This is the May 2026 MAPACA Newsletter. The next Summer Virtual Symposium is July 26. Our next Annual Conference is November 5-7 in Baltimore, MD.

In this newsletter, we have:

• Now accepting proposals for the 2026 MAPACA Annual Conference in Baltimore

• Summer Virtual Symposium registration information and pricing

• Important dates

Now accepting proposals for the 2026 MAPACA Annual Conference in Baltimore

The MAPACA 2026 Annual Conference will be held November 5-7 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore, MD. More info will follow on conference room blocks and rates. See the CFP below and mark the dates in your calendar today!

Call for proposals

Proposals are welcome on all aspects of popular and American culture for inclusion in the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA) conference in Baltimore, MD. Single papers, panels, roundtables, and alternative formats are welcome.

Proposals should take the form of 300-word abstracts and may only be submitted to one appropriate area. For a list of areas and area chair contact information, visit the Areas page on our website. General questions can be directed to mapaca@mapaca.net. The deadline for submission is June 30, 2026.

MAPACA’s participants are comprised of college and university faculty, independent scholars and artists, and graduate and undergraduate students. MAPACA is an inclusive professional organization dedicated to the study of popular and American culture in all their multidisciplinary manifestations. It is a regional division of the Popular Culture and American Culture Association, which, in the words of Popular Culture Association founder Ray Browne, is a “multi-disciplinary association interested in new approaches to the expressions, mass media and all other phenomena of everyday life.”

For more information and to log in and submit a proposal, visit MAPACA.net. When submitting a proposal, please note the different links for the in-person 2026 Annual Conference in Baltimore and the online Summer Virtual Symposium.

Summer Virtual Symposium registration information and pricing

The MAPCA 2026 Summer Virtual Symposium, an online event open to all our participants, will take place on July 26, 2026.

Registration for the 2026 virtual symposium is now open! Registration is required to participate in the symposium. Rates for the virtual symposium are:

• $80 Regular Rate: Full-time, salaried faculty

• $50 Reduced Rate: Part-time/Adjunct faculty, students, independent scholars, and retirees

Unfortunately, anyone not registered by the close of registration will be removed from the program, so register today! Registration for non-presenting attendees will open in July.

For more information and to register, visit mapaca.net. To view the virtual symposium schedule, click this link and login with your MAPACA account.

Important Dates

• June 30: MAPACA Annual Conference proposals due

• July 26: 2026 Summer Virtual Symposium

• November 5-7: 2026 MAPACA Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD