CFP 2026

Below is our call for proposals for papers, panels, round tables, and workshops for the second Queer Food Conference. All applications are due by September 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. If you are looking for the archived 2024 CFP, it is available here.

Quick Links:

Apply for an In-Person Panel or Round Table: https://forms.gle/fyfDxCreWdYi29Dv8 (only one application per panel and/or roundtable)

Apply for a Virtual Panel or Round Table: https://forms.gle/saJx5Yv6XindU8qu9 (only one application per panel and/or roundtable)

Apply for an In-Person Workshop or Cooking Demo: https://forms.gle/DJ8zwBysxLra6Mjo8 (only one application per workshop)

Apply for a Virtual Workshop or Cooking Demo: https://forms.gle/hUEZJVufGnbiwQtTA (only one application per workshop)

Apply for an In-Person Individual Paper: https://forms.gle/zpSJFG3MD8G8ZWMX9 (do not fill out this application if you are applying as part of a panel or roundtable)

Apply for a Virtual Individual Paper: https://forms.gle/6xvJxAtmVwC1L8KU6 (do not fill out this application if you are applying as part of a panel or roundtable)

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Call for Papers

We are pleased to announce the second conference on queer food and drink to be held in Montréal from May 1-3, 2026. This year we are emphasizing visibility. Scholars, activists, artists, farmers, journalists, bakers, writers, archivists, food industry professionals and anyone else interested in queer food are encouraged to apply.

What is queer food? From the lentil soup shared at a lesbian potluck to the calorie-dense brownies recommended to combat AIDS Wasting Syndrome and the seeds planted by a cooperative of LGBTQ2S+ farmers, queer food is about survival and cultivating joy. Queer food fosters connections, defies norms, honours legacies, and is by and for community. The second Queer Food Conference in May 2026, will demonstrate how food can be queer—through its production, through roles in fostering community, and symbolically. Queer food has gendered, racialized, and classed implications for our present lives and futures. In a political climate that is increasingly hostile to trans, queer, and Two Spirit communities, it is especially important to be public about and make visible the deep roots and sustaining powers of queer food.

The conference will be hybrid. In-person panels will be live-streamed. There will also be some virtual-only panels. When you apply, you must indicate if you are applying to be in-person or virtual. Please note that some activities, such as the group meals and field trips within Montréal, will be in-person only.

Topics may include but are not limited to: LGBTQIA2S+ cookbooks, farming and land movements, bars, cafes, drinks, potlucks, food advertising, restaurant management, catering, brewing, food writing, and more. We encourage a diversity of submissions across geographic regions and time periods.

NB: Conference registration fees for in-person, virtual, and hybrid attendance will be 50 Canadian Dollars (approximately 36 USD). There will be additional ticketed events available. We will open up registration for the conference itself in winter 2026.

Guidelines for Submission:

Sessions will be 1.5 hours.

Types of Sessions:

Panels of 3 to 4 papers with a chair/commentator. We strongly encourage the submission of full panels. You do NOT need to include someone to perform the chair and/or comment role as part of your application (but you are welcome to include someone).

Roundtables, of 4-5 people who present, discuss, and interact with the audience on a single topic, theme, or issue. You do NOT need to include someone to perform the chair and/or comment role (but you are welcome to include someone).

Workshops with 1-3 leaders that center on an interactive and practical deep-dive into a subject. We will have use of a demonstration kitchen with two stove tops, a sink, a refrigerator, and monitors to project the action. Presenters will be responsible for bringing their own food materials, but we can supply cooking tools, tasting plates, and utensils. Workshops on the intersections of queer food studies and cartoons and comics are also encouraged.

We encourage all full panel and roundtable submissions to include a diversity of scholars and practitioners, including people at all levels of career development, different institutions, and identities.

We will also consider individual paper submissions, out of which the program committee will assemble a very limited number of panels.

Finally, we will consider all-virtual panels, roundtables, and workshops. If your panel or roundtable is interested in presenting virtually, please indicate that as part of your submission. Please note that there are two different application forms: in-person and virtual.

Please only apply as part of one panel or paper submission. The exception to this rule is for the role of chair or commentator, which may be performed by someone who is also giving a paper or appearing on a roundtable.

All submissions are due by September 30, 2025. The program committee will make decisions and send notifications by January 15, 2026.

Full Panels and Roundtables should include:

Title of panel

Panel abstract (200 words max.) and keywords

Title and abstract for each paper (200 words max.)

Biographical statement with contact information for each participant

Workshops OR Cooking Demonstrations should include:

Title of the workshop or cooking demonstration

Workshop or demo abstract (200 words max.) and keywords

Abstract for each contribution (200 words max.)

Biographical statement with contact information for each participant

List of cooking tools required (if applicable)

Single paper submissions should include:

Title of paper

Paper abstract (200 words max.) and keywords

Biographical statement with contact information

Questions should be addressed to the Queer Food Conference organizers Alex D. Ketchum and Megan J. Elias at queerfoodconference@gmail.com.

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