The Graduate Students in English student organization has extended the deadline for submitting a proposal to its Spring 2024 Interdisciplinary Conference to Feb. 29. The conference will take place April 5-7 and is open to both graduate and undergraduate students.

Inspired by the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, which the internet has dubbed "Barbenheimer," the Graduate Students in English at the U of A are excited to announce the theme for our annual conference: "Barbenheimer: Beauty and Destruction." This conference is an interdisciplinary conference that welcomes proposals from scholars in all fields, as well as creative pieces in conversation with this theme (such as creative writing, literary translation, etc.). Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Memory and trauma
• Literature and the environment
• Transmediation
• Beauty standards
• Toys
• Plastic (surgery, micro-plastics, packaging/production of)
• Internet Culture (Barbenheimer phenomenon)
• Legacy of Barbie in Pop Culture

Proposals for papers should include: your name, preferred email address, school affiliation and a 200-300-word abstract describing your topic for the conference. Proposals for organized panels are also encouraged. Abstracts should be submitted by the deadline of Feb. 29 to uarkgse2024@gmail.com. This conference is free to currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students. Faculty interested in presenting should inquire.

In addition to the paper sessions, the conference will include a keynote address, an opening dinner and other planned activities.

Writing Contest

The Graduate Students in English are bringing back the writing contest from past conferences. Everyone is encouraged to submit papers for this conference. The following prizes will be awarded to the top papers:

• Best Undergraduate Paper, Best Graduate Paper and Best Creative Work
• Best in Show

The winners of these awards will be given a cash prize as well as a guaranteed spot in the conference presentations (winners must present at the conference to receive the cash prize). Contest submissions must be submitted by email attachment and sent to uarkgse2024@gmail.com by Feb. 29. All submissions that are not awarded will be considered for presentations at the conference.

All questions regarding the conference should be directed to Sarah Barch at sbarch@uark.edu.