CFP: MYSTERY & DETECTIVE FICTION AREA, PCA 2027 BOSTON (Popular Culture Association National Conference)
Boston, Massachusetts
Organization: Popular Culture Association
Event: Popular Culture Association National Conference
The Mystery & Detective Fiction Area of the Popular Culture Association invites proposals for the annual conference in Boston, Massachusetts, March 24-27, 2027, to be held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place (110 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA). The deadline for submission is October 31, 2026.
This year’s PCA conference theme is “Revolutions & Revisions in Popular Culture.” Presenters in Mystery & Detective Fiction are invited to consider how their work might engage with questions of transformation, reinterpretation, innovation, resistance, adaptation, or cultural change. Theme-related proposals are welcome but not required, and all submissions relevant to the area will receive full consideration.
We seek proposals from researchers, academics, graduate students, and independent scholars for scholarly discussions on all aspects and periods of mystery and detective fiction. Interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged.
We ask that proposals extend existing scholarship in new directions and avoid plot summary or review. Proposals should have a clear and focused argument that can be developed adequately in a 15-minute presentation.
For the 2027 conference we are actively looking for submissions that would work as joint panels with the True Crime Area. We encourage topics that explore the mutual influence and exchange between True Crime and Mystery/Detective Fiction. You may indicate in your proposal if you would like your paper to be considered for a joint panel; even if not accepted for a joint panel, your abstract will be considered for our regular Mystery and Detective Fiction programming.
Some possible topics for the 2027 conference:
? Boston-area mystery/detective/crime fiction/TV series/films—such as novels by George V. Higgins, Robert B. Parker, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Dennis Lehane; TV shows like City on a Hill, Spenser for Hire; films like The Departed, Mystic River, etc.
? Fiction re-imagining real-life crime events in Boston/nearby area, such as novels/film/TV about Fall River’s Lizzie Borden, Boston’s Whitey Bulger, etc.
? Subgenres, such as hardboiled detective fiction, eco-detective fiction, neo-noir, etc.
? The role of AI in detective/mystery fiction as theme or character
? Depictions of older characters as detectives or criminals
? Generic hybridity—detective/mystery crossed with horror, sci-fi, romance, dystopia
? Authors or texts featuring characters identifying with marginalized or historically excluded communities and their literary, social or political impact within the genre
? Transnational and global crime fiction
? Analysis of specific authors and/or time periods, including relevant tropes
? Adaptation of mystery and detective fiction in film, television, theatre, computer games, etc.
Submission Process
Please submit your 250-300 word abstract through the PCA conference’s submission portal. <https://pcaaca.org/page/submissionguidelines>
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2026.
If you are a first-time presenter in our area, please identify yourself with a note after your abstract: First-time presenters in Mystery & Detective Fiction are eligible for the Earl Bargainnier Award.
To propose a panel, please submit individual presentations, then email the area chair with a request to be considered as a panel. The PCA/ACA requires a minimum of four papers per panel. In your email, name all participants and briefly explain the thematic link between your papers.
About Us:
The Mystery & Detective Fiction Area of PCA/ACA is dedicated to recognizing and promoting the scholarly study of all aspects of mystery and detective fiction, and to fostering an inclusive community for early-career scholars, adjuncts, grad students, and independent scholars, as well as established academics.
Each year we also sponsor the George N. Dove Award for outstanding contributions to the serious study of crime fiction.
We invite members and presenters to participate in our annual group dinner at the national conference and to join us at the annual business meeting, where we set the area’s course for the next year.
Finally, please send all inquiries to Marla Harris (mhcrocombe@gmail.com).
Marla Harris