"The Silver Thread" - Performance Tonight at 7:00 PM

The final night of our conference begins with a special evening reception in the Art Gallery from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, sponsored by Dr. Stephanie A. Steplight Johnson, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Affairs. Guests are encouraged to view "The Exquisite Corpse," the student art exhibit. Prof. Anna Muniz will be on hand to speak about the exhibit, and the student artists will also be present. 

Doors open at 6:30 pm for the closing event of our conference, "The Silver Thread." Guests will convene in the Mary B. Burch Theater for the Performing Arts for special staged reading of Joslyn Housley-McLaughlin's award-winning play will be performed by the New York City-based Liberation Theatre Company.

There will be a 30-minute talk-back with the actors after the performance.

Panel Sessions: Wednesday and Thursday - J. Harry Smith Hall, 2nd Floor

Wednesday, March 11 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day One of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:25 pm, and 3:50 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Wednesday, March 11 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Student Life and Activities Office. 

Thursday, March 12 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 

"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day Two of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, and 1:00 pm to coincide with class meeting times.

Thursday, March 12 - Luncheon Reception - Africana Institute, 2nd Floor - 2:30 - 3:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Community College Humanities Association.

Ganja and Hess: Tuesday, March 10 at 6:45 PM - Siegler Hall

The conference will kick off Tuesday, March 10, at 6:45 pm, with the special pre-conference screening of the original version of the classic vampire film, Ganja and Hess (starring Duane Jones, of Night of the Living Dead fame and Marlene Clark), sponsored by the Micheaux/Washington Black Film Series at Essex County College. The film will be shown in Siegler Hall (2nd Floor), and will be introduced by Prof. Tracee Thomas, who teaches The History of African American Cinema (CIN 103) at the College.

Director Bill Gunn

Although released in 1973 during the "blaxploitation" era of American cinema, director Bill Gunn transgressed cinematic horror conventions by producing a complicated, richly textured work of art that infuses African spiritual practices, Western philosophical ideas, and familiar images of vampires and blood into an intricate film that is now regarded as classic American post-modernism. Director Spike Lee's remake of Ganja and Hess was recently released as Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. The screening is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 pm. 

"The Exquisite Corpse" Student Art Exhibit: Through Friday, March 13

Tuesday, March 10 through Friday, March 13 -  Student Art Exhibit - 2nd Floor Art Gallery
"The Exquisite Corpse," based on the work of students in Prof. Anna Muniz's Drawing I (Art 107) class. Prof. Muniz will be discussing the project at the Creative Roundtable, scheduled for 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 12 in Smith Lecture Hall. Guests are encouraged to view the exhibit in advance of the talk. 

Prof. Anna Muniz will be on hand to speak about the exhibit at the Thursday, March 12 evening reception, and the student artists will also be present.

Celebrate Humanities Week at Essex County College!

From March 10-13, 2015, the Humanities Division at Essex County College will host a celebration of Humanities Week, centered around our Spring 2015 Conference, "Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." All events are free and open to the public. Below is a listing of the week's activities. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule, and click HERE to read the biographies and abstracts provided by this year's participants. All events are listed below. 

Tuesday, March 10 through Friday, March 13 - Red Area - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Week-long Humanities Division Open House, with information on the division's program offerings.

Tuesday, March 10 through Friday, March 13 -  Student Art Exhibit - 2nd Floor Art Gallery
"The Exquisite Corpse," based on the work of students in Prof. Anna Muniz's Drawing I (Art 107) class. Prof. Muniz will be discussing the project at the Creative Roundtable, scheduled for 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 12 in Smith Lecture Hall.

Tuesday, March 10 - Siegler Hall - 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm

Special pre-conference screening of the original version of the classic vampire film, Ganja and Hess (starring Duane Jones, of Night of the Living Dead fame), sponsored by the Micheaux/Washington Black Film Series at Essex County College. Although released in 1973, during the "blaxploitation" era of American cinema, director Bill Gunn transgressed cinematic horror conventions by producing a complicated, richly textured work of art that infuses African spiritual practices, Western philosophical ideas, and familiar images of vampires and blood into an intricate film that is now regarded as classic American post-modernism. 

Wednesday, March 11 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day One of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:25 pm, and 3:50 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Wednesday, March 11 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Student Life and Activities Office. 

Thursday, March 12 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 

"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day Two of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, and 1:00 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Thursday, March 12 - Luncheon Reception - Africana Institute, 2nd Floor - 2:30 - 3:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Community College Humanities Association.

