Call for Contributors

The Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore is scheduled to be published by Greenwood Press in 2010.

Asian American Folklore shares a close tie with Asian Folklore, and is growing increasingly important to all Americans. Never before has there been such a broad and deep interest in Asian and Asian American folklore in the United States and Europe. The many different cultures of Asian Americans in all of their specificities offer a rich trove of historical experiences through their folklore that hold continuing relevance and offer wisdom guidance for present living.

Editors Juwen Zhang and Kathy Nadeau seek contributors for entries on different types of folklore, histories and applications of folklore, and analysis. A-Z arrangements.

Principles for establishing entries: to cover as broad as possible the Asian American folklore practice, in particular those that have regional or national basis. When an Asian American culture or community is introduced, its folklore may contain, but not limited to, these aspects:

- Folk-literature; narrative; tale; legend; histories; personal experience narratives; myth; poetry; epic; ballad; song; verse; speech; proverb; riddle
- Names; graffiti; language; dance; music; musical instruments
- Belief systems; medicine; magic; religion; churches and temples
- Behavior; drama; games and play; children games; ritual; foodways; festival
- Material culture; art; products; technology
- Settlement patterns (houses/cultural architecture; interior and exterior designs and decorations)
- Further reading: book and journal publications; film; record and audiotape; websites; ethnography; monographs

Sample list of (working and expandable) table of contents in alphabetical order will be provided to interested contributors.

A letter of intent should be submitted and we are accepting applications until June of 2009. Prospective candidates will receive an assignment, contributor’s guidelines, and sample entries by email or postal mail; followed by release form to be sent by postal mail from the publisher to be signed and returned. Complete entries are due by January 2010, and are subject to normal editing process required for quality publications and are accepted for publication at the discretion of the editors, advisory board, and publisher. Contributors will receive a free set of this two volume reference book and/or a modest honorarium once it is published.

If you are interested in submitting one or more entries please send a short biographical sketch describing your background and interests in Asian American Folklore and your preferred e-mail and postal address to: Juwen Zhang juwen@willamette.edu; and/or Kathy Nadeau knadeau@csusb.edu. Qualified candidates will receive a listing of available entries (again, by way of a friendly reminder, suggestions for new topical entries of relevance to Asian American Folklore, also, will be welcome and invited for consideration by the editors for possible inclusion).

Prospective candidates will receive an assignment, contributor’s guidelines, and sample entries by email or postal mail; followed by release form to be sent by postal mail from the publisher to be signed and returned.

Thank you!