Schedule

2026 Annual Conference | Nov 12, 10:00 AM PST – Nov 14, 11:00 PM PST Embassy Suites, Portland Downtown, 319 SW Pine St, Portland, OR 97204, USA

Thu, Nov 12

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
1.1 Workshop Playing with Patterns in Cooperative Culture - What Works Well?
Marshall Joffre
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
1.2 Questions of Temporality and the Human
Roy Yates
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
1.3 Learning with Indigenous Communities: Activism and Thought
Chief Poker Jim
2:45 PM - 2:46 PM
1 minute
2.2 Understanding Utopias and Dystopias with Metamodern Theory
Roy Yates
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
2.1 The Arts and the Utopian Imagination
Marshall Joffre
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
2.3 The Queer Art of Survival
Chief Poker Jim
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
3.1 Envisioning Germany and Its Elsewheres
Marshall Joffre
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
3.2 Anxious Americana
Roy Yates
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
3.3 Seeking Queer Freedom
Chief Poker Jim
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
3 hours
Reception
Queen Marie Ballroom

Fri, Nov 13

8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
45 minutes
Graduate Student and Early Career Mentoring Session
Eric Hauser
8:30 AM - 1:15 PM
4 hours 45 minutes
Registration
Queen Mezzanine
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
4.1 Slavery and Utopia/Dystopia in U.S. Literature
Marshall Joffre
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
4.2 Contemporary Russian Dystopian Literature
Roy Yates
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
4.3 Too Many Evenings: Utopia Against Immediacy
Chief Poker Jim
10:00 AM - 1:15 PM
3 hours 15 minutes
Exhibit of Creative Works: Inclusive Green Spaces, Portland and Beyond
Queen Marie Ballroom/Anteroom
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
5.1 Workshop Real Utopias for Real Educational Problems DAY 1
Marshall Joffre
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
5.2 Dialectics of Utopia and Dystopia in Popular Culture
Roy Yates
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
5.3 Considerations on Personhood in Academia and the Law
Chief Poker Jim
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
5.4 Utopian/Dystopian Feminisms and Genders
Eric Hauser
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
1 hour 15 minutes
Lunch on your own
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
6.1 Thinking with Le Guin Part 1 (see also Panel 12.3)
Marshall Joffre
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
6.2 South Asian Lives and Futures
Roy Yates
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
6.3 Workshop Publisning in Utopian Studies
Chief Poker Jim
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
6.4 Afrofuturisms and Black Speculative Cultures
Eric Hauser
3:14 PM - 4:45 PM
1 hour 31 minutes
7.3 Disability Studies and Crip Critique
Chief Poker Jim
3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
7.1 Workshop Error as Method: Moving Between Utopias and Dystopias
Marshall Joffre
3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
7.2 Roundtable sponsored by Center for the Study of Women in Society “Feminist Futures”
Roy Yates
3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
7.4 Televisual (Im)possibilities
Eric Hauser
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
8.1 Special Tribute Panel (audience invited to share remembrances) In Memoriam Merritt "Mickey" Abrash, SUS Co-founder
Marshall Joffre
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
8.2 Challenges in Pedagogy
Roy Yates
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
8.3 (Trans)feminist Spaces
Chief Poker Jim
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
8.4 Creating New Worlds in Podcasts
Eric Hauser
6:30 PM - 7:45 PM
1 hour 15 minutes
Friday Keynote: Alex Zamalin, “Afrofuturism as Political Theory”
Queen Marie Ballroom
7:45 PM - 8:45 PM
1 hour
Dinner on your own

