CFP: COVID and Folklore, Folklore and Mental Health

New Directions in Folklore, the journal of the AFS New Directions in Folklore Section, is seeking submissions on two topics for upcoming special issues of the journal: first, on doing folklore during the COVID-19 pandemic, and second, on the intersection between folklore and mental health.

This proposed special issue on COVID is still in progress, with aims of publication at the end of the calendar year. The journal welcomes a variety of formats, from the traditional academic article, to poetry, personal experiences/journal-style, etc. It is hoped this special edition will be an opportunity to not only share with the academic community lessons learned, but also a chance to mourn and memorialize losses, as well as continue healing from this shared collective experience.

The journal’s editors are also aiming to assemble a collection of essays focusing on the intersection between folklore and mental health. This issue can address a range of topics, from the occupational folklife of behavioral health therapists, to mental health stigma, memetic content, folk beliefs about therapy and mental health, and more.

Contact the New Directions editor, Jared L. Schmidt, for more information.