Update: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the in-person Ashland conference has been postponed to September 22–25, 2022. However, you are still welcome and encouraged to submit proposals for presentations which may be given online during Fall 2021. Please check back at the SOF website periodically for more news and updates.
The Conference Committee of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship invites proposals for papers to be presented at our next annual conference at the Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites, in Ashland, Oregon, or at any upcoming online symposium.
Paper proposals should be 100-300 words in length and may be sent to: info@shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org. Proposals that address topics that are listed below will be given preference:
- The impact of J. Thomas Looney’s “Shakespeare” Identified on the past century of Shakespeare authorship studies.
- Legitimization of the SAQ in academia, in secondary education, and with the media.
- Deficiencies in the traditional attribution of authorship with a focus on the abundance of erudition and rare sources manifest in the Shakespeare canon. Examples include Shakespeare’s familiarity with Italy; his proficiency in Latin, Greek, Italian, French, and Spanish languages; his knowledge of music, law, history, medicine, military and nautical terms, etc.
- Revelations of Oxford’s life that support his authorship of the Shakespeare canon, including new documentary discoveries, new interpretation of documents or literary works that affect authorship, Shakespeare characters that relate to Oxford’s biography (e.g., William Cecil/Polonius in Hamlet), new facts on Oxford’s travel, education, books, and connections, or new evidence for dating of a play or poem.
- Historical information relevant to the SAQ or people of the era with literary, theatrical, political or social relevance to the Shakespeare canon, Oxford, or Shakspere of Stratford (e.g., Jonson, Southampton, Essex).
Presentations customarily should be designed to be delivered in 30 to 45 minutes, including time for questions and answers. Proposals submitted by members of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship, De Vere Society, or other Shakespeare-related educational institutions will be given special consideration in selecting conference papers.
The conference program committee supports innovative ways of presentation, including panels, discussion groups, and dramatic performances. In 2018, for example, the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship Conference included a debate on the identity of the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Proposals for another debate must include the subject to be debated and suggestions for parties who would be qualified to participate.
[published Jan. 17, 2020, updated 2021]
