From our new issue, a Note by Francesca Pierini: 'Literary Fiction from the Perspective of Romance Scholarship: André Aciman’s Room on the Sea'🌊 www.jprstudies.org/2026/07/lite... Pierini deploys Gillian Beer's The Romance (1970) to illuminate the what-ifs of late-life romance in Aciman's novel.

Come and talk about romance with us in Spain in June 2027!

Javaria Farooqui@javariafarooqui.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm so glad to share the CFP for the Eleventh conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance. Link to the full CFP  www.iaspr.org/conferences/... Please share with your cool academic circles! #popularromancestudies #romance #CFP #AcademicSky @iaspr.bsky.social

Featured in our new issue 💥 Sarah Ficke's article, 'Narrating Histories of Love and Violence', considers the 'reparative' and 'speculative' possibilities of the American civil war historical romance.

Laura Vivanco@lauravivanco.bsky.social · 3w ago

Ficke, Sarah (2026). "Narrating Histories of Love and Violence: The Civil War and Alyssa Cole’s A Hope Divided." Journal of Popular Romance Studies 15.1.

We continue showcasing articles published in our brand new issue! In Erika Kvistad's rigorously argued article, 'Happily Ever After?/Happily Ever After!', we find that the Gothic and its allusions to horror are key to the allure of dark romance. www.jprstudies.org/2026/07/happ...

Want a @britishacademy.bsky.social post-doctoral fellowship with us? We'd love to mentor philosophers with projects on intimacy, love, and relationships. More information here: ahc.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...

PRHS Opens Call for 2026 British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships

Prospective candidates must submit their initial proposals by 12 noon (UK time) on Tuesday 4 August 2026 to be considered for department sponsorship

ahc.leeds.ac.uk

We don't want any of you missing out on the newly published pieces, so we will be highlighting them individually ✨. Starting now with Maria Butler's article (doi.org/10.70138/PWR...) : "Marian Keyes’ This Charming Man: An Alcoholic Love Story" (1/2).

Journal of Popular Romance Studies@jprstudies.bsky.social · 4w ago

New Issue Alert: Very pleased to share the latest issue of JPRS!📢 With articles on trauma in popular romance by Alicia Leigh, cuteness in Thai boys-love novels by Bancha Rattanamathuwong, notes on defining the 'trope' in romance fiction, and many others🎉 www.jprstudies.org/issue-15-1/

New Issue Alert: Very pleased to share the latest issue of JPRS!📢 With articles on trauma in popular romance by Alicia Leigh, cuteness in Thai boys-love novels by Bancha Rattanamathuwong, notes on defining the 'trope' in romance fiction, and many others🎉 www.jprstudies.org/issue-15-1/

Romance writers wanted! Please share your thoughts on AI for a research project being conducted by Bridget Kies of Oakland University. Soliciting published and unpublished authors for interviews. More info: bridgetkies.com/romance-and-... #romance #romancelandia #romanceauthors

Looking for a #RomanceResearch piece to read during this Pride Month? We've got you covered: Jessica Taylor analyzes E.M. Hull’s The Sheik (1919) through the lens of queer and trans studies in JPRS' article "Garçon Manqué: A Queer Rereading (of) The Sheik". Find the article: doi.org/10.70138/VBE...

Like Heated Rivalry? Maybe want to talk about it at the next MAPACA conference in 5-7 November in Baltimore? Consider submitting a proposal! 🏑 popmediaprof.com/2026/05/26/c...

CfP: The Cultural Impact of Heated Rivalry

Call for Papers: The Cultural Impact of Heated Rivalry ice hockey by Jean Jacoby, MNAHA collections Luxembourg Upon awarding it a 2026 Peabody Award for excellence in entertainment, jurors argued t…

popmediaprof.com

👁️👁️ Our readers might want to check this out!

Laura Vivanco@lauravivanco.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The most recent romance scholarship (includes a lot of dissertations/theses):

Romance While Disabled: Writing Disabled Love Interests will feature moderator Jade Benjamin + panelists @caitgauthor.bsky.social, @aebrossbooks.bsky.social, @jayeviner.bsky.social, and @flynnbulwinter.bsky.social talking about the ways love can look different when you’re disabled 5/?

Romance While Disabled: What To Consider When Writing a Disabled Love Interest

We’ll discuss how romance & intimacy often look different for disabled folks & how writers can create respectful & realistic depictions of disabled folks.

events.humanitix.com

This CfP may be of interest to our readers!

K.L. Noone@klnoone.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Call for Papers! @pamlaorg.bsky.social has a brand-new #popularromance area, which I am chairing (yay!) - join us on the #romance panel in November in Seattle! Abstract deadline May 25! #CFP #BookSky #AcademicSky session link: pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/S/19917 PAMLA website: www.pamla.org

🆕 Amy Duong has reviewed the volume Conflict and Colonialism in 21st Century Romantic Historical Fiction: Repairing the Past, Repurposing History (2025), edited by Hsu-Ming Teo and Paloma Fresno Calleja, for JPRS. Follow the link to read the full early access review: doi.org/10.70138/VPK...

