<div dir="ltr">The CFP for this year's virtual edition of the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts is live!<div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><br><br>
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CFP: Speculative Visions of Care and Hope (VICFA 2026)</a> -
<span style="color:#777">1 Update</span>
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CFP: Speculative Visions of Care and Hope (VICFA 2026)
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David Higgins <<a href="mailto:dmhiggin@gmail.com" target="_blank">dmhiggin@gmail.com</a>>: Jun 10 12:55PM -0400
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<span style="color:#49454f;font-size:13px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:16px">Please share widely! The deadline for proposals for this fully virtual<br>
conference is *July 15*.<br>
<br>
<br>
**<br>
<br>
<br>
CFP: The Virtual Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (VICFA) 2026<br>
<br>
*Speculative Visions of Care and Hope*<br>
<br>
Organized by the IAFA <<a href="https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/" target="_blank">https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/</a>> and CoFutures<br>
<<a href="https://cofutures.org/" target="_blank">https://cofutures.org/</a>><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
*Guests of Honor:* Zoha Kazemi (Iran) and Ahmed Naji (Egypt)<br>
<br>
*Date: *17-19 September 2026<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Visions of care and hope are central to contemporary speculative fiction<br>
across media, even in, and perhaps especially in, postapocalyptic and<br>
dystopian narratives. Against the fundamental brokenness of the<br>
technofascist structures of the contemporary world system, speculative<br>
fiction is perhaps the most realistic of our genres that demand the<br>
impossible: alternative futures of what can be, and alternative pasts of<br>
what might have been: worlds with their own economic, social, and<br>
technological structures.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
>From the standpoint of speculative fiction, three primary strands of these<br>
new speculative visions may be immediately observed: a) Contemporary<br>
CoFuturisms, including Indigenous Futurisms, Afrofuturisms, Arab- and<br>
Gulf-Futurisms, Latinx Futurisms, Crip Futurisms, and Xenofuturisms offer<br>
their own challenges to prior speculative thinking; b) emergent genres of<br>
hope, care, and restoration and renewal, for instance solarpunk, hopepunk,<br>
healthpunk, and; c) shifts in the generic form itself as it renews itself<br>
through new social and political sensibilities. These three strands unite<br>
established voices who have always been at the forefront of thinking with<br>
the radical potentials for speculative thinking, as well as a new<br>
generation of creatives invested in pushing the boundaries of (and even<br>
embodying) speculation itself as an act of care of hope. What is<br>
fundamental to these new visions is that these speculative worlds not only<br>
exist in fiction, they also seek to transform the world itself by building<br>
and organizing new communities of practice.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
This edition of the VICFA is open to speculative visions of care and hope<br>
from around the world. Our Guests of Honor are Zoha Kazemi<br>
<<a href="https://zohakazemi.com/" target="_blank">https://zohakazemi.com/</a>> and Ahmed Naji <<a href="https://ahmednaji.net/ahmed-naji/" target="_blank">https://ahmednaji.net/ahmed-naji/</a>>,<br>
leading contemporary voices who have redefined these visions through<br>
experimental speculative fiction with bold social and political critique.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Proposals on speculative visions across media and communities of practice<br>
on - but not limited to – the following topics are welcome:<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
- Speculative ethics and philosophies of care, hope, community building<br>
<br>
- Speculative storytelling, worldbuilding, and futuring as methods of care<br>
<br>
- Archival practices of care, remembrance/commemoration practices, caring<br>
for ruins, historical repair<br>
<br>
- More-than-human communities and forms of care<br>
<br>
- Rethinking kinship, connection to past and future ancestors, reproductive<br>
care, family, love<br>
<br>
- Caring in the end times, post-apocalyptic care: visions of survival,<br>
rebuilding community<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
We are open to presentations in different languages, as well as more<br>
creative approaches to these themes.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Proposals on topics transcending this year’s theme are welcome.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Please submit abstracts of 300-500 words along with a brief bio statement<br>
by *July 15, 2026* through this portal:<br>
<a href="https://form.jotform.com/261554977711163" target="_blank">https://form.jotform.com/261554977711163</a>.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Questions about the conference theme can be directed to the CoFutures<br>
organizing team at <a href="mailto:vicfacon@proton.me" target="_blank">vicfacon@proton.me</a>.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Questions regarding registration can be directed to the IAFA Membership and<br>
Registration Coordinator: <a href="mailto:iafareg@gmail.com" target="_blank">iafareg@gmail.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-- <br>
David M. Higgins, Associate Professor and Chair<br>
Department of Humanities and Communication<br>
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide<br>
<br>
President, International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts<br>
Senior Editor, *Los Angeles Review of Books*<br>
<br>
“Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which<br>
the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never<br>
fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing<br>
for you."<br>
-- Merlin, *The Once and Future King* by T.H. White<br>
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