Submission Deadline: February 28, 2025
The World of Bob Dylan returns to Tulsa from July 24-27, 2025 and, in cooperation with the Bob Dylan Center, will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival. We now seek proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, and creative sessions that will run across the event’s four days.
We warmly welcome ideas focused on all aspects of Dylan’s music, performance, context, life, and legacy. Since our last event in 2023, several new books have appeared, the new bio-pic starring Timothée Chalamet is on the horizon, Dylan himself continues to tour, and new research has begun in a wide array of areas. We thus anticipate a large, diverse program that will sit alongside exciting keynotes featuring roundtable discussions, musical performances, new exhibitions, and more.
Please note that the World of Dylan will be an in-person event with only limited streaming of select events. We cannot accept proposals for remotely delivered papers or sessions.
Individual Paper Proposals
We welcome individual paper proposals for 15 to 20-minute presentations. To submit, please send a title, 250-word summary, and complete contact information (including email and phone number).
Panel Proposals
Panels consist of three or four speakers arranged in advance and focused on a common topic or idea. To submit a panel proposal, a single organizer should send a 500-word summary that includes a name for the session and information about each of the confirmed speakers.
Roundtable Proposals
These special sessions are meant to encourage open conversation, debate, and the exchange of ideas around broadly compelling topics (e.g. Cover Songs, Teaching, or Collecting) and may include up to five participants. The focus should be on conversation among the panelists and the audience rather than on the delivery of prepared remarks. Proposals should include a 250-word summary of the topic to be explored along with contact information for the chair and short biographies of each participant.
Creative Proposals and Ideas
We welcome ideas for other kinds of formats, creative sessions, events, and pop-up exhibitions. Feel free to reach out to us with questions or ideas.
Send all submissions and questions to bobdylaninstitute@utulsa.edu
Timeline
Submission Deadline: February 28, 2025
Submission Decision Notification: March 28, 2025
World of Dylan Begins: July 24, 2025