My article on masculinity for the forthcoming special issue of @jprstudies.bsky.social on African romance novels has been published online! This one has been in the works for some time - I'm so pleased it is officially out in the world :) www.jprstudies.org/2026/05/a-de...

Hot off the press! An Early Access article on @JPRStudies by Nafees Alam, addressing the bias against SOPO VEE OPP polyamory in the US reality TV show "Sister Wives" www.jprstudies.org/2026/04/addr...

⌛ Just a bit over a month left to send in your proposals for JPRS Special Issue on Sport Romance. Don't miss out on this opportunity! #RomanceResearch

Journal of Popular Romance Studies@jprstudies.bsky.social · 5mo ago

CfP 🚨 Are you interested in #RomanceResearch and Sports? JPRS is calling for papers for its special issue on Sport Romance! 📆 300-word abstracts to be submitted by 31st May 2026 to Atlanta Tsiaoukkas (at839@cam.ac.uk). 🔗 Find all the information on our website: www.jprstudies.org/submissions/...

Hot off the press! An Early Access article on @JPRStudies by Nafees Alam, addressing the bias against SOPO VEE OPP polyamory in the US reality TV show "Sister Wives" www.jprstudies.org/2026/04/addr...

Erotic romance writers in northern Nigeria bypass censors and strict religious authorities by sharing their stories on WhatsApp. NB: story not universally paywalled(?)🎉 www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/w...

The Hit Erotica Writers Outwitting Nigeria’s Religious Censors

nytimes.com

Adding these to our TBRs!

Laura Vivanco@lauravivanco.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Here's the latest list of new publications on popular romance fiction. It's literally an A-Z this month (Allan to Zhang), with items on YA romance, Black romance, defining "tropes", translation, illness, readers and more.

Excited to be a co-author on this discussion of defining "the trope" in #romance fiction, over at @jprstudies.bsky.social - many thanks to @heatherschell.bsky.social for organizing and synthesizing all our ideas and notes! @iaspr.bsky.social #BookSky www.jprstudies.org/2026/03/defi...

Defining the Trope in Romance Fiction | Journal of Popular Romance Studies

Trope n. A named, recognizable plot device or feature that raises expectations about the direction of the plot or character interactions. A tag that references a recognizable plot device and serves as...

jprstudies.org

My central argument is that "romance authors have assumed pastoral roles, offering hope to their readers through novels which propagate faith in the goodness and durability of love." Anyway, it's free to download from here:

Every reader has a favorite romance trope but they are rarely studied by scholars... Or at least it was so. Our new multi-authored Note, "Defining the Trope in Romance Fiction", synthesizes ideas and discussions on this topic. Follow the link to read: doi.org/10.70138/ECM... #RomanceResearch

Defining the Trope in Romance Fiction | Journal of Popular Romance Studies

Trope n. A named, recognizable plot device or feature that raises expectations about the direction of the plot or character interactions. A tag that references a recognizable plot device and serves as...

doi.org

In the mood for a short read about romance? Then you cannot miss JPRS' newest publication: "Literary Fiction from the Perspective of Romance Scholarship: André Aciman’s Room on the Sea", by Francesca Pierini. Find this Note following the link: doi.org/10.70138/MZI...

A good few days for publications by long-time romance scholars @profromance.bsky.social , @jessicatripler.bsky.social and @emselinger.bsky.social: Kamblé, Jayashree (2026). "Recolouring the romcom: humor, respectability, and race in a 1986 American category romance novel." Comedy Studies.

🚨 Our first article of the year is out now! "Romancing the Darkness: Understanding Trauma in the Romance Genre", by Alicia Leigh, is published as an Early Access Piece in JPRS. Follow the link to read about the three trauma-themed romance subgenres proposed by the author: doi.org/10.70138/ZOG...

The Journal of Popular Romance Studies (@jprstudies.bsky.social) did a special issue on Black Romance novels in 2022. It includes scholarly articles and interviews with Black Romance authors. www.jprstudies.org/issues/volum... #Romancelandia #RomanceBookSky #BlackBookSky

More and more romance adaptations are starting to appear – but what makes the translation from page to screen really sing?

From Bridgerton to Heated Rivalry, what’s the secret to a good book-to-TV romance?

theconversation.com

CfP 🚨 Are you interested in #RomanceResearch and Sports? JPRS is calling for papers for its special issue on Sport Romance! 📆 300-word abstracts to be submitted by 31st May 2026 to Atlanta Tsiaoukkas (at839@cam.ac.uk). 🔗 Find all the information on our website: www.jprstudies.org/submissions/...

Do you listen to podcasts about romance novels? One of the romance scholars (Dr. Precie A. Schroyer) is inviting you to take part in a research study: forms.office.com/pages/respon...