The following call for papers may be of interest to the Mark Twain Forum. The American Humor Studies Association seeks abstracts for two sessions at the American Literature Association conference in San Francisco, May 24-27, 2018. We encourage submissions deriving from the humor of Mark Twain.

1 -- "Dirty Words: Profanity, Power, and American Humor":
"Profanity is more necessary to me than is immunity from colds."
--from Letter to Orion Clemens, 14 May 1877 (twainquotes.com).
In this spirit, AHSA welcomes submissions that explore any facet of profanity as a rhetorical force in American humor. Abstracts may propose focused analyses of specific texts from any time frame or medium as well as theoretical considerations of profanity as tied to literary, linguistic, and/or comedic form and structure. Potential participants should feel free to blur distinctions between literary humor and popular culture as they examine the power of profanity to subvert normal structures and expectations.

2 - "Open-Topic":
AHSA encourages submissions on any topic related to American humor for this session.

Please email a brief CV and 300-word abstract (and please indicate any audio/visual needs) by 08 January 2018 to Jeffrey Melton ([log in to unmask]) using either "Dirty Words Panel" or "Open Topic Panel" as the subject line. All panelists will need to be current members of AHSA.

Jeffrey Melton
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