Essex County College to Host Humanities Spring Conference

The Humanities Division at Essex County College will host its 2015 Conference – Speculative Humanities: Steampunk to Afrofuturism – March 11-12. The conference will feature a special emphasis on the life, legacy, and influence of the late science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler. The conference, featuring panelist from Essex County College will be held in Smith Hall at the Newark campus from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 11th and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 12.

“Our conference events have a wide appeal for students and faculty,” said Assistant Professor English Rebecca Williams, co-chair of the program. Open to all humanities disciplines, the conference will feature papers, panel presentations, screenings and performances of works that can be included in the broad category of speculative humanities, she added.

Papers encompassing all facets of the speculative humanities topics have been submitted from all over the country as well as two from Italian educators.

The entire Essex County College community and the public are invited to attend all events.  The panel discussions will feature Essex County College faculty covering a wide spectrum of science fiction and social topics aligning with the overall theme of the conference.

Professor Williams said that next February marks the 10^th anniversary of the untimely death of Ms. Butler, the author of such classics as Fledgling, Lilith’s Brood and Kindred and the winner of a Hugo Award for her silence fiction writing. Members of the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network and the Butler Archives will participate in the conference via Skype. “We’re dedicating this program to her memory.”