Welcome

The International Society for the Study of Narrative (ISSN) is a nonprofit association of scholars dedicated to the investigation of narrative, its elements, techniques, and forms; its relations to other modes of discourse; its power and influence in cultures past and present.

"Narrative" for us is a category that may include the novel, epic poetry, history, biography, autobiography, film, the graphic arts, music, performance, legal writing, medical case histories, and more.

The Society sponsors the International Conference on Narrative each year. The first conference was held at Ohio State University in 1986, and in subsequent years, the meeting has been held at sites across the United States, Canada, and France. At each conference, approximately 250 speakers address issues of narrative from a variety of positions and perspectives.

Executive Committee

• President:
  Brian Richardson, University of Maryland, College Park
• First Vice President:
  Irene Kacandes, Dartmouth College
• Second Vice President:
  Emma Kafalenos, Washington University in St. Louis
• Past President:
  Suzanne Keen, Washington and Lee University

• Secretary-Treasurer; Editor, Narrative:
  Jim Phelan, The Ohio State University
• Conference Liaison:
  Alan Nadel, University of Kentucky
• Electronic Communications Coordinator:
  Edward Maloney, Georgetown University

Executive Council

• Susan Lanser, Brandeis University, 2009-2011
• Sheila Teahan, Michigan State University, 2009-2011
• Hillary Dannenberg, University of Trier, 2010-2012
• Tony Jackson, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, 2010-2012
• Porter Abbott, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2011-2013
• Nancy Easterlin, University of New Orleans, 2011-2013