Hi, everyone! Jon and I are happy to announce the 2027 Rhetoric Society Quarterly special issue call for proposals!
Please don’t hesitate to email us (kalford and jonathan.carter) if you have any questions.
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, attract participation of top scholars and junior scholars alike, and stimulate scholarly activity within the Rhetoric Society of America, such as pre-conference symposia, convention sessions, and workshops. Recent special issues include “The Rhetoric of Science In (Times Of) Crisis” (2025), “Rhetoric of/with AI” (2024), “Rhetoric and/of the Commons” (2023), “Global Black Rhetorics” (2022), “Resisting Temporal Regimes, Imagining Just Temporalities” (2021), and “Disability, In/Visibility, and Risk” (2020). A complete list of past special issues can be found on the journal’s website.
As Rhetoric Society Quarterly’s incoming Associate Co-Editors for Special Issues, we are pleased to invite proposals for the 2027 special issue. Proposals should include a title; the names and affiliations of the guest editor(s); a 1,000-word description and rationale of the special issue; and a table of contents featuring the titles for each paper, the names and affiliations of all authors, and a 150–250-word abstract for each contribution. The rationale must demonstrate the significance and salience 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 RSQ audience. The rationale should situate the issue alongside relevant contemporary scholarship and describe the qualifications of its guest editor(s) and contributors to speak to the field on the topic’s behalf. The guest editor(s) might consider whether they will solicit a few longer essays, numerous shorter essays, or some combination therein. Guest editors should also consider whether they will invite someone to write a preface or afterword or to participate in an interview. These choices should be included in the original proposal. The deadline for proposal submission is January 31, 2026.
The special issue is allotted a maximum of 80,000 words (104 typeset pages). RSA will make available to the guest editor(s) up to $1,000 (total) reimbursement for expenses related to the special issue.
In brief, the timeline for the special issue is as follows: in February 2026, we will notify the guest editor(s) of the accepted proposal. Initial drafts of contributions are due by August 2026. Revisions will be due November 2026 and after external review the final drafts of contributions will be due February 2027. The special issue will be published in summer 2027.
Direct inquiries and completed proposals to both:
Caddie Alford and Jonathan S. Carter, RSQ Associate Co-Editors for Special Issues, kalford and jonathan.carter