Thursday, March 12 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by Dr. Stephanie A. Steplight Johnson, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer.

 Thursday, March 12 - "The Silver Thread," by Joslyn Housley-McLaughlin - Mary B. Burch Theater for the Performing Arts - 7:00 - 9:00 pm 

This special staged reading of Housley-McLaughlin's award-winning play will be performed by the New York City-based Liberation Theatre Company.

 

 

Thursday, March 12 - "The Silver Thread" - Free & Open to the Public

Spring Humanities Conference Events

During the week of March 10-13, 2015, the Humanities Division at Essex County College will host a five-day celebration of Humanities Week, centered around our Spring 2015 Conference, "Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism" All events are free and open to the public. Below is a listing of the week's activities. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule, and click HERE to read the biographies and abstracts provided by this year's participants.

Monday, March 10 through Friday, March 13 - Red Area - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Week-long Humanities Division Open House, with information on the division's program offerings.

Tuesday, March 10 through Friday, March 13 -  Student Art Exhibit - 2nd Floor Art Gallery
"The Exquisite Corpse," based on the work of students in Prof. Anna Muniz's Drawing I (Art 107) class. Prof. Muniz will be discussing the project at the Creative Roundtable, scheduled for 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 12 in Smith Lecture Hall.

Tuesday, March 10 - Siegler Hall - 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm

Special pre-conference screening of the original version of the classic vampire film, Ganja and Hess (starring Duane Jones, of Night of the Living Dead fame), sponsored by the Micheaux/Washington Black Film Series at Essex County College. Although released in 1973, during the "blaxploitation" era of American cinema, director Bill Gunn transgressed cinematic horror conventions by producing a complicated, richly textured work of art that infuses African spiritual practices, Western philosophical ideas, and familiar images of vampires and blood into an intricate film that is now regarded as classic American post-modernism.

Wednesday, March 11 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day One of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:25 pm, and 3:50 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Wednesday, March 11 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Student Life and Activities Office. 

Thursday, March 12 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 

"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day Two of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, and 1:00 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Thursday, March 12 - Luncheon Reception - Africana Institute, 2nd Floor - 2:30 - 3:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Community College Humanities Association.

Thursday, March 12 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by Dr. Stephanie A. Steplight Johnson, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Affairs. 

Thursday, March 12 - "The Silver Thread," by Joslyn Housley-McLaughlin - Mary B. Burch Theater for the Performing Arts - 7:00 - 9:00 pm 

This special staged reading of Housley-McLaughlin's award-winning play will be performed by the New York City-based Liberation Theatre Company.

Pianist Richard Alston, Associate Professor of Music at Essex County College, will open the evening with a special performance of Franz Liszt's "The Mephisto Waltz." There will be a 30-minute talk-back with the actors after the performance.

Humanities Week (March 9-13) Events

During the week of March 10-13, 2015, the Humanities Division at Essex County College will host a five-day celebration of Humanities Week, centered around our Spring 2015 Conference, "Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism" All events are free and open to the public. Below is a listing of the week's activities. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule, and click HERE to read the biographies and abstracts provided by this year's participants.

Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 13 - Red Area - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Week-long Humanities Division Open House, with information on the division's program offerings.

Tuesday, March 10 through Friday, March 13 -  Student Art Exhibit - 2nd Floor Art Gallery
"The Exquisite Corpse," based on the work of students in Prof. Anna Muniz's Drawing I (Art 107) class. Prof. Muniz will be discussing the project at the Creative Roundtable, scheduled for 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 12 in Smith Lecture Hall.

Tuesday, March 10 - Siegler Hall - 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm

Special pre-conference screening of the original version of the classic vampire film, Ganja and Hess (starring Duane Jones, of Night of the Living Dead fame), sponsored by the Micheaux/Washington Black Film Series at Essex County College. Although released in 1973, during the "blaxploitation" era of American cinema, director Bill Gunn transgressed cinematic horror conventions by producing a complicated, richly textured work of art that infuses African spiritual practices, Western philosophical ideas, and familiar images of vampires and blood into an intricate film that is now regarded as classic American post-modernism.

Wednesday, March 11 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day One of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:25 pm, and 3:50 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Wednesday, March 11 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Student Life and Activities Office. 

Thursday, March 12 - Smith Hall - 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 

"Speculations: Steampunk to Afrofuturism." Day Two of the conference will feature panel sessions at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, and 1:00 pm to coincide with class meeting times. Click HERE for the complete conference program schedule. 

