Call for Papers: Theology and the Riordanverse<\/b><\/p>\n
Editors: Nathan E. Fleeson and Carolyn M. Jones Medine<\/p>\n
2020 marked the 15th<\/sup>Anniversary of the publication of the first book in the Percy Jackson series,\u00a0Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief<\/em>, as well as what Rick Riordan claims will be the last in the series,\u00a0The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero<\/em>. In those fifteen years, Riordan has published an impressive twenty-one books, which have come to be known as the Riordanverse. This includes the sub-series of\u00a0Percy Jackson and the Olympians,<\/em>The Heroes of Olympus<\/em>,\u00a0The Trials of Apollo<\/em>,\u00a0Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard<\/em>,\u00a0The Kane Chronicles<\/em>, along with two collections of short stories.<\/p>\n While Riordan\u2019s works have been acknowledged for the ways they reimagine the stories of Classical Mythology in the modern world, they also join a long tradition of young adult and middle grade fantasy literature that has attracted the attention of Religion and Literature scholars. This volume seeks to explore the books of the Riordanverse from those perspectives, asking how these works engage with the religious imagination, pose and\/or answer theological questions, or talk about and illuminate the relationship between religion and culture.<\/p>\n Potential topics include but are not limited to:<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Celestial Bronze Weapons and Just War Theory<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Divine as Human in\u00a0The Trails of Apollo<\/em><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Relationship of Prophecy and Free Will in relationship to the Oracle of Delphi<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Comparative Religions\/Mythologies and myth displacement in the Riordanverse<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Images of Hell and Punishment in the Underworld<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nico di Angelo and Alex Fierro and Queer Theory and\/or Liberation Theology<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Environmental Theology around Pan and Grover<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Absence of Gods in Claiming and the Fading of the Olympians<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Relationship between \u201cMetaphysical Gods\u201d and the Gods of the Riordanverse<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Depictions of non-Christian religious traditions and intersectionality in the Riordanverse (such as Magnus Chase\u2019s atheism, voodoo influences on Hazel Levesque, and Samirah al-Abbas\u2019s Islam)<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Generational issues and tensions in the Riordanverse<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Imagining the future in the Riordanverse<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Imagining empire, community and culture in the Riordanverse<\/p>\n The editors invite submissions on these topics and others for a volume titled\u00a0Theology and the Riordanverse<\/em>, to be published by Lexington Books \/ Fortress Academic in the\u00a0Theology and Pop Culture<\/em>\u00a0series.<\/p>\n Interested authors can submit proposals and questions to\u00a0theologyandriordanverse@gmail.com<\/a>. Proposals should be between 300\u2013700 words. Please attach a CV and abstract of your proposed chapter. Chapter length will depend on number of submissions but are expected to be 5000\u20136000 words.<\/p>\n Proposal Due Date: August 1, 2021<\/p>\n Chapter Submission Due: February 15, 2022<\/p>\n Dr. Carolyn Medine\u00a0<\/strong>(PhD, University of Virginia) is a Professor in the Religion Department and Professor and Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Georgia. Dr. Medine\u2019s research focuses on African American women\u2019s religion, African American Buddhists, and religion and literature. She teaches a Religion and Literature course that focuses on the writings of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.<\/p>\n Nathan E. Fleeson\u00a0<\/strong>is a PhD student in Religion at the University of Georgia. He studies the way fantasy literature evokes the religious imagination to mediate relationships with God and the world around us. He currently teaches an introductory course in Religious Thought at UGA based around the Percy Jackson books.<\/p>\n Via the Popular Culture and Theology blog<\/a>. Also of interest:<\/p>\n Oh, My Pop Culture Religion: Religious But Not\u00a0Spiritual<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n