Conferences

Register for the 2026 conference here.

 Call For Papers ASAIL Conference 2026

Thursday, April 23 & Friday, April 24, 2026 

Views from the Shore: Film, Television, and Visual Narratives

The Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures (ASAIL) invites you to present work on Indigenous film, television, and other texts at our fifth annual virtual conference, which will take place on April 23 & 24, 2026. Building from Barclay’s 2003 foundational “Celebrating Fourth Cinema,” this year’s conference recognizes the rise, import, and rich multiplicity of Indigenous visual media. We encourage creatives and scholars to consider the intimate relationships between and among diverse forms of Indigenous media, including film, television, literary and material arts, theory, and more.

We hope to create an opportunity for those working in and producing Indigenous visual arts as well as those engaging in comparative and transdisciplinary approaches to share, meet one another, and network. While ASAIL is particularly interested in supporting graduate students and early career scholars, we welcome submissions from all writers, thinkers, and creatives, including college/university scholars, independent scholars, undergraduate and graduate students, K-12 educators, filmmakers, artists, and community members.

Importantly, ASAIL recognizes Indigenous Nation sovereignty and is invested in ethical practices of relationship and belonging.

We are seeking 200-word proposals for presentations in the following formats. Please note, presenters are limited to one format/slot to allow a maximum number of participants. However, you can both present and chair:

    1. Roundtable Discussions

    1. Lightning Talks (4-7 minute presentations with multiple presenters on a panel)

    1. Fully formed panels (3-4 presenters)

    1. Individual papers

    1. Alternate formats welcome (short video essays, digital exhibitions, screenings, staged conversations, and more).

Proposals due by: Monday February 16, 2026.

Submit proposals here!

Registration Information:
Registration for the ASAIL virtual conference is free and open to all ASAIL members who have renewed for 2026. We encourage members to consider donations to support the costs of this conference. Registration for non-members is $50 for fully employed scholars, $25 for graduate students, postdocs, and contingent faculty, and free for undergraduates and community members. Please contact the ASAIL Executive Board (council.asail@gmail.com) with questions.