Thursday, March 12 - Luncheon Reception - Africana Institute, 2nd Floor - 2:30 - 3:30 pm 

Sponsored by the Community College Humanities Association.

Thursday, March 12 - Evening Reception - Art Gallery, 2nd Floor - 5:30 - 6:30 pm 

Sponsored by Dr. Stephanie A. Steplight Johnson, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Affairs.
 

 Thursday, March 12 - "The Silver Thread," by Joslyn Housley-McLaughlin - Mary B. Burch Theater for the Performing Arts - 7:00 - 9:00 pm 

This special staged reading of Housley-McLaughlin's award-winning play will be performed by the New York City-based Liberation Theatre Company. Pianist Richard Alston, Associate Professor of Music at Essex County College, will open the evening with a special performance of Franz Liszt's "The Mephisto Waltz." There will be a 30-minute talk-back with the actors after the performance.

Latest Conference Updates 1/31

We want to thank everyone who submitted abstracts and proposals for the 2015 Humanities Conference, "Speculative Humanities: Steampunk to Afrofuturism," scheduled for March 11-12, 2015. Many outstanding proposals came in from all over the country as well as overseas, and we have made notifications to those individuals whose abstracts have been accepted.

We are extremely excited by the number of proposals that focus on the works, legacy, and influence of the late, great science fiction writer, Octavia E. Butler. Ayana E. Jamieson, founder of the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network, and Natalie Russell, project curator of the Butler Archives (housed at The Huntington Library in California), are scheduled to participate via Skype. We will be posting the conference schedule later this week, along with recommended readings, related links, and biographies of our conference participants.

In addition to the daytime panels scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 12, there will be a special presentation of playwright Joslyn Housley-McLaughlin's "The Silver Thread," performed by the New York City-based Liberation Theatre Company on Thursday evening at 7:00 pm in the Mary Burch Theater. This performance, which is being co-sponsored by the Student Life and Activities Office, is free and open to the public, and will feature a "talk-back" session with the actors after the show. Please contact this year's conference co-chairs, Prof. Jennifer Wager (jwager@essex.edu) and/or Prof. Rebecca Williams (wrebecca@essex.edu) for more information.




 

2015 Conference: Abstracts due Sunday, January 18, 2015

Octavia E. Butler, 1947-2006

The submission deadline for panel and individual presentation abstracts for the 2015 Humanities Conference is Sunday, January 18, 2015. Please email abstracts (250-300 words) to both of the conference co-chairs: Prof. Jennifer Wager (jwager@essex.edu) and Prof. Rebecca Williams (wrebecca@essex.edu) by Sunday, January 18, 2015.

Call For Papers
On March 11-12, 2015, the Humanities Division at Essex County College will host its Spring 2015 Conference, “Speculative Humanities: Steampunk to Afrofuturism.” This two-day conference offers space for writers, musicians, artists, and academicians to explore, expand upon, and rethink the implications of speculative humanities. This year's conference will feature a special emphasis on the life, work, and influence of Octavia E. Butler.

Speculative humanities encompasses a diverse array of works, from the  18th century mysticism of Swedenborg to the 20th century spiritual teachings of Gurdjieff, along with the 19th century texts of authors such as Mary Shelley, Samuel Butler, and Jules Verne to the 20th and 21st century works of H.G. Wells, Octavia E. Butler, Margaret Atwood, Samuel Delany, Cormac McCarthy, and L.A. Banks. The revolutionary wave sweeping across Europe during the 19th century along with the publication of texts such as The Communist Manifesto influenced generations of writers to produce works featuring both urban utopias and dystopian metropolises. Historical and fictional texts include post-apocalyptic narratives, invasion literature, steampunk, Afrofuturism, fantasy, fan fiction, fabulist, anime, horror, and what was once categorized as science fiction. 

Von Holst illustration from 1831 edition of Frankenstein.

Open to all humanities disciplines--literature, music, history, religion, philosophy, art, architecture, theater, dance, and media--we invite papers, panel presentations, screenings, and performances of works that can be included in the admittedly broad category of “speculative humanities.” We welcome interactive, unorthodox panels, screenings, exhibits, musical performances, and other presentations related to our central theme. Papers on the works of Octavia E. Butler are especially encouraged for submission.

Please email (abstracts of 250-300 words) for panels and individual presentations to both of the conference co-chairs: Prof. Jennifer Wager (jwager@essex.edu) and Prof. Rebecca Williams (wrebecca@essex.edu) by Sunday, January 16, 2015.