8th Annual International Comparative Literature Conference
Language and the Ineffable: Expressing the Inexpressible
Held Virtually
Time: March 27-28, 2026
Conference Theme
What happens when language encounters its own limits? This year's conference explores how writers, thinkers, and artists across cultures and centuries have grappled with expressing experiences that seem to transcend ordinary language—the mystical, the traumatic, the sublime, the deeply personal, and the utterly foreign.
From ancient mystical poetry that struggles to articulate divine union, to contemporary experimental writing that pushes against conventional narrative, to the challenge of translating untranslatable concepts across cultures, we invite participants to examine how human creativity responds when words fall short. How do different traditions develop languages for the unspeakable? What literary, philosophical, and artistic strategies emerge when ordinary expression proves inadequate?
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Cyril Uy II, Assistant Professor of Religion, James Madison University
Submission Guidelines:
We welcome abstract submissions of 250 words for 15-20 minute presentations (8-10 typed pages, double-spaced).
Please submit the abstract and brief bio to cpltfrenconf@lsu.edu.
Deadline: December 1, 2025.
Publication:
Following the conference, participants may submit their paper for consideration for publication in the Tête-a-tête conference proceedings.
Vol. 5 of LSU’s Comparative Woman Journal, to be published in 2026, will also accept nominations for the Best Essay Prize. The award will include publication in the volume and a certificate.