Association of Adaptation Studies

Annual Conference 2026

“Adaptation and Aurality”
Call for Papers

Dates: July 7-10, 2026
Location: Burman University - Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
Hosted by: Burman University, in partnership with the Association of Adaptation Studies (AAS)

The 2026 Association of Adaptation Studies Conference invites scholars, researchers, and media creators across all formats to share their work under the main theme of “Adaptation and Aurality.” However, we welcome members to submit scholarly papers of any topic within the field of adaptation studies at large.

The conference this year is to be held at Burman University in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. Alberta is one of the sunniest provinces in Canada with beautiful rolling prairies, Rocky Mountains, and deep canyons that elicit stunning echoes. Burman University is situated on the hilltop of Lacombe, a charming university town in Central Alberta. Lacombe is just outside Red Deer, and is situated between Edmonton International Airport (by about an hour) and Calgary International Airport (by about one and a half hours). The conference’s events, keynote address, and sessions will take place at the new campus library and McKibben Centre—the adjacent building and home to our School of Education.

Burman University will arrange for a shuttle to pick up participants from either airport at designated times and locations. We recommend Best Western Lacombe as the ideal accommodation for conference participants. Further details on hotel rates for conference attendants are forthcoming.

This year’s main theme, “Adaptation and Aurality,” invites participants to explore how sound, voice, and listening shape the processes and products of adaptation. Adaptation has often been theorized through the visual—translation from page to screen, image to image—but what happens when we listen instead? How might focusing on the sonic dimensions of adaptation open new perspectives on storytelling, embodiment, memory, and cultural exchange?

Keynote

We are thrilled to announce that our guest keynote speaker this year will be Dr. Sonnet L’Abbé. Their work reflects intersections of narrative and sound and we look forward to a stimulating and compelling keynote address to inspire our conference delegates and attendees. Sonnet L’Abbé is a professor in the English Department and the Creative Writing and Journalism department at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C. They currently write and perform at the intersection of poetry, jazz, blues and spoken word. L’Abbé is on the poetry editorial board of Brick Books and The Malahat Review, and also sits on the board of the Nanaimo Blues Society. Their chapbook, Anima Canadensis, won the 2017 bp Nichol Chapbook Award, and their most recent book of poems, Sonnet’s Shakespeare, was nominated for multiple awards and named a Quill and Quire Book of The Year for 2019. Sonnet had a solo show of songs and poems at the Port Theatre in 2021, performed at the New Sonic Poetries conference in Toronto in 2024, and at the Sounding Poetries conference at UBC in 2025. They are developing their most recent solo show of poems and vocal performance, My Black History Is Poetry, Is Jazz, to tour in 2026.

 Proposals

We welcome proposals that investigate aurality across media and genres, including literature, film, television, radio, theatre, podcasting, music, video games, and performance. Paper proposals might consider how adaptation translates, transforms, or reimagines texts as auditory experiences.

Sessions will be held on the Burman University campus, but we will also offer “Early Bird” and “Night Owl” online sessions for scholars facing travel difficulties at the moment. Please select “Online” on the proposal form if you are interested in this option.

We welcome contributions that engage with any topic related to adaptation studies, but our program will focus particularly on the following topics:

• Sound and adaptation across media
• Voice, narration, and embodiment
• Musical adaptations and soundtracks as narrative translation
• The politics of listening: identity, silence, and representation
• Radio drama, podcasts, and audio storytelling
• Performance, orality, aurality, and adaptation
• Aural memory and soundscapes in adaptation
• Theoretical approaches to sound, noise, and silence
• Accessibility and aural adaptation (captioning, audio description, etc.)
• The affective power of sound in reimagined texts

Submission Guidelines

Please submit an abstract of 250–300 words, along with a short biographical note (50-100 words), by December 15, 2026, to the AAS 2026: Conference Proposal (Google Form: https://forms.gle/odzcD1Gr92SA432FA)

You may submit proposals for:

• Individual papers
• Panels
• Roundtables, workshops, or creative sessions (please specify format and requirements)

All proposals should include:

1. Title of presentation or session
2. Abstract (250–300 words)
3. Presenter’s name(s) and institutional affiliation(s)
4. Contact information (email address)
5. Short biographical note (maximum 100 words)
6. Technical requirements for presentation (audio, video, etc.)

Key Dates

• Proposal Deadline: December 15, 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: February 1, 2026
• Registration Opens: February 15, 2026 (early bird)
• Conference Dates: July 7–10, 2026

Contact

For further information or inquiries, please contact:

aas2026@burmanu.ca