The Department of Languages and Literature and the College of Liberal Arts at Northeastern State University will be hosting the Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature annual regional meeting on October 24-25, 2025, at Northeastern State University’s campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The general theme of this year’s conference is “Anger in Literature.” Negative emotions are everywhere in literature and popular culture, but are not always directly addressed. Anger can be both righteous and shameful, redemptive and crippling. Part of the theme is to explore the uses of anger (and associated emotions) in terms of a Christian worldview.

Possible paper topics include, but are not limited to:

• The uses of anger in literature generally

• The role of anger and catharsis in Christian literature

• The emotions and literary interpretation

• Constructions of communal worldviews through shared emotional experience

• Narrative community as model for the uses of anger and emotion

• Popular perceptions of ‘righteous’ anger

As always, SWCCL is open to other proposals concerning the relationship of Christianity and literature, including panel proposals and creative works. Readings of original poetry and fiction will also be considered (please email conference coordinators for details).

Undergraduate and graduate students are also encouraged to submit proposals. Undergraduate students must submit their entire paper for consideration; eligible undergraduate papers will be entered into the national CCL Undergraduate Writing Contest for a cash prize and publication on the CCL website. Graduate students accepted to the conference are encouraged to apply for the CCL Travel Grant. For more details on these undergraduate and graduate opportunities, please visit the conference website for full details (https://www.christianityandliterature.com/Awards-and-Grants).

Send abstracts (200-400 words) via email to flavin@nsuok.edu on or before August 15, 2025. Notifications will be sent to all submitters in late July or early August, with the final program being published by September 1 to allow for ample time for presenters to make arrangements for their sessions. Please note—while the organizers are planning on hosting the event on-site, it may be possible for presenters who are unable to attend physically to participate via VCM with sufficient notice.

All presenters must be members of the Conference on Christianity and Literature prior to delivering their paper; membership includes a subscription to the conference’s journal and information can be found on the organization’s website: https://www.christianityandliterature.com/Membership.