Call For Papers—American Women Writers of Detective and Crime Fiction, Especially the Writing of Sue Grafton

Mean Streets

The editors of a new scholarly journal, Mean Streets: A Journal of American Crime and Detective Fiction, are pleased to present this Call for Papers for the inaugural issue. The journal will be published by the Pace University Press (New York City), which has been sponsoring scholarly journals since the 1980s.

The first issue will be dedicated to the late Sue Grafton and this CFP invites proposals on American women writers of detective fiction, with special consideration given for topics on Grafton. Mean Streets is essentially a literary journal, so while discussion of film or other media is welcome, the balance of discussion should deal with literature.

While American detective writing has been associated since the twenties with the “hard-boiled” tradition established by Hammett and Chandler, many American authors have excelled in the “whodunit” mystery tradition of British writing. The journal is open to literary discussion of both types of writing, as well as to texts in the broader category of crime fiction.

Mean Streets is a refereed journal helmed by two scholars in literature and film and guided by an Editorial Board comprised of distinguished scholars from several disciplines. Submissions will be reviewed by the editors and selected Board members.

Abstracts of 250 words with proposed title should be directed no later than October 15, 2018, to the editors: Rebecca Martin (rmartin@pace.edu) and Walter Raubicheck (wraubicheck@pace.edu). Final papers of 7000-8000 words will be due by February 1, 2019, with publication anticipated in late spring.  Feel free to send questions to both editors.