About
r/evolution in Media(Scapes)
The concept of Revolution, once a powerful force for change, has become less striking recently, it’s Evolutionary potential growing muddled. The power of Revolution in the critical lexicon has diminished because of society's growing fragmentation and polarization. By deconstructing established notions of Revolution and reforming our approach to transforming Mediated landscapes via creativity and innovation, we hope our theme will help build new avenues for thought and action.
Why r/evolution?
We seek to reform contemporary perspectives and redefine Revolution as an Evolutionary process - as a ludic and imaginative space where we are all invited to partake in novel, unprecedented, and sometimes messy ways.
Why Media(Scapes)?
The study of Media(Scapes) examines the complex relationships between technology, culture, and politics by exploring creative and transformative ways of using media to shape and reshape social and cultural landscapes.
Our theme, r/evolution in Media(Scapes), encourages all scholars to actively challenge traditional norms and re-envision social, political, cultural, and mediatized landscapes using innovative and reformative approaches.
Key Note Speakers
Dr. Nicolette Little
Dr. Jonathan Ball
Dr. Nicolette Little is an assistant lecturer of media and technology studies at the University of Alberta, Canada. Her research interests include feminist media interventions in gender-based violence (GBV), tech-facilitated violence, mediated memorialization, and platform studies. She advises the Canadian federal government, media, and policing services regarding GBV and media. Her article “Social Media ‘Ghosts’: How Facebook (Meta) Memories Complicates Healing for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence” (2022) was published in Feminist Media Studies journal this past December. Her book, Beach Stones, Corpse Art, and Digital Media Activism: Multimedia Projects to Address Gender-Based Violence in Canada will be published with University of British Columbia Press.
Jonathan Ball writes innovative horror, science fiction, and comedy. He has won numerous awards for his many books, which include Clockfire (77 plays that are impossible to produce), The Lightning of Possible Storms (a short story collection that slowly develops into an experimental novel), the academic monograph John Paizs’s Crime Wave, and the surreal horror comic The Eye Collector (published by Heavy Metal).
Jonathan holds a PhD from the University of Calgary with twin focuses in Creative Writing and Canadian Literature. He lives in Winnipeg, where he teaches serious writers what the MFA didn’t, and owns a company called Stranger Fiction that partners with indie publishers and producers to develop intellectual property and provide creative services.
Jonathan host a podcast for writers called Writing the Wrong Way and writes a regular newsletter called Strange Ink that features original fiction and poetry, tips for writers, and thoughts on making a career as a creative person. You can sign up and get a free experimental ghost story at www.StrangeInk.ca.
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See conference schedule for room details