*CFP* "AFROFUTURISM", SPECIAL EDITION, COLLEGE LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

In this special edition of College Language Association Journal, we will explore Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism has quickly emerged as one of the most dynamic and urgent traditions in black expressive culture. Although the incredible success of Black Panther has introduced it into mainstream conversations, works of Afrofuturism—which include art, literature, and music—have been growing steadily over the last two decades. As the critical discourse surrounding Afrofuturism has begun to grow and mature, we have reached a critical reflection point where a critical mass of works and artists has intersected with mainstream popularity. So, artists like Janelle Monday and works like Nnedi Okorafro’s Binti and Tomi Adeyemi’s Chidlren of Blood and Bone have received populate acclaim while situating themselves in the growing body of work that explores the mix of black cultural tradition, technology, and futurists. 

This special issue engages the discourse surrounding Afrofuturism and its increasingly crucial place in contemporary African American literature. While its first usage has been tracked to Mark Dery’s use of the term in 1994, we are equally interested in its presence before, whether in the works of Samuel Delany and Octavia Butler, speculative fiction in early African American literature, as well as its current explosion in popular culture and its creative, critical and cultural possibilities in the future. 

Consistent with the tradition of African American literary study, we seek essays that explore the ways Afrofuturism’s impact on our racial discourse and its reflection across the African Diaspora in an era that involves #BlackLivesMatter, mass incarceration, and the reinvigoration of white nationalism globally. Essays in this special issue should consider what the presences of fantasy, magic, and sci-fi means in a literary tradition that is often heavily committed to realist and naturalist narratives.

Possible Topics:

• Black Speculative Fiction/Black Speculative Arts Movement 
• Octavia Butler and her impact on Afrofuturism 
• Black Panther 
• Afrofuturism and the future of African American Literature 
• Janelle Monae and Afrofuturism Hip-Hop 
• African Diaspora and Afrofuturism 
• Sun Ra 
• Black Sassy 
• Nalo Hopkinson 
• Samuel Delany 
• Stephen Barnes 
• Tananarive Due 
• Jewelle Gomez 
• Afrofuturism in Africa 
• Afrofuturism in South America

300-500 word Abstracts are due by August 15th. All those accepted in the journal will be notified by September 30th with full essays due by January 31st. Email essays to Clajspecialedition@gmail.com