Call for Proposals for a Special Issue of Rhetoric Society Quarterly 

November 13, 2023

Each year, Rhetoric Society Quarterly publishes a special issue, the aims of which are to help set the intellectual agenda in rhetorical studies, encourage focused statements on timely topics in rhetorical studies by scholars working in related areas, attract participation by top scholars, and stimulate scholarly activity within the Rhetoric Society of America. Recent special issues include “Rhetoric and/of the Commons” (2023), “Global Black Rhetorics” (2022), “Resisting Temporal Regimes, Imagining Just Temporalities” (2021), “Disability, In/Visibility, and Risk” (2020), and “Rhetorics Demagogue | Demagoguery’s Rhetoric” (2019).  

As Rhetoric Society Quarterly’s associate editor for special issues, I am pleased to invite proposals for the 2025 special issue. Proposals should identify the Guest Editor(s), provide a descriptive rationale of 500-1,000 words, a list of authors, and a précis of 150-250 words for each essay. The rationale must demonstrate the timeliness of the topic, describe how the topic falls within the scope of Rhetoric Society Quarterly as defined in its general submission guidelines, and show how the issue as planned will speak to the Journal’s broad audience. In addition, the proposal should situate the issue alongside relevant contemporary scholarship, including other similarly themed issues or edited collections, and describe the qualifications of its guest editor(s) and contributors to speak to the field on the topic’s behalf. 

In preparing the proposal, guest editors should consider whether they will solicit a few longer essays, numerous shorter essays, or some combination of the two. Guest editors should also consider whether they will invite someone to write a preface or afterword, or to participate in an interview. These should be included in the original proposal. The special issue is allotted a maximum of 80,000 words (104 typeset pages). RSA will make available to the guest editor up to a $1,000 reimbursement for expenses related to the special issue. The deadline for proposal submission is February 2, 2024. 

In brief, the timeline for the special issue is as follows: In March of 2024, those who proposed a special issue will be notified whether their proposal has been accepted. In August of 2024, the first drafts of the manuscripts for the selected proposal will be due to the associate editor and guest editor. In February of 2025, revised manuscripts will be due to the associate editor and guest editor. After copyediting, the special issue will be published in the summer of 2025. 

Direct inquiries and completed proposals to: 

Joshua Trey Barnett, RSQ Associate Editor for Special Issues, barnett@psu.edu