All Quiet on the Midwestern Front

Silence. Now there's something I haven't experienced in quite a while. The last two days, however, have been exceedingly silent. Why? Thanks to the generosity of a family member who purchased an airline ticket, STK and TLO flew back to Denver for a long weekend. I talked to STK for an hour or two late last night and it sounds like they're having a wonderful trip; Almost every second of every day has been scheduled chock full of friends and family. STK said TLO was his usual champ of a travelling partner--he charmed anyone with eye contact on the plane, apparently.

While STK and TLO have been catching up with friends and family, I've been in full academic mode. The deadline for NCA 2006 submissions is on Wednesday and several of us have been trying to pull together a panel submission regarding rhetoric and the intersection of virtual/"real" identity. I spent the better part of last night and this morning writing the formal proposal and sent it off this afternoon for feedback and proofreading. Provided the rewrites aren't too substantial, I plan on submitting the final version tomorrow night. As I've already been asked to participate on another panel regarding science fiction television, I could have two different obligations at the convention. Here's the absract for my contribution to the science fiction television panel.

We are All Cylons: Battlestar Galactica and Fandom’s Fitting Response.

This essay positions Ron Moore’s contemporary reconceptualization of Battlestar Galactica as part of an on-going public dialogue concerning ethics and human rights. Touching on such thought-provoking issues as terrorism, torture, and rape, Battlestar Galactica offers a dialogic hail that requires a fitting response. Message board posts provide an opportunity to examine the way in which fans acknowledge the hail and participate in the dynamic moment of communal discernment

As luck would have it, I also discovered the following call.

A Long-Time Ago . . . : Modern Mythology in the New Millennium
Call for Chapters
Deadline: April 1, 2006
Featured as an NCA Town-Hall forum in 2004, this collection seeks to bring together scholars and cultural critics from the fields of rhetoric, media, cultural studies, and communication studies, among others, to examine science fiction and/or modern fantasy texts from mythic and rhetorical perspectives. Applications of methodology to science fiction and/or fantasy literature, film, and texts (with the goal of contributing to communication theory and practice) are especially encouraged. Chapters could feature an application of methods (including but not limited to feminist, ideological, metaphoric, narrative, generative) to a wide variety of texts (Orwell’s 1984; Lewis’ Narnia; Lucas’ Star Wars galaxy; Star Trek; Stargate; Battlestar Galactica; etc). Proposals should include (1) title page with contact information for authors, (2) biographical page (a brief biographical statement for all authors), (3) a proposal (maximum of 5 pages excluding references) following the current APA Publication Manual. Final chapters will be limited to 30 pages. First drafts of chapters selected for inclusion must be submitted by August 30th, 2006.

I believe I'll pull together a proposal and submit my NCA paper as a book chapter, too. Heck, if I get selected I'll have to write the paper by August 30, a full three months before the convention. I've already checked with The Powers That Be at school and they've given me the green light to use some of my faculty research funds to purchase the DVDs of the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica. I love my job.

Tomorrow morning I'll probably join our Unitarian Universalist friends for a bit of spiritual centering. It will be weird to attend without STK and TLO. In fact, the last three days have been very weird without their respective presences. Everything seems just a little off. Have I mentioned how quiet it's been?