WOW I'm bad at keeping up with this blog thing: Possible Journals for article submission

Two Potential Academic Journals for Article Submission

1) The Mark Twain Annual

Mission Statement, according to website:

“Aim and Scope: The Mark Twain Annual publishes critical and pedagogical articles about Mark Twain.” And “The Mark Twain Annual is now part of the highly anticipated American Literature Collection, an online collection of exceptional journals devoted to the study of American authors. Other journals in the collection include The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review, Leviathan, Poe Studies, and Steinbeck Review.”

Author Guidlines:
“Critical articles may be 10-20 pages long; pedagogical articles are generally shorter (in fact, we welcome 'toolbox' teaching items). Book reviews are up to 4 pages and are assigned by the editor. Please send books for review or requests to review a book to the editor.”

Observations on Table of Contents:
The journal contains the editor’s “Re: Marks,” two pedagogical essays, six critical essays, and three book reviews.
The first pedagogical essay is titled: “Blind Apexes and Scholarly Vision: Mark Twain Studies and The Art of High Performance Driving Or The Road Fast Traveled,” which I think is profoundly interesting. It seems like something I would read. And it gives me confidence in my own project, since it makes a connection of Twain studies to something practical and relevant in modern society. Celebrity culture may not always be practical, I realize, but it is beyond pervasive in our culture.

2) Celebrity Studies

Mission Statement or Aims/Scope: “Celebrity Studies is a journal that focuses on the critical exploration of celebrity, stardom and fame. It seeks to make sense of celebrity by drawing upon a range of (inter)disciplinary approaches, media forms, historical periods and national contexts. Celebrity Studies aims to address key issues in the production, circulation and consumption of fame, and its manifestations in both contemporary and historical contexts, while functioning as a key site for academic debate about the enterprise of celebrity studies itself. Alongside the primary articles, the journal will include a ‘blog' section devoted to shorter observations, debates or issues in celebrity culture, in conjunction with book reviews and conference reports.”

Since this Journal is coming in 2010, I could not find the TOC for its first issue. However, I think a paper on my artifact would be suitable material for submission since it would describe a manifestation of celebrity in a historical and international context, and might also shed light on the enterprise of celebrity studies itself.

...but seriously. I need help formulating research questions. This Topic feels like a snipe-hunt. And it is SO broad right now. Yeah, I'm definitely going to office hours.

Yeah. I'm doing the celebrity one.

So,

I am now looking at the celebrity side of Mark Twain and using the man himself as my cultural artifact. I am super stoked to embark upon this quest...the only problem is that I decided this Yesterday. I am about 2/3 of the way done on my artifact review...which, honestly, is extremely challenging to make into more a movie review and not a biography. I'll most likely turn it in tomorrow in ML for 10% less. BUT I am hopeful. And it's going to rock. That's all for now.

My Creative Endeavors are in Twain...and currently in twain

Hi. I am finally posting what I want to use as my cultural artifact. To begin things, I’ll just say that I have long been a reader and fan of Mark Twain. His writing is simply unparalleled; it is not only edifying, but so ingeniously hilarious that I have wet myself while reading. No really, I have—like all down my left pant leg and into my shoe.

So I thought it would be a good idea to base this research project on something related to Twain, especially since I haven’t had the opportunity to study his work or literature surrounding his work in a classroom setting—at least at the university level. After a bit of research, actually a “bit” is an exaggeration so I’ll just say a crumb, yes after a crumb of research on local and global cultural artifacts and possible arguments, I have come to settle on TWO ideas.

I would either like to use the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, or Mark Twain himself as my local cultural artifact. If I ended up using the former, I would look at some dominant themes in the book, particularly how Twain addresses the American models of individualism and technology, and how they relate to the rest of the world. If I used the latter I would most likely do a study of Mark Twain as America’s “first” celebrity: what qualified him to be a celebrity, whether or not he was the first, and how celebrity culture has evolved into what it is today.

With all that said, my super-awesome blog group, I would appreciate any feedback on my current ideas for the project. And the sooner you can comment the better, seeing as how the current essay assignment is due soon. I’m just curious: which of the two ideas do you think I should choose? Which would be the one you’d be more interested in? Any other suggestions? Is this blog too ridiculous? Do you want me to leave this group?

Thank you.

- Ben