Hurston Conference at Bethune-Cookman University

09/26/2026

The Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities invites submissions for its Placemaking Conference, to be held in Historic Eatonville, Florida, on January 28-29, 2027.

This year’s theme, Placemaking in a Storm, draws inspiration from Hurston’s literary, folkloric, anthropological, and cultural contributions, as well as from the challenges and possibilities of our contemporary moment. Across her work, Hurston explored how individuals and communities forge belonging, sustain cultural traditions, and envision futures amid uncertainty and change. Through literature, folklore, performance, anthropology, and community life, she documented, imagined, and created places that celebrated the richness and complexity of Black experiences.

An abstract is all you need: no more than 250 words for individuals, 500 words for full-panel submissions: https://zorafestival.org/call-for-submissions/
For more information, please reach out to Michelle Cowin Gibbs at [email protected]. Abstracts are due on October 23, 2026.

Placemaking Conference · Jan. 28-29, 2027 · Deadline for submissions is Friday, Oct. 23 Submit Your Abstract Call for Submissions Placemaking in a Storm: Zora Neale Hurston, Eatonville, Struggle and Resistance 38th Annual Zora Neale Hurston® Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA!® Festival) ...

04/23/2026

CFP: American Society for Theatre Research Working Group – Taking Stock of Zora Neale Hurston

Eric Glover (Yale University) and Michelle Cowin Gibbs (CSULB) invite participants for a working group that takes stock of Zora Neale Hurston’s legacy and impact as a vital yet still underexamined repertoire in theatre, dance, and performance studies.

In conversation with the conference theme’s attention to retrospection and futurity, the group considers how Hurston’s work and that of her successors has been adapted, staged, studied, and taught, while asking what remains unfinished, underdeveloped, and newly possible.

The working group emphasizes sustained, collaborative engagement: participants circulate papers in advance and engage in generative discussion rather than one-off presentations. Select papers will be considered for a special issue of ⁠the Black Theatre Review, a peer-reviewed journal of the Black Theatre Network.

Submit a 500-word (or less) abstract and brief bio no later than May 4, 2026, using the link below:
https://site.pheedloop.com/portal/event/EVEKPLXJIKADW/submission/CALXJN56J0GI78I/application

Full session description is:
https://site.pheedloop.com/event/astr2026/sessions/SESQXIOQT4T6GHPQH

ASTR will be in Minneapolis, MN November 12 - 15, 2026.