Sat, Nov 14

8:15 AM - 8:50 AM
35 minutes
Graduate Student and Early Career Mentoring Session
Eric Hauser
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
2 hours
Registration
Queen Mezzanine
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
9.1 Visual Narratives of Utopia and Dystopia in Times of Crisis
Marshall Joffre
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
9.2 Soldiering, Militarism, and War
Roy Yates
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
9.3 Queering Family and Patriarchal Rituals
Chief Poker Jim
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1 hour 30 minutes
9.4 Perspectives on Healing, Care, and Disability Studies
Eric Hauser
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
10.1 Workshop Real Utopias for Real Educational Problems DAY 2
Marshall Joffre
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
10.2 How We Get from the Present to the Future
Roy Yates
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
10.3 Utopia and Dystopia in Video Games
Chief Poker Jim
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
10.4 (Un)intentional Communities and Their Discontents
Eric Hauser
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
1 hour 15 minutes
Catered Lunch and SUS Business Meeting
Queen Marie Ballroom
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
11.1 Listening for Utopia: Music and the Construction of a Better World
Marshall Joffre
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
11.2 Reimagining Communities
Roy Yates
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
1 hour 30 minutes
11.3 Workshop Zine Presentation
Chief Poker Jim
3:45 PM - 5:30 PM
1 hour 45 minutes
12.1 Contesting Utopia: Workers’ Paradise and its Discontents
Marshall Joffre
3:45 PM - 5:30 PM
1 hour 45 minutes
12.2 Fear, Phronesis, Care: Pathways for Utopian Transformation
Roy Yates
3:45 PM - 5:30 PM
1 hour 45 minutes
12.3 Thinking with Le Guin Part 2 (see also Panel 6.1)
Chief Poker Jim
3:45 PM - 5:30 PM
1 hour 45 minutes
12.4 Techno-fascism and Rightwing Utopias
Eric Hauser
6:30 PM - 7:45 PM
1 hour 15 minutes
Saturday Keynote: Tavia Nyong’o, “Radiotopias: The musical context for afrofuturism in 1970s Detroit”
Queen Marie Ballroom

Society for Utopian Studies

Schedule

Thu, Nov 12

1.1 Workshop Playing with Patterns in Cooperative Culture - What Works Well?

1.2 Questions of Temporality and the Human

1.3 Learning with Indigenous Communities: Activism and Thought

2.2 Understanding Utopias and Dystopias with Metamodern Theory

2.1 The Arts and the Utopian Imagination

2.3 The Queer Art of Survival

3.1 Envisioning Germany and Its Elsewheres

3.2 Anxious Americana

3.3 Seeking Queer Freedom

Reception

Fri, Nov 13

Graduate Student and Early Career Mentoring Session

Registration

4.1 Slavery and Utopia/Dystopia in U.S. Literature

4.2 Contemporary Russian Dystopian Literature

4.3 Too Many Evenings: Utopia Against Immediacy

Exhibit of Creative Works: Inclusive Green Spaces, Portland and Beyond

5.1 Workshop Real Utopias for Real Educational Problems DAY 1

5.2 Dialectics of Utopia and Dystopia in Popular Culture

5.3 Considerations on Personhood in Academia and the Law

5.4 Utopian/Dystopian Feminisms and Genders

Lunch on your own

6.1 Thinking with Le Guin Part 1 (see also Panel 12.3)

6.2 South Asian Lives and Futures

6.3 Workshop Publisning in Utopian Studies

6.4 Afrofuturisms and Black Speculative Cultures

7.3 Disability Studies and Crip Critique

7.1 Workshop Error as Method: Moving Between Utopias and Dystopias

7.2 Roundtable sponsored by Center for the Study of Women in Society “Feminist Futures”

7.4 Televisual (Im)possibilities

8.1 Special Tribute Panel (audience invited to share remembrances) In Memoriam Merritt "Mickey" Abrash, SUS Co-founder

8.2 Challenges in Pedagogy

8.3 (Trans)feminist Spaces

8.4 Creating New Worlds in Podcasts

Friday Keynote: Alex Zamalin, “Afrofuturism as Political Theory”

Dinner on your own

Sat, Nov 14

Graduate Student and Early Career Mentoring Session

Registration

9.1 Visual Narratives of Utopia and Dystopia in Times of Crisis

9.2 Soldiering, Militarism, and War

9.3 Queering Family and Patriarchal Rituals

9.4 Perspectives on Healing, Care, and Disability Studies

10.1 Workshop Real Utopias for Real Educational Problems DAY 2

10.2 How We Get from the Present to the Future

10.3 Utopia and Dystopia in Video Games

10.4 (Un)intentional Communities and Their Discontents

Catered Lunch and SUS Business Meeting

11.1 Listening for Utopia: Music and the Construction of a Better World

11.2 Reimagining Communities

11.3 Workshop Zine Presentation

12.1 Contesting Utopia: Workers’ Paradise and its Discontents

12.2 Fear, Phronesis, Care: Pathways for Utopian Transformation

12.3 Thinking with Le Guin Part 2 (see also Panel 6.1)

12.4 Techno-fascism and Rightwing Utopias

Saturday Keynote: Tavia Nyong’o, “Radiotopias: The musical context for afrofuturism in 1970s Detroit”

Society for
Utopian Studies