‘Monsters, Cryptids, and the Monstrous’ is Theme for 31st Annual Delta Symposium
JONESBORO – Organizers of the 31st annual Delta Symposium at Arkansas State University have issued a call for papers and presentations.
The Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages, the primary sponsor, has selected “Monsters, Cryptids, and the Monstrous” as the theme for the April 8-11, 2026, event. The Delta Symposium, which features a variety of scholarship and creative work that focuses on the Delta’s history and culture, is a long-held tradition each spring at A-State.
Individual and panel presentations on topics relevant to the history and culture of the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta and surrounding regions are welcome. The sessions will be held on the A-State campus. Access to presentations will be available online for those who cannot attend in person.
“Special consideration will be given to proposals that specifically address this year’s theme,” said Dr. Gregory Hansen, professor of English and folklore and one of the tri-coordinators of the Delta Symposium committee.
“Writers, historians, musicians, artists, and other creative individuals engage with monsters – both real and imagined – in different ways in their work,” states the call for papers. “The idea of liminal, mysterious, and dangerous figures is connected to the history and culture of the Delta in a variety of ways, and writers, musicians, artists, and others have engaged with these creatures throughout the region's history.”
The coordinating committee invites presentations from a wide range of interests.
Previous symposia have featured presentations from fields such as literary criticism, cultural studies, history, anthropology, folklore, ethnomusicology, sociology, speech communication, arts and art history, and heritage studies.
"The Delta Symposium has always welcomed interdisciplinary perspectives and that's one of the greatest strengths of the event," added Dr. Kristen Ruccio, associate professor of English, another of the symposium coordinators.
Although proposals with direct connections to Arkansas and the Delta are especially welcome, “more general proposals that address the theme within Southern history culture and heritage also will be considered,” added Leslie Reed, instructor in English and the third member of the coordination team.
The 2026 event will conclude on Saturday, April 11, with the Arkansas Roots Festival, through support from KASU 91.9 FM and A-State's Heritage Sites.
The deadline for entries is Dec. 19, 2025. Each entry should include: presenter’s name and affiliation, a 150-word abstract of the presentation and a current vita (two pages maximum). Submissions should include the presenter’s address, phone number, email address and the technical needs for the presentation. Details are online at AState.edu/a/delta-symposium/.
Entries should be mailed to Delta Symposium Committee, Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages, P.O. Box 1890, State University, AR 72467. Questions may be addressed to Hansen, ghansen@AState.edu.
Dr. Lillie Fears gives her presentation during Delta Symposium XXXI.
