The International Association for the Study of Popular Romance is hosting its first ever “Popular Romance Studies: an International Conference” in Brisbane, starting today. You can find more information, including the schedule, on the IASPR website.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to set up the live Twitter stream thingo for the morning sessions of the2009 Conference.

However, I’ve taken the #romcon entries from Twitter and archived them here, for anyone who’s interested.

Please note that Book Thingo is NOT in any way affiliated with IASPR. I do think they’re doing very interesting work, and I’m still miffed that I didn’t get to go. *sob*

Anyway, here are the tweets from the morning session.

1. IASPR We’re up on online at the @IASPR conference in Brisbane, Australia! Hashtag of #romcon about 3 hours ago from web
2. sarahfrantz We’re up and online at the @IASPR conference in Brisbane, Australia! The hashtag is #romcon and we’ll be Twittering at @IASPR username. about 3 hours ago from web
3. IASPR We’re at the end of the first panel: International Romance. We’ve had Harlequin Manga, Indonesian romance…. #romcon about 3 hours ago from web
4. IASPR #romcon ….Italian romanza rosa and now we’re in Bollywood heroines. about 3 hours ago from web
5. IASPR #romcon Looking at the femme fatales of Bollywood films and how they deal with romance and marriage. about 3 hours ago from web
6. IASPR @BookThingo #romcon and we’re doing it here at @IASPR username. Sorry–it took a while to get online. Thanks to Glen, we’re up! about 3 hours ago from web
7. logophilos RT: @SarahFrantz: We’re up and online at the @IASPR conference in Brisbane… The hashtag is #romcon …Twittering at @IASPR username. about 3 hours ago from TwitterFox
8. IASPR #romcon Panel on international romance was great! Creating foundation of international studies of popular romance. Perfect! about 3 hours ago from web
9. IASPR Break for tea, then onto next panel. #romcon about 3 hours ago from web
10. IASPR #romcon Study of popular romance is now an international/transnational phenomenon, fundamentally. about 3 hours ago from web
11. IASPR #romcon Paper on Princess Diana’s Biography by Andrew Moreton and its status as romance tale. about 3 hours ago from web
12. IASPR #romcon “Her True Story”: intratextal use of romance conventions and modes of reception about biographer’s role. about 3 hours ago from web
13. IASPR #romcon Critics use romantic discourse to condemn the romantic discourse of and in the biography itself. -Gisele Bastin about 3 hours ago from web
14. IASPR #romcon “Cartlandian narratives”: makes it sounds terribly important. about 3 hours ago from web
15. IASPR #romcon And the TV news is here! :) about 3 hours ago from web
16. IASPR #romcon “Cartland’s novels translated into every known language except reasonable English.” LOL! about 3 hours ago from web
17. IASPR #romcon “Lady Diana as Virgin Inc. Pty. Ltd.” about 3 hours ago from web
18. IASPR #romcon Diana affecting the discourse that the royal family was trying to construct (reason they’re called Royal Family). about 3 hours ago from web
19. IASPR #romcon Andrew Morton’s role as biographer diluted Diana’s own agency and construction of her own story. about 2 hours ago from web
20. IASPR #romcon Is morton her “gallant and rescuer”: interpretation of how Morton affects story shows more about critics investment in romance narr. about 2 hours ago from web
21. esisogah RT @IASPR: #romcon Study of popular romance is now an international/transnational phenomenon, fundamentally. about 6 hours ago from TwitterFon
22. IASPR #romcon Biographer as suitor in Princess’s life. Freshness, innocence of Diana in her fairy tale narrative. about 2 hours ago from web
23. esisogah RT @IASPR: #romcon “Cartland’s novels translated into every known language except reasonable English.” LOL! about 2 hours ago from TwitterFon
24. IASPR #romcon Precisely in loss of textual innocence that incurs the wrath of the critics who are invested in the Courtly narrative. about 2 hours ago from web
25. IASPR #romcon Bastin’s paper is examination of the use of romance genre conventions in Morton’s Diana biography and the response to it. about 2 hours ago from web
26. IASPR #romcon TV adaptations of popular romance comics in South Korea. about 2 hours ago from web
27. IASPR #romcon “Kingdom of the Winds” comic that has crossed genres to Computer game, novel, musical, TV Drama. about 2 hours ago from web
28. IASPR #romcon In Korea, “man’s comics” are just “comics,” while women’s comics are “girls’ comics” or “romance comics.” about 2 hours ago from web
29. IASPR #romcon Chung-In Im is scholar giving paper on Korean comics. Talking about Kim Jin’s “Kingdom of the Winds.” about 2 hours ago from web
30. IASPR #romcon “Kingdom of the Winds” is a nationalistic country-foundation narrative. about 2 hours ago from web
31. IASPR #romcon Jin is restoring women to the ancient narrative of country-foundation which is traditionally a male-focused story. about 2 hours ago from web
32. IASPR #romcon Jin’s story obviously has political valences. Specifically meant to be commentary on male-centered nationalistic narrative. about 2 hours ago from web
33. IASPR #romcon Sorry for break in coverage. I was being interviewed by the TV people! :) Let’s hope I didn’t make a cake of myself. about 2 hours ago from web
34. IASPR #romcon We’re on to vampires at the moment. :) about 2 hours ago from web
35. IASPR #romcon Margot McGovern: “And so the Lion Fell in Love with the Lamb: Acts of Inversion in the Young Adult Vampire Romance.” Sookie+True Bld about 2 hours ago from web
36. IASPR #romcon Vampire is capable of redemption but still Byronic bad boy. Nature of romance unchanged, but heightens tension. about 2 hours ago from web
37. IASPR #romcon Twilight vampires are already masters of their vampire natures and heroine is not in danger of infamous bloodlust. about 2 hours ago from web
38. IASPR #romcon Tension in Twilight is when does Edward turn Bella, not when will he attack her. And what will he turn her into if not monster. about 2 hours ago from web
39. IASPR #romcon Is Edward in heroine position and Bella in hero position? Who is fragmented? Who is adult/child-like? about 2 hours ago from web
40. IASPR #romcon Next up: Enid Wilson, Romance Author, Australia: “Is Modern Fan Fiction Killing Classical Romances?” about 2 hours ago from web
41. IASPR #romcon Wilson writes Jane Austen Fan Fiction. about 2 hours ago from web
42. IASPR @TessaDare #romcon Under Enid Wilson, AFAIK. Self-pubbed. Getting background on JAFF now, not any theory yet. about 1 hour ago from web
43. IASPR #romcon Background/explanation of JAFF—what is it, what types are there, what kinds of genres. about 1 hour ago from web
44. IASPR #romcon Allegations against JAFF: lack of creativity, promote gender inequality, trivialize/sexualize/hijack JA’s characters. about 1 hour ago from web
45. IASPR #romcon Sexualization of JA’s chars: yes, of course. Touch of hand or gaze across room is not enough for (some) modern readers. about 1 hour ago from web
46. IASPR #romcon We’re right for our own enjoyment and writing for what we like, which means more sex in modern stories. about 1 hour ago from web
47. IASPR #romcon Can convert non-JA readers into JA readers. Send them back to foundational text. about 1 hour ago from web
48. jmc_bks @IASPR Am confused. Wilson’s published work=JAFF? Or JAFF in addition to pubbed work? RT: #romcon Wilson writes Jane Austen Fan Fiction. about 1 hour ago from web
49. IASPR #romcon JAFF doesn’t “Kill” classical romance: it extends, expands (harhar) JA’s fiction rather than hurting it. about 1 hour ago from web
50. IASPR #romcon And break for lunch! :) about 1 hour ago from web