Call for Papers & Workshops [PDF version (370K)]

The American Printing History Association welcomes proposals in three areas for its 2005 annual conference, [r]Evolution in Print: New Work in Printing History & Practice. The conference will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area on September 22-23, 2005; the main proceedings will take place on Friday, September 22, at Mills College in Oakland. Geoffrey Nunberg, Stanford University linguist and Fresh Air commentator, will deliver the keynote address. Full conference details will be available at the American Printing History Association website, www.printinghistory.org.

Papers. Papers are encouraged on a broad range of subjects relating to the history of printing, in America and elsewhere across the world. Topics of interest might include the current letterpress revival; the history of typography and graphic design; printing along the Pacific Rim; histories of comics, zines, graphic novels and street literature; contemporary commercial print technologies; the end of ink on paper?; radical printing and the counterculture; and of course any new work in printing history. Papers will be 20 minutes in length, with groups of three papers forming a panel. Questions will be welcomed from the audience once the papers have been delivered. Proposals for a panel of papers are welcome; please contact the Program Chair for guidelines. All proposals should list specific equipment needs such as slide and digital projectors, monitors, etc.

Workshops. Workshop and demonstration possibilities include techniques for photopolymer, digital applications for use with paper and cuts, traditional tooling for bookbinding, and other traditional and experimental studio techniques. Workshops and demonstrations will be from 1 to 2 hours in length and should not rely on the use of printing presses or other major equipment. However, specific equipment needs or requests should be outlined in the proposal, including the use of computer technologies, polymer platemaker, small binding equipment and the like. The conference will offer a materials preparation fee of up to $200. for these workshops. Student assistance will be available at the conference.

Panels. Proposals are welcome for an informal moderated general interest panel of from one to one-and-a-half hours. This format would consist of a small number (3-5) members plus a moderator. Topics might include strategies for incorporating printing history into a range of academic and studio curriculums; informal discussions of topics such as the history of radical printing in the Bay Area; or a discussion about the current state and future potential of printing technology and its impact on print. Panels will be expected to encourage significant audience discussion. Please note that this is a less structured format than the panels of papers mentioned above under Papers.

Guidelines Proposals, which should include the title of the presentation and contact information, should not exceed one page. Please include a short biographical statement with your submission.

All presenters must have current APHA membership at the time of conference registration.

Deadlines

March 15, 2005: Contact Program Chair with ideas for informal moderated discussions. April 15, 2005: Paper and workshop proposals due.

Program announcements are expected around May 31, 2005.

Submission

 Electronic (preferred) or hard copy submissions will be accepted. Email proposals (Word document file or text) to apha2005@mills.edu. Mail proposals to Kathleen Walkup, Book Arts, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland CA 94613; fax if necessary to 510 430 3314 with a cover sheet.

Apart from its conference, APHA supports research and scholarship through its journal Printing History, publications, an oral history project, and a fellowship program. The association, founded in 1974, encourages the preservation of printing artifacts and source materials for printing history.

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More information about APHA Conferences is here.

A list of past conferences is here.