Institute Co-Directors:

James Phelan, Distinguished University Professor of English and and Faye Halpern, Distinguished University Professor of nineteenth-century American literature, narrative theory, and pedagogy

The 2026 institute will focus on a set of issues debated by contemporary narratologists, all of which have important theoretical and practical consequences: authorial intention; social context and narrative form; unreliable narration, fictionality, AI narratives, climate change, and narrative medicine.  We’ll look at how different theoretical conceptions of narrative---rhetorical, intersectional, cognitive, and others—address these issues and pay special attention to the two-way traffic between relevant theory and primary narratives.  A full syllabus will be available shortly.

To Apply:

Applicants should send a current CV, a short description of the proposed project (no longer than a single-spaced page), and one letter of recommendation to Project Narrative by April 15, 2026. Applications will be reviewed promptly after the deadline. If, in order to meet funding deadlines, applicants need an earlier decision, the co-directors will consider special requests for early action. Applications can be emailed to projectnarrative@osu.edu or sent by post to the following address:

421 Denney Hall Attn: James Phelan, Project Narrative 164 Annie and John Glenn Avenue Columbus, OH 43210 

Please email projectnarrative@osu.edu with any questions about applying.

Fees:

Tuition for the 2026 Project Narrative Summer Institute is $1900. The co-directors will gladly write in support of participants’ applications for funding from home institutions.

Accessibility Statement:

Project Narrative is committed to accessibility and ensuring that all programming is welcoming to all participants. We will actively be taking steps, including providing live transcription, to ensure that the virtual format is accessible. Again, please reach out to Kayla Goldblatt, at projectnarrative@osu.edu with any questions or requests.

[pdf] - Some links on this page are to Adobe .pdf files requiring the use of Adobe Reader. If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact projectnarrative@osu.edu.