Here’s our tentative schedule as it currently exists. All times are in Central Daylight Time (UTC-5). Send us any questions you may have.
8:30 Registration
9:00 Welcome by Sørina Higgins & the TexMoot Team
I. 9:10 Shawn E. Marchese & Alan Sisto: “For I also am a steward…”
II. 9:30 Utopia vs. Dystopia: A Difference of Priorities?
Panel moderated by Joseph Torres:
1. Joe Ricke, “Teach Us to Care and Not to Care: Attachments, Detachment, and Penultimate Concerns in Out of the Silent Planet”
2. Jules Anderson, “The Death of Pan: Exploring Environmental Conservation in Percy Jackson and The Olympians”
3. Jason Pitruzzello, “Pro-Environmental Strip Mining and Genocide: The Curious Case of Aquatic Species in Stellaris: Aquatics
Open discussion for all:
Paul Fortunato starts off the conversation with “A Wendell Berry Approach to Understanding the Elves and Nature?”
III. 11:00 Ecological Care in Japanese Mythologies
Panel moderated by Shawn E. Marchese:
1. Hannah Barton, “The Weathering is Magical: The Mundane Moments in Climate Change”
2. Pilar Barrera Wey, “The Role of Animals in Traditional Japanese Fairy Tales”
3. Joshua Sosa, “Godzilla: From Allegory to Myth”
Open discussion for all:
Jed Bickman starts off the conversation with “Is Cyclonopedia Useful? Sentient Oil as an Autonomous Chemical Weapon”
Lunch
Gather in little groups to walk to nearby restaurants and grab some refreshment.
IV. 2:00 Gardeners of the Galaxies
Dr. Brenton Dickieson & Dr. Sørina Higgins chat about their forthcoming edited collection on how imaginary worlds teach us to care for this one. You know you want to submit a proposal! Check out https://tinyurl.com/GalaxyGardenersCFP.
V. 3:00 Samwise & Shapeshifters & Stewards
Panel moderated by Chad Bornholdt:
Kenton Sena, “Community Greening in The Lord of the Rings: Samwise Gamgee and the power of local care”
Kaelyn Harris, “The Balance of Nature: Beorn as an Ecological Ideal in Middle-earth”
Sara Brown, “Taking Care of the Land: Stewardship in Tolkien’s Middle-earth”
Open discussion for all:
Sarah Vogt starts off the conversation with “To Restore or Not to Restore: That is the Question”
VI. 4:30 The Tolkien Professor Takes Us To Other Worlds & Back Again
Dr. Corey Olsen provides closing observations on the talks and themes of the day, moderated by Sørina Higgins.
VII. 5:00 Zoom In
Team Members and Special Guests (Brenton Dickieson, Corey Olsen, and Alan Sisto) will all be on Zoom to give offsite attendees a chance to hang out with them. And then, vámonos!
VIII. 6:30 Dinner
Vámonos Tex-Mex
4807 Airport Boulevard
Austin, TX 78751