Program
Wednesday Peripatetic Seminar
The very first event of the conference will meet at noon on November 11 in the lobby of the Hilton Pasadena, 168 Los Robles Ave Pasadena. Because some of us have our best ideas while walking, we invite you to join this special NASSR-NAVSA edition of the Peripatetic Seminar. Centered on the topic of satire, humor, parody and comedy, the seminar is intended as an “all levels” conversational space, so you are heartily invited if you once worked on, are now working on or may be working on the topic in the future. The walk will be informal and conversational. It kicks off with each of us briefly describing their interest in the area. Then we walk, swapping conversational partners periodically. The Peripatetic Seminar will be fully open and accessible to all interested parties. Spots will be limited! Please register here, and let us know accessibility needs so we can design the walk details accordingly. We will finish up at Urth Caffe around 1 p.m.; feel free to invite your friends to join us then and there.
Wednesday Editors’ Roundtable and Mixer
Featuring twelve editors of Romantic, Victorian, and nineteenth-century studies journals discussing their publishing priorities, challenges, and innovations as they face changes in fields, the professoriate, and technology, this roundtable is followed by a mixer where audience and participants can continue the conversation and pitch ideas. It is the first of a two-part series with the second roundtable taking place later in the conference program.
Wednesday Screening: Percy Shelley’s The Cenci on Stage
A Conference Screening, Scholarly Roundtable, and Week-Long Access
At this year’s conference, we are pleased to offer a rare opportunity to experience The Cenci by Percy Bysshe Shelley as a live theatrical event, with both virtual and in-person access for all attendees. Presented by Red Bull Theater and taking place on November 5, 2026 in New York City, this dramatic reading will be made available to conference participants through a special streaming program.
For in-person attendees, we will host a live screening of the performance on Wednesday evening. The conference will also host a special roundtable. The conversation is designed to engage scholars across NASSR and NAVSA, with particular attention to the movement from page to stage and to the play’s place within Romantic and Victorian studies.
About The Cenci: First published in 1819, The Cenci is one of the most controversial dramas of the nineteenth century. Drawing on a notorious case from Renaissance Rome, the play centers on patriarchal tyranny and the desperate, ethically fraught pursuit of justice against it. Long admired as a literary achievement yet rarely performed, it confronts questions of arbitrary power and violence with an urgency that continues to challenge audiences. Its afterlife in the Victorian era and beyond has been deeply divided, with some readers finding it excessive and unstageable because of its taboo subject matter and refusal of consolation.
All NASSR and NAVSA conference participants, both virtual and in person, will receive a special individualized streaming code to share the production in their classrooms, departments, and institutions during the week following the NYC performance. This is a rare opportunity to engage with a professional production of a nineteenth century drama.
This streaming program is made possible through the generous support of the Keats-Shelley Association of America and the Byron Society of America, along with individual contributions from George Krupp and Jonathan Mulrooney.
Wednesday Data Caucus Event: Prototyping Digital Tools for Nineteenth-Century Scholars
The NAVSA Data Caucus invites participants to prototype digital tools that address specific issues in research, teaching, and professional development. Using AI-assisted development environments, a practice sometimes called “vibe coding,” the event guides participants through a full design workflow: identifying a meaningful problem, writing a product brief, sketching a prototype, and building a working tool. No prior coding or development experience is required. The event also uses prototyping to introduce nineteenth-century scholars to the opportunities and critical questions raised by AI-assisted coding. These methods can support digital scholarship while demanding careful scrutiny of the material and intellectual liabilities of generative platforms. We take these concerns seriously, which is why scholars should understand these tools well enough to define the conditions for their use, critique, or refusal. At the Wednesday session, participants will be introduced to design thinking and AI tools, then move on to hands-on ideation, prototyping, and tool-building. At the Data Caucus’s regular lunchtime meeting on Saturday, they will share their prototypes with conference attendees, gather live feedback, and join an open discussion of the experience.
Participants will use browser-based tools, primarily Replit Core, to build and run an application. Organizers will contact participants in advance about minimal preparation and will walk through the process during the session. There is no additional cost beyond the conference registration fee, though participants will be encouraged to try a short-term subscription-based tool. To register, please use this form: https://forms.gle/ASaNaohZ67QXH5Aw6. Questions? Feel free to contact Jong-Keyong at tsbym00@gmail.com or Paul at paul.fyfe@ncsu.edu.
Thursday Main Reception
Join us from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for drinks, light bites, conversation, and undergraduate poster exhibits directly following Arun Sood’s keynote address.
Friday Performance by the 19th-Century Theatre Caucus
The NAVSA Theatre Caucus delivers a smashing follow-up performance to last year’s rendition of Lady Audley’s Secret at 8 p.m.
Saturday Luncheon Banquet
Enjoy a plated lunch with dessert followed by announcements of awards, prizes, and upcoming organizational news.
Saturday Book Event
Celebrate the winners of the NAVSA book award and all conference attendees who published books in 2026.
Sunday Peripatetic Seminar
We meet at 10:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Hilton Pasadena, 168 Los Robles Ave Pasadena) Because some of us have our best ideas walking, please join this special NASSR/NAVSA edition of the peripatetic seminar. It will be led by John Plotz and will center on speculative and experimental fiction of all sorts. The seminar is intended as an “all levels” conversational space, so you are heartily invited if you once worked on, are now working on or may be working on the topic in the future. Informal and conversational in nature, we kick off with each of us briefly describing their interest in the area. Then we walk, swapping conversational partners periodically. The peripatetic seminar will be fully open and accessible to all interested parties. Spots will be limited! Please register here, and let us know accessibility needs so we can design the walk details accordingly. We will finish up at Urth Caffe around noon; feel free to invite your friends to join us then and there.
For more information, please contact traffic2026ucr@gmail.com.