About the 2026 Spring Symposium
App State's Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (DLLC) is pleased to announce their 2026 Spring Symposium to be held on March 25-26, 2026. The Symposium is free and open to the public.
The theme of the 2026 Symposium is "Eco-logics: Reading and Writing Environmental Change."
As we navigate an era defined by rapid climatic shifts and ecological precarity, the ways in which we narrate, translate, and archive our relationship with the Earth have never been more critical. This campus-wide symposium seeks to explore the "logics" of ecology — the underlying structures of thought, language, and culture that shape our environmental realities. We aim to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue that moves beyond data to examine the stories we tell about the planet’s past, present, and speculative futures.
Tentative Schedule
The schedule below is tentative — view the most current schedule. All events will be held in Plemmons Student Union 417 (Beacon Heights).
Tuesday, March 24
The Spring Symposium will kick off with the DLLC International Speaker Series: “The Topographic Imaginary: Art and the Environs of Greater Paris” with Dr. Ari Blatt from 5:00 - 7:30 PM.
For details, see the DLLC International Speaker Series page.
Wednesday, March 25
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Student Panel - “Language, Identity, and Belonging in the Comunidad Latina”
Moderator: TBA
- Judah Bawcombe: “Language Accessibility for Spanish-Speaking Residents of Watauga County, NC”
- Vivian De Los Santos: “The Spanish Language and its Importance to the Latin-American Community”
- Talia Debenedette: “Family Separation and Deportation in the United States”
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Panel - “Harvesting Harm: Colonial Logics and the Commodification of Nature”
Moderator: Dr. Kinji Ito
- Dr. Stephanie Tsakeu Mazan: “Post-colonial Lands, Colonial Logic, Global Poisoning: Toxic Tropics, a Horror Story of Environmental Injustice”
- Dr. Jewel Parker: “Calvin J. Cowles, Medicinal Roots, and Overharvesting Botanical Remedies in the Long Nineteenth Century”
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Poetry Readings and Presentations - “Voicing Beyond the Human”
Moderator: Dr. Tonya Nagle
- Dr. Kathryn Kirkpatrick: “Bodying Forth: Poems About Other Animals”
- Dr. Benito del Pliego: “Fabula mundi: Poetic Voices for All Beings”
Thursday, March 26
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Panel - “Narratives of Migration and Workers’ Health”
Moderator: Dr. Yunuen Gómez-Ocampo
- Dr. Donna Bonner: “Navigating Life Journeys through Changing Environments: Two Stories of Migration”
- Dr. Adrienne Erazo: “What Contemporary Narrative Reveals about U.S.- Latine Workers’ Health”
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Panel - “From Climate Policy to Ecological Consciousness”
Moderator: Dr. Christoph Schmitz
- Katharina Smith: “Green Solution: Germany’s Energy Crisis and the Future of Climate Policy”
- Dr. Kevin Kennedy: “Listening to the Land: Ecological Consciousness, Identity, and Moral Order in Anthony Winkler's The Lunatic”
Call for Proposals
The submission deadline for presentation proposals was Sunday, March 1. All submissions will be reviewed by the members of our Events Committee, with notifications of acceptance to be sent by Sunday, March 8.
We welcome proposals for presentations from faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and members of the local community. Topics of interest for this year's symposium include (but are not limited to):
- Climate Fiction
- Digital Ecologies & The Screened Wilderness
- Eco-refugees & Eco-migrations
- Ecocriticism
- Endangered Languages & Cultures
- Environmental Justice & Marginalized Voices
- Environmental Movements
- Local Ecologies
- Nature as Character
- Post-Apocalyptic Narratives
- The Poetics of Loss
We also welcome diverse topics in the domains of the humanities and pedagogy, preferably with a focus on world language, literature, and culture.
Please, submit proposal for presentation including, but not limited to, the following formats:
Joint Presentations Exploring Collaboration between Faculty and Students and/or the University and the Community
Pedagogical Demonstrations
Presentations of Academic Research In-Progress
Presentations of Academic Papers
Presentations of Original Art or Creative Writing
Reflections on Teaching and/or Learning Experiences
Roundtable Presentations around a Specific Theme
Depending on the type of presentation, symposium presentations can range between 15–30 mins.
Submissions should include:
- Presenter’s information (contact information and relationship to university (faculty/student department, etc.)
- Clear denotation of the type of presentation to be given and time needed (15–30 mins).
- A title and 200-word abstract.
Please submit proposals via email and direct any question pertaining to format to Dr. Benito del Pliego (delpliegob@appstate.edu).