The DICES project is pleased to invite colleagues working on epic poetry, discourse analysis, narratology, linguistics, and digital humanities to join our new network for the study of direct speech in ancient and late antique epic and to submit research proposals to an upcoming conference series and edited volume. DICES (Digital Initiative for Classics: Epic Speeches) is currently in the process of developing a database on direct speeches in ancient and late antique epic with multi-year funding from the SSHRC. The establishment of the Epic Speeches Network complements this effort and advances the DICES initiative’s goal to stimulate and facilitate new research on the representation of direct speech in Graeco-Roman epic, with a particular emphasis on diachronicity and digital techniques.

The first product of our collaborative research efforts will be a peer-reviewed edited volume showcasing experimental digital methods and new possibilities for diachronic analysis of direct speech and related categories in the epic tradition. All members of the new network will be invited to work with a prototype version of the DICES database. This new digital resource comprises linked open data on all instances of direct speech in Greek and Latin epic from Homer to Late Antiquity. Links to code repositories and hands-on instructions will be provided and regularly updated on the project blog.

DICES will organise two successive workshops to increase the cohesion of the planned multi-author publication, facilitate cooperation between the participating authors, and to provide training and support for the use of the developed digital tools of the DICES database. The first workshop at the University of Rostock (Germany) will take place from 30 June to 2 July 2022. It will be used for the presentation of early ideas, forging collaboration, and demonstrations of digital tools and methods, while the second workshop, at Mount Allison University (Canada) in the summer of 2023 (dates: TBC), will be reserved for presentations of final drafts, troubleshooting, and brainstorming for future projects.

For more information about DICES, the Epic Speeches Network, the proposed volume, and a list of potential research questions see our website: www.epicspeeches.net/cfp.

The deadline for submission of manuscripts (articles of max. 8000 words per contribution, including footnotes, but excluding graphs, appendices, and bibliography; language of publication: English) for the proposed volume will likely be in the autumn of 2023, with the aim of publishing in 2024.

All colleagues interested in attending the first workshop are invited to submit a short CV (or link to a personal research profile) and a proposal (300–500 words) by 1 October 2021, specifying one or more topics or research questions they would be interested in tackling with the help of our data. If applicable, please also mention your previous experience with programming and digital tools and methods. Joint proposals, especially from teams combining a digital and linguistic/literary research focus, are most welcome.

Please submit the requested documents in docx- or pdf-format via e-mail to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!.

Simone Finkmann, Christopher Forstall, Berenice Verhelst
DICES Project Coordinators