Call for Papers:
Special Issue of J19 on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)
Guest Editors: Kristin Moriah (Queen’s University) & Rafael Walker (Baruch College, CUNY)
“Mrs. F. E. W. Harper.” From Hallie Quinn [Brown], Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction. (Xenia, Ohio: Aldine Pub. Co., 1926).
Documenting the American South.
"Earnest in the cause; Mrs. Frances E. W. Harper." From William Still, The Underground Railroad, A Record of Facts, Authentic Narrative, Letters, &C., Narrating The Hardships, Hair-Breadth Escapes and Death Struggles of the Slaves in Their Efforts of Freedom, as Related by Themselves and Others, or Witnessed by the Author; Together with Sketches of Some of the Largest Stockholders, and Most Liberal Aiders and Advisers, of the Road (Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1872).
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. New York Public Library Digital Collections.
"Frances E. W. Harper." From Lawson A. Scruggs, Women of Distinction: Remarkable in Works and Invincible in Character (Raleigh, N.C.: L.A. Scruggs, 1893).
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
"Mrs. Frances E.W. Harper." From Charles Frederick Wright, Who's Who in Philadelphia: A Collection of Thirty Biographical Sketches of Philadelphia Colored People, Selected from Among the Most Useful and Practical, Illustrating What is Being Done Among Them in the City, Together with Cuts and Information of Some of Their Leading Institutions and Organizations
(Philadelphia: The A.M.E. Book Concern, 1912).
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library. The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper made extraordinary contributions to the American nineteenth century. A poet and orator, writer of short and long fiction, and an essayist and activist, she continues to garner the interest of scholars of nineteenth-century American studies. To celebrate the bicentennial of Harper’s birthday, J19 is dedicating its very first special issue to this groundbreaking author—a tribute to her enduring significance to our field.
We welcome essays on all facets of Harper and her work, from essays treating her work across genres and throughout her long career to ones interested in the history and current state of scholarship on Harper. We hope for submissions from scholars at all career levels.
Please submit complete essays of no more than 10,000 words, including notes, accompanied by a 100-200 word abstract, to J19editors@gmail.com, including “HarperIssue” in both the email subject line and the file name. Submissions should be received by September 1st, 2024. Manuscripts should not be under consideration elsewhere and should not identify the author except on an accompanying sheet that includes the title of the submission, the name of the author, and the author's postal and email addresses.