The Executive Board of the International Society for the Studies of Surrealism (ISSS) is soliciting self-nominations for the positions of Vice President and Program Chair. The application deadline is October 15, 2021.

The ISSS is a growing Association that promotes the international and interdisciplinary exchange between scholars, practicing artists of various kinds, writers, and independent practitioners of surrealism for whom surrealism (past and present) is a field of ongoing inquiry. The mission of the ISSS is to foster and incorporate innovative ideas on global surrealism as well as to introduce new ways to approach its various literary and artistic expressions across cultures, languages, disciplines and regions. Our inaugural conference at Bucknell University (2018) and our second annual conference at the University of Exeter (2019) have further diversified our membership and global scope. With the third ISSS virtual conference in fall 2021, as well as our annual meeting in Paris postponed to 2022 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and with the new International Journal of Surrealism on the way, this is an exciting time to take part in the leadership of the ISSS.

Vice President: The Executive Board of the International Society for the Studies of Surrealism (ISSS) is soliciting self-nominations for a four-year commitment, the first two years as the Vice President (November 2021-November 2023), and the next two years as the President (November 2023-November 2025), succeeding Effie Rentzou, who currently serves as Vice President of the ISSS and who will become its Acting President in November 2021. The Vice President shall serve ex officio as a member of the Programs Committee, and shall assist the President in matters assigned by the President. The Vice President will be responsible for keeping track of the Annual Calendar, for scheduling quarterly meetings of the ISSS executive board, and any occasional extraordinary meetings that might be necessary, in consultation with the President. If necessary, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the Organization and, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, shall in general supervise and control all of the business and affairs of the Organization. According to the bylaws of the Association, The Vice President and President-elect, shall serve ex officio as a member of the Programs Committee, and shall assist the President in matters assigned by the President. If necessary, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President and the chair of the Program Committee shall become Vice President.

Program Chair: The ISSS seeks a Program Chair to serve for a two-year term. We seek candidates with a strong vision for surrealism studies worldwide, an established record of scholarship in the study of surrealism, and experience in conference organization. We are especially interested in someone who is comfortable working across multiple fields and, in particular, across languages, in keeping with the ISSS mission. The Conference Program Chair is a voting member of the ISSS board and reports regularly on the planning of the society’s annual meeting. The position will begin January 2022 and end January 2024.

Major Responsibilities

1. Lead effort to identify conference locations and conference hosts.
2. Support conference hosts with program components and schedule (e.g. review of conference proposals, CFP, logistics, travel grants, etc.).
3. Liaise between host organizers and ISSS board members and report on the program committee’s activities at regular ISSS board meetings.

All current members of the Association are eligible to vote in its elections. To renew your membership (or to join), please visit https://surrealismstudies.wordpress.com/join/

If you are interested in taking a hand in leading the Association as it continues to grow and expand please submit a self-statement to Andrea Gremels, Chair of the Nominations Committee, at A.Gremels@em.uni-frankfurt.de. Statements should be no more than 250 words (1,500 characters including spaces and punctuation) describing your interest in the position, your vision for the ISSS, and your relevant experience. If you know of individuals who you believe would be well suited to the positions, please reach out to them and encourage them to apply.