OMS 5 - Online Mythopoeic Seminar 2027

ONLINE MYTHOPOEIC SEMINAR 2027
Exploring Imaginary Worlds: Engaging with Myth and Fantasy

Co-chairs: Hayden Bilbrey, Atiyana Ringling, and Gregory Fields

Humans interact with fantasy and myth in many meaningful ways. These narratives can be cultural barometers and community makers. From the cognitive value of reading to the games we play, fantasy’s influence is growing and expanding. There are now more ways than ever to interact with fantasy and myth: text, screen narratives, video games, tabletop games, and more. All these modes are influencing the genre and one another, changing the landscape of fantasy studies.

We invite submissions for an online conference that focuses on the ways we interact with fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, or other mythopoeic work. How people interact with the fantastic, its significance, and impacts on individuals and culture is the primary concern of this seminar. This is purposefully a broad topic with the unifying theme of interactivity. This might be interpreted in the form of presentations on the reading process itself, fandom studies, tabletop studies, video game studies, pedagogical gamification, and other similar modes of academic discourse.

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GUESTS OF HONOR: to be announced

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About the co-chairs:

Hayden Bilbrey is a doctoral student in literature at Oklahoma State University. His research focuses on Tolkien, myth, and adaptation. He has recently presented papers on the eucatastrophe in Middle-earth and Tolkien’s literary network. He is currently preparing his dissertation. This semester he is teaching fantasy modules through the online university, Signum, tutors writing at Oklahoma City Community College, and teaches online Composition II for Redlands Community College.

Atiyana Ringling (she/they) is currently a master’s student of Literature at the City College of New York, CUNY. Her research focuses on sci-fi, fantasy, and Tolkien. She recently presented on hauntology in the Locked Tomb and she teaches First Year Composition at City College.

Dr. Gregg Fields is residential faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Arizona) as well as being the Tabletop Gaming Club advisor. He earned his doctorate in Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies from Arizona State in 2019. Dr. Fields blends values of mythos and veritas to explore writing and the humanities.

You can address questions and/or comments to the co-chairs at oms-chair @ mythcon.org .