Call for Book Chapters: "Lesser-Known Witches"

Chapter proposals are invited from interdisciplinary scholars for a collection tentatively titled "Recasting the Bygone Witch".

From Sabrina to Supreme, there are plentiful modern representations of the witch in popular culture, each exuding singular or group-sourced power borne from traditions of centuries-past, as manifested in literature, television, film, or local lore. But what about the lesser-known witches, those who practice and represent branches of witchcraft rarely examined within the subcultural analysis or fandom? This collection examines portrayals of lesser-known witches and how their quiet unconventionality, even within the broader occult subculture, might inform scholarship, practice, and preservation. What can we learn by examining lesser-known witches or unconventional representations of the witch?

Approaches or lenses for papers may include (but are not limited to):

• Literature, texts, or theory
• Cultural studies
• Gender studies or feminist perspectives
• Technology or media studies
• Race and ethnicity studies
• Environmental studies
• Pop culture studies
• Local or regional examinations
• Museum studies and public history
• Historic preservation or conservation
• Sociopolitical discussions

Mode of Submission - Chapter Proposals:
Contributors are asked to send a one-page chapter proposal and a brief biography (approximately 200 words) as one combined document (Word or PDF) to AineMNorris@gmail.com and mdibenigno@wm.edu with the subject line “Submission - Witch Collection.” Chapter proposals should represent original and unpublished research (or work for which the submitting author holds the full copyright for reproduction).

Proposal submission: September 15, 2023

Selection Procedure:
Final selection of work for the collection will be made by the editors and authors will be notified via email within 4-6 weeks of submission. Once preliminary selections have been made, the proposed chapters will be pitched formally to a press as a collection.

Final Chapters:
Upon successful contract with a publisher, final chapters will be due to the editors within ~5 months. Final chapters should be 6,000 - 8,000 words not including references. Images encouraged if within the public domain or owned / within rights agreement with the author. Chapters will then undergo peer review and revisions.