Starships, Stewards, and Storytellers:
How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One
Big hearts, big hats, big love of great literature! Whether you are attending in person or on line, you will be welcome at TexMoot.
Here is the time in Austin, Texas!
Signum University is pleased to announce its fifth annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium (aka “TexMoot”) on Saturday, March 26thth, 2022, in Austin, Texas. TexMoot will offer a gleeful gallimaufry of lively curated conversations, a keynote presentation, workshops, and lots of fellowship and social time. Plan ahead to enjoy this balanced blend of academic rigor and avid literary fandom. Stay tuned for more information about special guests, optional pre-conference activities, workshop participation, and more. We request that on-site attendees please wear masks while inside the venue.
From ecological concerns to social commentary, science fiction and fantasy offer readers a mirror through which to view our own world. For example, the struggles of a terraforming planet may remind us how precious and fragile is the one we live on. The real-world conflict between nature and technology comes to life on the page when trees march to war. We may find insights into how to interact with people around us by spending time with characters in a fellowship—or on a starship.
At TexMoot 2022, you will explore questions like: How do we relate to the Other—the “monsters” and “aliens” beyond the bulkhead door? What roles can technology play in preserving nature or reinforcing what makes us human? Do humans change the nonhuman environment, or are they inevitably changed by it? Is there really a clear line between the human and the nonhuman, anyway? And whose responsibility is it to preserve “civilization” and transmit its legacy to future generations?
TexMoot 2022 will also investigate the ways authors convey these commentaries. What literary techniques best serve the message; at what point does a work cross the line into propaganda? When does the message serve the story, and when does the story serve the message?
Email [email protected] with questions.
Location has been secured here at the Norris Conference Center!
Registration for TexMoot 2022 will cost $50 for on-site participants, $25 for online attendees.
TexMoot will run from 9am to 5-ish pm in Central Daylight Saving time. The time showing for you is probably correct in your time zone. Shout-out to remote attenders!
(registration closes at the end of the business day the night before)