Guest Editors: Keren Gorodeisky (Auburn), Sean T. Murphy (Southern Utah), & Kenny Walden (Dartmouth)

Virginia Woolf had a long and fruitful engagement with philosophy. Her relationships with individual philosophers, her attraction to certain philosophical ideas, and her wrestling with philosophical texts alongside the rest of the Bloomsbury group are well-documented. Yet, serious engagement with the philosophical depth and originality of her fiction and critical essays is not what it could be. Given Woolf鈥檚 sustained and pathbreaking work on urgent questions at the center of philosophy and philosophical aesthetics 鈥� like the experience of selfhood, the nature of subjectivity, the texture of our relations to each other, our existence in nature and time, the political situation of modernity, the centrality of character in fiction, the challenge of aesthetically representing a person, the nature of pictures, the difference between painting and narrative art 鈥� this lacuna is deplorable. This special issue aims to address this lacuna and give Woolf鈥檚 philosophical depth its due in academic philosophical discussions.

The guest editors encourage prospective authors to approach Woolf in an open, sensitive, and responsive spirit. We wish to avoid rushing to conclusions about Woolf鈥檚 status as a 鈥榩hilosophical novelist鈥�; and discourage attempts to 鈥榩luck鈥� philosophy from the lines of To the Lighthouse, The Waves, The Common Readers, and so on. Rather, we hope to follow in Stuart Hampshire鈥檚 footsteps when he writes that it is a mistake to think of Woolf鈥檚 novels as 鈥榓 continuing inquiry into some independently recognized problem鈥�.

The guest editors are happy to accept submissions on any aspect of Woolf鈥檚 written work: novels, short stories, essays, diaries, and so on. They are also excited to receive submissions that range over different philosophical topics and approach Woolf from a variety of methodological orientations. Lastly, since philosophy nowadays seems to many as literature did to Woolf and contemporaries 鈥� overworked, worn out, maybe even moribund 鈥� the guest editors are particularly keen to read essays that, while remaining accessible to readers, attempt modest reinventions of the form following Woolf鈥檚 own example.

We invite papers exploring themes in Woolf including, but not limited to:

• The experience of selfhood
• The nature of subjectivity
• The texture of our relations to each other
• Our existence in nature and time
• The political situation of modernity
• The centrality of character in fiction
• The challenge of aesthetically representing a person
• The nature of pictures
• The difference between painting and narrative art

Papers should conform to the usual BJA requirements and be submitted for consideration through the BJA submissions site by April 20, 2027. Any queries should be addressed to the editors: Paloma Atencia Linares (patencia@fsof.uned.es) & Derek Matravers (derek.matravers@open.ac.uk).

The European Network for the Philosophy of Music (ENPM) invites submissions of paper abstracts for its third conference, which will be hosted by the Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna艅, Poland. The conference is organized in partnership with the Pozna艅 Musical Spring Festival, a yearly festival dedicated to contemporary music. The ENPM welcomes submissions on any topic in the philosophy of music, particularly those focused on the relationships between Centre and Periphery in the Philosophy of Music. The confirmed keynote speakers are David Davies (McGill University) and Mihailo Antovi膰 (University of Ni拧).

In collaboration with the Pozna艅 Musical Spring Festival, the conference will feature a panel discussion with Festival artists. All conference speakers will also be guests of the Festival and will be able to freely attend some concerts. In addition, the program will include an informal concert performed by ENPM members.

The deadline for submissions is 1st October 2026. More info and submission .

Congratulations to our 2026 winners:聽James Rowley (University of Liverpool), for his paper, 鈥楧igital Sampling: Towards a Hip-Hop Ontology鈥�, and Yili Zhou (Duke Kunshan University) for her paper, 鈥楳orality and Music: A Brief Discussion on How Moral Self-Cultivation Contributes to Music Performance鈥�.

James and Yili both receive a 拢500 prize and a grant of up to 拢1000 to attend the conference in September. They will be encouraged to review their papers for submission to the British Journal of Aesthetics.

supported by the 糖心视频

PROGRAMME INFORMATION

This three-day international conference will explore the relationship between聽fiction聽and聽lies聽from a range of disciplinary聽and聽interdisciplinary perspectives, including philosophy, literary history聽and theory, narratology, film聽and聽media studies, psychology聽and聽cognitive science.聽

The conference will take place from 10-12 June 2026, each day from 9.00 to 17.30. 

Keynote addresses:

10 June 2026: Eileen John (Philosophy, University of Warwick), 鈥楻easons for Being Loose with the Truth鈥櫬�

11 June 2026: Pierre Bayard (Literature, Universit茅 Paris 8 – Saint-Denis), 鈥楥omment parler de sujets auxquels on ne conna卯t rien ?鈥� [鈥楬ow to talk about subjects you know nothing about鈥橾 

The full programme is available on the

LOCATION

University of Edinburgh, Pollock Estate (map available here: )

REGISTRATION

Registration is open until 25 May 2026 .

Funding from the Scots Philosophical Association means that staff (including emeritus) and students from Scottish universities attending the conference can have their fees waived. Please email fictionlies2026@gmail.com from your institutional address to request a password before registering. 

For any colleagues who are not in Scotland, fees are 拢50 for staff, 拢15 for students. The fee includes lunch on all three days. Non-Scottish delegates must be members of ASIFF/SIRFF.

Join us for an evening of philosophical reflection on the role that poetry can play in connecting us with non-human animals and the environment. Inspired by the writings of Newcastle-based philosopher Mary Midgley, we present insights from the global multi-species poetry experiment, .

The evening will begin with a short introduction from the project鈥檚 director, poet-philosopher Dr Mara Daria Cojocaru, who will explain the concept of multispecies poetry and share poems co-authored with bats, bison and eider ducks.

