The main event in semiotics during 2013 was the 38th annual meeting of the Semiotic Society of America — and the featured event of 2014 will be the next such gathering, in Seattle, Washington (information and call for papers below).

# The Semiotic Society of America

## 2013 Conference

The Semiotic Society of America held its 38th Annual Meeting in Akron, Ohio, USA, from 24-27 October 2013. The non-restrictive theme of the meeting "Why Semiotics" prompted critical discussions about why and how semiotics is and can be used as a research methodology. Plenary addresses were delivered by Don Cipollini, Marcel Danesi, André De Tienne (President), Elliot Gaines (Vice-President), Richard Lanigan, and Terry Prewitt.

For the first time, the SSA held pre-conference workshops for which members could register. Executive committee member Farouk Seif organized the sessions on the topics of Music Semiotics, Semiotic and Logic, Semiotics and Anthropology, Semiotics and Linguistics, Media and Semiotics, Semiotics and Writing Systems, Semiotics and Notating Imagination, Peirce’s Logic of Sign Relations, Semiotics and Literature, Semiotics of Graphie Design, and Modeling Semiosis.

The Society held its annual business meetings during the conference. Elliot Gaines became SSA President while Marcel Danesi was selected as Vice-President and President-elect. Gila Safran-Naveh agreed to chair the program committee for the 2014 meeting in Seattle, Washington (call for papers forthcoming).

The SSA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Wright State University’s College of Liberal Arts, Department of Communication, and Classroom Technology Services.

## 2014 Conference

The 39th Annual Meeting of the Semiotic Society of America will take place 2-5 (Thursday through Sunday) October 2014 in Seattle, Washington, at the Westin Seattle Hotel. Proceedings are published in Semiotics 2014.The Westin Seattle hotel is within walking distance of the beautiful waterfront Seattle Art Museum (SAM), Seattle Symphony (Benaroya Hall), and Pike Place Market.The non-restrictive theme for 2014 is "Paradoxes of Life"Deadline for abstracts: 16 May 2014; deadline for early (cheaper) registration: 17 August ($ 150, $ 70 for students; afterwards:$ 175, $ 85 for students).To submit an abstract: https://semioticsocietyofamerica.org/​ssa-call-for-papers/​ and follow the instructions of the "EasyChair" link.

Abstracts should contain:

- Author’s Name(s)

- Institutional Affiliation and Academic Status

- Email Address

- Title of the Abstract

- 150- to 200-Word Abstract (in Times New Roman 12)

- Keywords (maximum 6 words)

Deadline to reserve a room at the Westin Seattle Hotel: 22 August 2014.To register: http://www.pdcnet.org/​conferences/​ssa-2014.htm -- you will be asked to create an "EasyChair" account. You may also call: +0l-434-220-3300 (USA), Toll Free within the USA & Canada: 1-800-444-2419. For more information, please visit: http://www.semioticsocietyofamerica.orgThe call for papers (from the SSA website):

# Paradoxes of Life. Challenge - Determination - Resilience

Ever since the paradoxes of Zeno (on the impossibility of motion) and Heraclitus (on the possibility of ever-present change)—through the work of Baudrillard, Eco, Escher, Hegel, Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Peirce, Picasso, Russell, Whitehead, and others—philosophers, scholars, and artists have been exploring the phenomenological nature of paradoxes. Contemporary societies seem to be especially challenged by paradoxes in all aspects of life.And yet, antinomies in life are not fortuitous, nor do they result from incompetence. They are inherent in the human condition and innate forces in cultural and natural systems.

The irony is that when societies face crises, there is a tendency to confuse paradoxical situations with problems. This habitual tendency seems to be generated by intolerance for those ambiguities and uncertainties that are unavoidable features of paradoxes. But whenever paradoxes are perceived as problems, they can never be solved or dissolved. Rather, sooner or later, apparent solutions are discovered to be illusions, leading to ever-more tangled problems. Thus, it is important to be aware of the difference between what we perceive as problems and what we experience as paradoxes.

Paradoxes present contradictions between irresolvably opposing aspects of life. But life feeds on these contradictory relations, and the evolution of life itself is paradoxical. Because we are born into a world of paradoxes, we are compelled to learn how to survive, to persevere, and to thrive in a reality that is constantly in a state of disequilibrium. Although we are challenged by the tension among various opposing forces, the resulting paradoxes can offer unique opportunities for engaging in crucial meaning­ making processes. However, the manner in which we deal with the paradoxes of life is contingent upon our personal capacity for meeting challenges with determination and resilience. Indeed, how we deal with paradoxes can give us insight into the nature of complex semiotic processes. We invite you to consider this theme when planning your contribution to the annual meeting.