PANEL PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

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We are calling for panel proposals (not individual papers). A panel consists of four to five people (including a Chair) each contributing to a conversation around a topic of your choice.

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Panel Formats

We are especially interested in proposals that defy the expectations and/or subvert the format of the traditional conference or festival panel, as well as those that include a diverse group of participants, reflecting the inclusive and international nature of this gathering.

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The ideal NonfictioNOW panel is a lively, discursive, playful, and interactive event, as opposed to the reading of a succession of individual papers. We are open to experimental and performative panel formats.

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Panel Topics

The following list is a starting place for brainstorming and conversation, not an exclusive expression of the conference's interests. We hope and expect that many proposals will go far beyond the topics and formats listed here, offering to bring new areas of inquiry and exploration to this year's NonfictioNOW:

 

• nonfiction genres and their boundaries and tensions, including but not limited to: essay (personal, narrative, lyric, collage, interdisciplinary, etc.); memoir; immersion writing; history; biography; long-form journalism; curatorial writing, travel writing; food writing; nonfiction poetry; environmental and science writing; sports writing; hybrids of fiction and nonfiction; and poetry

 

• for Dublin 2027, panels on Irish language, underrepresented Irish voices, legacies of partition, immigration, borderlands, housing precarity, and post-crash neo-liberalisation in Ireland

 

• intersections of self and other, genders, race, and sexualities in nonfiction

 

• we are especially interested in receiving panel proposals that address writing about pressing contemporary issues and concerns, including climate justice and ecological impacts, writing the Anthropocene, and the legacies of colonialism, war, genocides, journalistic freedom and mass human displacements

 

• presentation of/discussions about non-traditional and/or supra-literary forms of nonfiction, including but not limited to: performance, documentary, radio, video, hypertext, programmable media, exhibitions, and graphic forms

 

• regional, national, and/or international characteristics and issues that are expressed through nonfiction genres

 

• threads of influence, style, and discourse, with a focus on important authors or on historical/cultural/theoretical trends

 

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PANEL PROPOSALS

Deadline: October 9, 2026. 

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All submissions must include:

• a panel description (150 words or fewer, written as it should appear in the program, if accepted).
   

• a statement of merit (150 words or fewer) The statement of merit might cover the significance of the panel, the credentials of the panelists, relevance to the forum, etc.
   

• complete contact information for 3-5 participants, including a program-ready bio of 50 words or fewer for each person. These participants must have been contacted and confirmed as a part of the panel before the proposal is submitted.

 

Panelist Requirements

• Minimum Participants: Each panel should ultimately include at least four participants. Accepted Panels with only 3 panelists will be expected to take on at least a 4th panelist (the NonfictioNOW Facebook page is a great place to connect with potential panelists).

• Online Participants: We very much encourage and prioritise in-person participation on panels. However, we recognise that for some international participants, travel funding may not be available. Hence, panel proposals featuring 1 or 2 online participants will be considered, but this must be specified in the proposal. No more than 2 online participants will be considered.  Where panels have one or two online participants, it will be the panel Chair’s responsibility for preparing/managing the remote (Zoom) set-up in the room right before and during the panel. We have limited capacity for tech support. We invite panel proposals featuring Zoom panellists to take care to consider the best possible experience for their in-person conference audience.

• Maximum Panel Participation: individuals may include themselves on up to two panel proposals but may ultimately present on only one panel. If both proposals are accepted, they will have to drop off one of them.

• Technical Needs: We also ask that proposals provide information about any technical needs (not all of which we can promise to meet).

 

Acceptances

The NonfictioNOW Board is a rotating group of writers and academics from around the world. Panel submissions will be assessed in a timely fashion by the Board, with every effort made to have final panels confirmed by mid-December 2026.

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After panel acceptances are announced, we then encourage further meetups on our Facebook page so that panels with vacancies can fill their open spots.

 

To connect with other conference goers, visit: https://www.facebook.com/nonfictionow

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