After that, there will be two presentations. Dr Karen Simecek will talk about poetry as a site of community and explore the limits of felt connections to others through a poem. Dr Vid Simoniti will consider the claim that art is a form of worldmaking, and query what it would mean for art to help us reframe our relationship to the climate crisis.

After the talks there will be a chance to get a glass of wine or soft drink, before joining us for a roundtable discussion and Q&A.

You will be able to visit an interactive exhibition of the聽Philosophy in the Wild聽poetry, curated by Mara-Daria Cojocaru, at the Tin Church at Newton-by-the-Sea during June. This is part of a residency with聽, Alnmouth. Details will be announced on the project website.

Philosophy in the Wild: Finding Hope in Mixed Communities聽is the second philosophy-poetry project curated by聽聽and inspired by Newcastle-philosopher Mary Midgley. The project is generously supported by the Midgley Trust, The British Society for Aesthetics, The Old School Gallery (Alnmouth), Durham University and University of Liverpool.

Tickets and more information:

 (DiA) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal for original articles, interviews, and book reviews in philosophical aesthetics, and is published by the 糖心视频 (糖心视频). DiA has a strong reputation for publishing innovative short-form articles across all areas of aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

The new co-editor will work with our current editor Ben Campion. The post is a unique opportunity to gain professional experience in all aspects of managing an academic journal, including editing, managing anonymised peer-review processes, and typesetting. The editors of DiA have broad discretion over the Journal鈥檚 editorial policy and a budget to employ proof-readers and award a bi-annual essay prize. The journal publishes two issues a year. The first is a general issue, consisting of articles on any area of contemporary aesthetics and philosophy of art. The second is a special issue, which consists of a commissioned essay from a leading figure within the field and a series of response articles. The successful candidate will take up the post in Summer 2026, initially shadowing the current editors in order to familiarise themselves with the journal鈥檚 editorial processes.

The editorship entails a variety of tasks and responsibilities, such as considering submitted manuscripts for review, seeking appropriate peer reviewers, preparing manuscripts for proofreading, editing, typesetting, publishing content online, and publicising the journal via social media. As editor, you will become an ex officio member of the Trustees Committee of the 糖心视频 and are required to deliver bi-annual reports, one in-person and one online, to the Trustees Committee on the operations of the Journal. The position is unpaid; however, the editors get a full conference package for the annual 糖心视频 meeting in Oxford, including accommodation and reimbursement for travel within the UK.

To support new voices in aesthetics, we are only accepting applications from early-career scholars. This includes both graduate students (at MA or PhD level) and candidates who have received their PhD no more than three years before the closing date of this call. Candidates from any country can apply. The ideal candidate will be organised and have some familiarity with peer-review practices. Experience in website management (in particular, WordPress) and/or publishing will be an advantage. We especially welcome applications from members of underrepresented groups in the philosophical community.

To apply, please send the following in .pdf format  to editor@debatesinaesthetics.org:

• An academic CV
• A brief statement (of between 500-800 words) outlining your suitability for the post, including any improvements or other changes you would make if you were selected

The deadline for applications is 23:59 GMT Friday 22nd May 2026.

Interviews will be held via Zoom on Wednesday 3rd June 2026.

If you have any further questions, please direct them to the current editors: editor@debatesinaesthetics.org

Keynotes include: 

, Professor of Sound at the London College of Communication聽
, Associate Professor of Music at Trinity College Dublin
, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manitoba

A programme is available on the .

Registration is via Eventbrite, and the link is on our .

For those seeking funding, 糖心视频 members can apply for support through 糖心视频 Travel Stipends (rolling deadline) and Royal Musical Association student members can apply for a  (deadline 1 May, 2026) to support conference attendance.

Any questions can be directed to Dr F茅rdia Stone-Davis (Chair, RMA MPSG): ferdia.stonedavis@dcu.ie

 Bodies of Culture: Somaesthetic Explorations  

The body is an essential feature of our human existence, necessary for our survival and central to our humanity, even though our bodies come in somewhat different sizes, shapes, and colors. The human body is clearly a physical thing but also clearly something more: an embodied subjectivity or soma that is shaped significantly by culture. Cultural differences shape the body in different ways, not only in terms of our somatic conduct and experience but also, at times, in its physical form: the ways our bodies are attired, groomed, and adorned, and even in their dimensions and powers. The soma鈥檚 size and strength change with changes in the material culture of how it is nourished and cared for and how it cultivates or exercises itself. Bodies of Culture: Somaesthetic Explorations will examine, through a somaesthetic lens, the different ways that different cultures shape somatic experience. This includes the ways different cultures conceive of the human body and how they value it, care for it, and represent it in the arts. It also includes the ways culturally related somatic differences impact the relations between different cultures. The range of differing cultures to consider is broad: religious and secular cultures, national, international, and cosmopolitan cultures, and cultures of different historical periods, different disciplines, and different linguistic traditions.

The conference is open to contributions from diverse disciplinary perspectives in the humanities (including medical humanities), social sciences, and the arts. Selected papers may be developed for publication in  or in an edited volume based on the conference papers to be published in the Brill book series .

This conference is a collaborative project between The Center for Cosmopolitan Culture and FAU鈥檚 Center for Body, Mind, and Culture. The FAU Center鈥檚 program committee will do the job of selecting the proposals for presentation and organizing the program. But you should submit your proposal here through the CCC鈥檚 website:聽. 聽

The proposal should contain your email address, the title of your paper and an abstract (250-450 words), and a CV. The deadline for submission of abstracts is August 18, 2026. Notifications of acceptance are planned for September 18th, 2026.