Martin Manning has replaced Dr. Carol Mitchell  as area chair for New England Studies. Carol has stepped down as area chair upon her retirement from Springfield College. Call for Papers – New England Studies. The 2015 Popular Culture Association Conference will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 1-4. The New England Studies Area invites presentations on any aspect of New England popular culture: Media and Film; Art and Literature; Politics; History; Music; Food; Sports and Recreation; Celebrities; Entertainment; Gambling/Casinos; Fishing Industry; Travel and Tourism; Law and Legal Issues;  Economics; Folklife; .Ethnic and Racial Identity;  Geography and Environment; Images and Ideas; Industry, Technology and Labor; and Science and Medicine.  Controversy will not be shunned!

The area includes the six New England states that comprise the region: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The area is open to all interested persons, including graduate students. I will be accepting submissions for individual papers and full panels beginning with the San Diego conference in 2017.  Please feel confident about attendance if you are accepted.

Martin is a native New Englander, born, raised and educated in Boston, including a B.S. from Boston College. He has given papers for New England Studies since the area was established by Peter Halloran and he was a contributor to The Encyclopedia of New England: The Culture and History of an American Region (2005). Martin was previously area chair for World’s Fairs and Expositions in PCA.

I am at ManningMJ@state.gov

I want to take this opportunity to thank Carol for her service as area chair. It is very much appreciated!