, practitioners, designers, and participants of interactive storytelling experiences. The goal of the Companion Book is to provide a site of discourse to streamline multiple threads of conversation into a centralized location. Our publication connects strongly with other discursive sites with similar goals, such as the annual Knutpunkt books, the International Journal of Role-playing, and the Analog Game Studies journal.

We invite articles on all topics pertaining to interactive storytelling. The editors are especially interested in the following:

* Documentation of games or projects, past and present

* Historical perspectives on various subcultural groups, including campaigns, conventions, forums, and local “scenes” of all sorts

* Historical perspectives on various theories and discourses

* Educational, business, and other “real world” applications

* Contextualizing various forms of storytelling and subcultures with relation to one another

* Theoretical ruminations

* Discussion of mainstream representations of interactive storytelling, including news media, films, reality television, and documentaries

* Current subculture discourses, debates, and tensions

* Practical advice columns

* Editorial pontifications on current topics

Both tracks involve an lengthy editorial process. All academic papers should feature thorough, extensive citations by reputable sources in Role-playing Studies or other appropriate fields. The editors will choose experts in the field for double-blind peer review of academic articles. Journalistic submissions will also require some degree of citation in order to connect new ideas with other key texts in the field. The final document is a free, interactive PDF that features hyperlinked sources and links.

The timeline for The WyrdCon Companion Book is as follows:

Abstract Submission deadline: March 15

Acceptance notification: April 1

Full paper deadline (5000 words, not including Bibliography): May 15

Review comments returned to authors: June 15

Final drafts due: August 1

Projected publication date: December 1

Please send 500-word abstracts by March 15 to the coordinating editor, Sarah Lynne Bowman: wyrdcon-book (at) hotmail.com

Follow Chicago Style for the citations and formatting of academic submissions. Abstracts for the Academic Section should feature a Bibliography with a minimum of 3 scholarly sources.

See the Companion Book Style Guide for submission instructions. The editors may provide more extensive submission guidelines after acceptance notification. Feel free to email with additional inquiries throughout the process.