In 2026, Romancing the Gothic’s annual conference will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Ann Radcliffe’s final, posthumous, publications. An early Gothic writer, Radcliffe was known to some as the ‘Great Enchantress’, to others as the ‘Shakespeare of Romance writers’. She was a key figure in the early Gothic – both in shaping it and in its meteoric rise to popularity.
In keeping with this year’s conference celebrating a famous female writer, this year’s talk programme has an increased focused on women writers and writers of marginalised genders. A number of months are focused on those taking the Gothic, horror and the supernatural and using it to explore the world from the position of those who, for reasons of gender, are marginalised within it.
We’re excited for a year of talks which take on the Gothic and horror’s potential for subversion, for exploring the horrors that seethe beneath the family friendly facade, and for giving voice to those made quiet. This is why we have several months specifically focused on female writers and writers of marginalised genders but we will, as always, have a wide-ranging and exciting programme. There’s space for every type of talk on this year’s list of themes!
Themes:
- January 2026 – Women and Other Marginalised Genders in Horror (film)
- February 2026 – Writers of the Ghostly
- March 2026 – Introduction to…
- April 2026 – Fear and Folklore
- May 2026 – Supernatural Women/People of Marginalised Genders
- June 2026 – Nineteenth Century Gothic Women and People of Marginalised Genders
- July 2026 – Sapphic Gothic and Horror
- August 2026 – Women and People of Marginalised Genders Writing Horror, the Gothic, and the Supernatural
- September 2026 – Introduction to…
- October 2026 – Internationally Horrifying
- November 2026 – Paranormal Romance
- December 2026 – ‘Final Girls’
You should send an abstract (a short blurb) of approximately 250 words to [email protected]. You may also direct any questions to the same address. We do NOT ask for a bio.
Talks occur twice on a Saturday, although we are happy to accommodate people on a Sunday if preferred for religious or other reasons. We pay a flat fee of £80 plus any donations for tickets.
Submission deadline: December 20, 2025. More Details: https://romancingthegothic.com/2025/09/02/romancing-the-gothic-2026-talk-series-call-for-papers/?mc_cid=514345d404&mc_eid=9282c9473f