The U2 Conference and the U2 Studies Network were created by Dr. Scott Calhoun.
Scott Calhoun created and directs The U2 Conference (U2conference.com), an international gathering of scholars, fans, and those working in the media industry. He has edited three volumes of critical essays about U2, Exploring U2: Is This Rock and Roll? (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011), U2 Above, Across, and Beyond: Interdisciplinary Assessments (Lexington Press, 2014), and U2 and the Religious Impulse: Take Me Higher (Bloomsbury, 2018). He also edited the Tempo Series of books on rock, pop, and culture for Rowman & Littlefield. He is a staff writer for @U2 (atu2.com) and a curator for “U2: Made in Dublin,” a permanent exhibit at The Little Museum of Dublin.
He is a Professor of English at Cedarville University, Ohio, where he teaches courses in literature, writing, and literary analysis. His teaching and scholarly interests center around how the imagination, the numinous, enchantment and myth figure in the inner life, identity formation, and cultural engagement. His Ph.D. in English is from Bowling Green State University, Ohio.
The U2 Conference has met four times to date:
- 2019, in Sydney, Australia, in partnership with the Australia National University School of Music and Studios 301
- 2018, at Queen’s University with The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, and at the Ulster National Museum, Belfast, UK
- 2013, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, Ohio
- 2009, at North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina
Calhoun edited U2 and the Religious Impulse: Take Me Higher (Bloomsbury, 2018) and wrote the Introduction, “U2’s Sacrament of Sound,” for this collection of new, contributed essays on the religious call-and-response dynamic between U2 and its fans.
He also edited and contributed to two other books of essays, collected from previous U2 Conference meetings:
- Exploring U2: Is This Rock ‘n Roll? (Roman & Littlefield, 2011, 2014)
- U2 Above, Across, and Beyond: Interdisciplinary Assessments. Co-edited with Christopher Endrinal. (Roman & Littlefield, 2014, 2015)
He welcomes the opportunity to connect with you about U2 and discuss the band’s music, work, and influence, or talk about other mutual interests.
Scott Calhoun maintains
the U2 Studies Bibliography page.
Scott Calhoun is a curator for
U2: Made in Dublin at The Little Museum of Dublin.
His writings for @U2 include:
Reporting, Reviews and Opinion:
- Bono Writes About Being Exposed For New Book On The Psalms, reporting (March 10, 2020)
- Bono’s Support for PEPFAR Helped Save 27 Million Lives. Photos Emerge From 2002 ‘Nashville Summit’ With Contemporary Christian Musicians, reporting (Feb. 6, 2020)
- Bono Boards Zipline To Bend The Universe Toward Justice, reporting (Sept. 12, 2019)
- James Henke, Rock Critic Who Called U2 “The Next Big Thing,” Has Died. Rolling Stone Editor, Curator for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a U2 Fan from Beginning to End, obituary (July 9, 2019).
- U2 Goes Across the Threshold with Bespoke Pop Art, analysis (May 8, 2018).
- U2 and the Limits of Fundamentalism, Part One & Part Two, commentary (March 13, 15, 2018).
- The Shadow Man Cometh: Flannery O’Connor’s Influence on U2’s The Joshua Tree, analysis essay (Sept. 12, 2017).
- Behind the Scenes: More From Bono & Friends On The Psalms, reporting and opinion (May 13, 2016).
- Bono Brings a Bit Of Finglas to Flathead Lake in New Film about the Psalms, reporting (May 19, 2016).
- Rare Recording Featuring Three-Fourths of U2 For Sale, reporting (July 3, 2006).
- U2 Says They Prefer Vision CD from 1981 Not Be Sold, reporting (Nov.25, 2006).
- U2: Revolution, book review (Dec. 16, 2014).
- U2: The Definitive Biography, book review (Nov. 20, 2014).
- The Spirituality of Bono, book review (July 4, 2014).
- Andrea Morandi’s Lavoro D’Amore, reporting and review (Feb. 22, 2010).
Interviews:
- David Bentley Hart, philosopher, scholar of religion and cultural critic, for “Stealing David Bentley Hart’s Wisdom for U2’s Travelling Show,” (Aug. 6, 2018).
- Steve Lillywhite, Grammy-winning producer (June 16, 2011).
- Flood, Grammy-winning producer (July 26, 2013).
- Anthony DeCurtis, Grammy-winning writer, contributor to Rolling Stone (Nov. 27, 2007).
- Bill Flanagan, EVP/Editorial Director of MTV Networks, contributor to Rolling Stone, author of U2 at the End of the World and other books, and contributor to CBS’ “Sunday Morning” (Nov. 26, 2011).
- Jim Henke, former VP of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and former Music Editor for Rolling Stone (March 1, 2008).
- Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, pastor, and author of many books (Feb. 9, 2006).
Scott Calhoun was the series editor for Rowman & Littlefield’s Tempo
books on rock, pop, and culture. The series ran from 2011 to 2019.
His academic vita is available here.
His Ph.D. is in English, with a specialization in Rhetoric and Composition, from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).
His research and teaching interests include:
- U2’s music, work, and influence
- The imagination, the numinous, mythmaking and enchantment
- The products of culture, cultural engagement and fandom
- Rhetorical, literary and narrative theories
- The literature and thought of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien
He lives in Xenia, Ohio, USA, with his wife and children.
Please reach him through the contact form.