*CFP* "REFOCUS: THE FILMS OF DAVID MAMET", EDITED COLLECTION

We are seeking abstracts of 250-500 words for essays to be included in a book-length anthology on David Mamet to appear in late 2022. We have received a number of strong proposals already, but looking for a few more to add to the volume’s lineup. The intended scope of the work is to analyze Mamet’s unique position as an artist of note in both the theatre and the cinema, as well as his very specific ideas about dramatic structure, performance style, and economical visual storytelling. It will argue, for the first time, that Mamet’s film work is an essential, but underappreciated dimension of his artistic career.

Possible areas of inquiry could include: Mamet’s films as writer/director; Mamet as script doctor; Mamet as screenwriter for other directors; Mamet and dramatic theory; Mamet and gender; Mamet and adaptation; Mamet and adaptation of theatrical productions; Mamet and Jewish identity; Mamet and confidence games; Mamet and Chicago; Mamet and performance; Mamet and visual style; Mamet and dialogue; Mamet and profanity; Mamet and politics; Mamet and class; Mamet and frequent collaborators; Mamet in popular culture; Mamet and celebrity; Mamet and Hollywood; Mamet and magic; Mamet and authorship. Areas outside of those listed here are also welcome.

Essays included in the refereed anthology will be of approximately 5,000 to 8,000 words, referenced in Chicago endnote style.

Tentative Timeline: Intended publication Late 2022

Refocus: The Films of David Mamet will be one of the scholarly editions to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press in a new series of anthologies examining overlooked American film directors. It will include a career-spanning interview with David Mamet conducted by the editors in September 2020. Series editors are Robert Singer, Ph.D., Gary D. Rhodes, Ph.D., and Frances Smith, Ph.D. Volume editors previously published ReFocus: The Films of Paul Schrader (2020).

Please attach a curriculum vitae to your abstract and email them directly to the anthology’s editors by May 31st, 2021:

Brian Brems, bremsb@cod.edu

Michelle E. Moore, moorem@cod.edu