Word Hoard Issue III Call for Papers “Pop/Corn”

At Word Hoard, we like our popcorn just as much as anyone else: tasty, lightweight, and covered with something that might once have been butter. There’s no better way to watch a movie than with a bag of popcorn at your side. And yet an unwelcome fact intrudes upon this idyllic scene: airborne diacetyl, the chemical used to manufacture popcorn’s artificial butter flavouring, can also cause bronchiolitis obliterans, a condition more lethal than tubercu- losis that occurs most frequently in the lungs of microwave popcorn factory workers.

For Word Hoard’s third issue, we are soliciting work that engages with the serious consequences of gratu- itous “pop corn-ography.” Pop, corniness, kitsch, nostalgia, camp—we celebrate the fun and subversive po- tential of “fluff” even as we neglect its troubling implications of disposability, sterility, inauthenticity, and empty calories. The Russian notion of poshlost, or “petty evil or self-satisfied vulgarity,” captures the danger of treating pop/corn as harmless. What are we to do with this fluff that leaves such a bad flavour in our mouths, but is nevertheless so tasty?
Word Hoard is an interdisciplinary journal of the arts and humanities founded upon a unique dialogic editorial model through which content editors respond to accepted submissions. In this issue we hope to create a dialogue concerning the dark sides of both pop and corniness. From bawdy and satirical medieval humour to trope-laden Victorian ad- vertisement, from burlesque, vaudeville, and cabaret to modern hipsterism, how have shifting historical definitions and demarcations of poor taste, low art, and kitsch inflected our political, cultural, and social consciousness? How do we feel about Oprah’s Book Club, the allure of Dan Brown, and the appeal of the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader series? Closer to home, between MOOCs, pop-culture-centered electives, and re-branding, where does the changing face of the university intersect with excess, disposability, corniness? When scientists are being muzzled even as astronauts become national celebrities, where do we draw the line between popular science and political agendas? Are the pil- lars of liberal society becoming pop phenomena of corporate culture? Word Hoard’s third issue seeks to challenge the celebration of pop and corniness with submissions that add gravity, depth, and weight to the seemingly innocuous superficiality of “fluff.”

We invite submissions between 3000-5000 words related to the provocation and concept of “Pop/Corn.” Submis- sions are due 15 December 2013. Accepted submissions can expect online and print publication in the summer of 2014. All submissions will be peer-reviewed, all accepted submissions will be responded to within our dialogic, multi-generic format, and all disciplines relating to arts, culture, and the humanities are invited to submit. The first two issues of Word Hoard can be found at: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wordhoard.

Submissions should be formatted according to MLA guidelines, and should also include a brief biographical sketch of the author; abstracts are appreciated but not required. Articles, interviews, and other forms of content submis- sion should not contain the author’s name or obvious identification marks to ensure an objective peer-reviewing process. To submit, or for more information, please contact wordhoard.editors@gmail.com.

We appreciate your attention, and look forward to reading your work.

Diana Samu-Visser, Managing Editor

Mélissa LeBlanc, Copy Editor-in-Chief Leif

Schenstead-Harris, Content Editor

Nahmi Lee, Publications and Design Editor