How to Contribute:

1) Become a Columnist

If you are interested in being a regular columnist for Volume 12 (starting May 2010), we ask contributors to commit to writing three short, topical articles over a six-month period, producing a new piece roughly every other month. Columns should be 1000-1300 words and are expected to fall somewhere in between academic and journalistic discourses. They are primarily intended as “think” pieces that will spur discussion amongst scholars on message boards provided for each piece. Therefore, columns should aim to ask provocative questions for future research and debate, rather than provide definitive answers. We encourage the use of visual aids such as images, frame-grabs, or video clips. Please contact the Co-Coordinating Editors Alex Cho and Jacqueline Vickery for more information about contributing a column to Flow. Flow also publishes short essays and one-off articles on topical subjects. Please see the Calls for Monographs below for ideas.

2) Submit a Monograph

The editors of FLOW regularly seek short essays (1000-1300 words) examining issues related to specific calls for essays, which are posted here. Queries and proposals regarding potential submissions are encouraged. To be considered for publication, papers should be emailed as attachments in .doc format (do not use .docx), double-spaced, in MLA style, with the author’s name and contact information clearly included on the attached file.

Before submitting, please familiarize yourself with the style, scope, and timeliness of Flow by reading a number of current columns. Centering your argument around a specific media text (or group of texts) is always encouraged – it makes your point that much more compelling.

Even if your work does not match the specific call or calls, we invite short topical pieces, on relevant subjects, of 1000-1300 words for review. Submissions are accepted continuously, and are evaluated as they arrive by the Special Features Editor. For more information or to submit a query, please contact the Special Features Editor, Anne Petersen.

3) Respond To Our Calls for Submissions

(updated frequently)

Ongoing Calls

U.S. Television Adaptations: Programming in a Globalized Media Environment

In addition to well-established adaptations like The Office, Ugly Betty, and American Idol, this season saw an influx of adapted programming filling slots on network lineups: Kath and Kim, Life on Mars, Worst Week, etc. While not a new phenomenon, this trend raises important questions about the American television landscape, the shape of the industry, and reception differences across programs. How do differences in cultural and industrial standards lead to alterations of style, content, and structure? Why are certain adaptations more successful than others? Does genre play a role in success? What industrial motivations lead networks to continue adapting shows despite seeing many resulting flops? How does this fit in with increasingly transnational production practices? With the advent of new media, audiences for the first time have easy access to both the original and adapted versions of a show; how does this impact reception, marketing, and success? Are adaptations an example of cross-pollination or do these practices merely contribute to U.S. cultural imperialism?

Submissions might focus on particular shows or on issues significant to the status or condition of contemporary adaptations (industrial practices, reception, texts, and cultural effects and implications). We also welcome historical studies of adaptations (e.g. All in the Family, Three’s Company,) as well as discussion about upcoming imports (e.g. Absolutely Fabulous, No Heroics).

Submissions, up to 1300 words in length, should be directed to Special Features Editor Anne Peterson. Successful submissions will base their argument on some aspect of the media (TV, Web, print, etc) or a specific media text or texts. Submissions should be in .doc format, with the title and author’s name clearly indicated on the file.