Fantasy is for Everyone
Signum University invites you to join us on 6 September for Cascade Moot 2025. This hybrid event will take place at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. For our return to the Pacific Northwest, this year we cordially invite one and all with our theme, “Fantasy is for Everyone”.
Register Here for Cascade Moot
Price: $50.00 USD ( ~ $72 CAD) for in-person attendance, $25.00 USD ( ~ $36 CAD) for remote attendance
“Fantasy is for Everyone” celebrates the universal appeal and transformative power of fantasy literature, emphasizing its capacity to transcend boundaries of culture, identity, and experience while maintaining its accessibility to anyone who wishes to explore the genre. J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have long been foundational to the genre, offering a rich world that invite readers of all backgrounds and creeds to explore themes of courage, fellowship, and resilience. However, our theme also invites you to expand the conversation beyond Middle-earth, highlighting how fantasy as a genre has evolved to embrace inclusivity and diversity. From N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth trilogy, which centers marginalized voices and explores systemic oppression, to Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, which weaves South Asian mythology into its narrative, modern fantasy demonstrates that these stories are not confined to a single perspective or tradition. By examining Tolkien’s legacy alongside other genre works, Cascade Moot underscores how fantasy can serve as a bridge, fostering empathy and understanding across differences.
Inclusivity in fantasy is not merely a modern phenomenon but a growing recognition of the genre’s potential to reflect the richness of human experience. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, while rooted in European mythologies, has inspired countless creators to build worlds that reflect their own cultural heritage and lived realities. Franchises like Harry Potter, The Wheel of Time, and Avatar: The Last Airbender have expanded the genre’s reach, offering diverse characters and settings that resonate with global audiences. Cascade Moot invites both scholars and fans to explore how these narratives can run the spectrum between reinforcing traditional beliefs, challenging traditional norms, opening doors for underrepresented voices, and even accomplishing all these within the same creative endeavor. By celebrating the multiplicity of perspectives within fantasy, the conference reaffirms that these stories are not just escapism but a vital space for imagining a better world. The idea that fantasy, in all its forms, belongs to everyone, invites readers and creators alike to see themselves as part of its ever-expanding tapestry.
Schedule of Events (All Times Local to Vancouver – Pacific Daylight Time)
9:00 – 9:15am: Greetings and Welcome w/Corey Olsen
9:15 – 9:55am: Everyone Wants to Visit Hobbiton w/Michelle Quinn
9:55 – 10:35am: She Chose Her Fate: The Genderqueer Women of Tolkien and Freedom Beyond the Patriarchal Binary w/Leah Hagan
10:45 – 11:25am: Ranger of the North – A Documentary w/Stuart Miller
11:25am – 12:05pm: Peeling Back Labels and Escaping Through Tolkien: An Artist’s View w/Miriam Ellis
12:05 – 1:20pm: Lunch Break
1:20 – 2:00pm: See Yourself, Shape the Story: Crafting Inclusive Fantasy Through Video Games w/Adam Beaton
2:00 – 2:40pm: “But if of ships I now should sing”: Gender Discourse in the Female Music-Making of Tolkien’s Legendarium w/Adele Marsland
2:50 – 3:30pm: Reduce Reuse Recycle: Or, When the Author is Dead to You w/Nadia Schafer
3:30 – 4;10pm: Tolkien the Anti-Imperialist? Tar-Elmar and Tolkien’s Views on Colonialism in the Legendarium and the Primary World w/Graeme Cheadle
4:20 – 5:00pm: Ghosts in the Margins: Gender and Editorial Erasure in The Silmarillion’s Tale of Túrin w/Marguerite Lamy
5:00 – 5:40pm: Conan and Atlantis: The Story of a Fall in Fantasy w/Sam Lewis
5:40 – 5:50pm: Thank Yous and Goodbyes w/Corey Olsen
