<div dir="ltr"><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><span style="font-size:16pt">Third Annual SFAM Conference</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><span style="font-size:16pt">Contacts and Crossings: Borders in Speculative Fiction</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center">October 21-24, 2026</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center">Courtyard by Marriott Culver City</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center">6333 Bristol Parkway, Culver City, CA</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Speculative Fiction Across Media (SFAM) invites proposals for our third annual conference, Contacts and Crossings: Borders in Speculative Fiction.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Gloria Anzaldúa posits that “borderlands are physically present wherever two or more cultures edge each other, where people of different races occupy the same territory, where the lower, middle and upper classes touch." According to Thomas Nail's<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Theory of the Border</i>, "societies and states are the products of (b)ordering, not the other way around.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">We invite papers that explore how these and similar ideas about borders and contact zones inform speculative fiction—as motifs within individual texts, as frameworks for subgenres such as space opera or first-contact narratives, as spaces of intensified surveillance and tracking via new IT tools, and as theorizations of form as we debate the borders between and exchanges among multiple speculative genres. We invite papers and panel discussions that investigate the affordances of speculative genres for interrogating, illuminating, or proposing alternatives to the myriad ways that borders and contact zones shape our identities and communities.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Our 2026 conference will feature keynote speaker Kalindi Vora, Professor of Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Yale University. Her first book, <i>Life Support: Biocapital and the New History of Outsourced Labor</i>, takes up questions of technology, colonialism, and raced and gendered labor under globalization. Her second,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Surrogate Humanity: Race Robotics and the Politics of Technological Futures</i>, co-authored with Neda Atanasoski, explores the racial and gendered politics of robotics and artificial intelligence. With<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>the Precarity Lab,</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>she is co-author of <i>Technoprecarious</i> (2020), which tracks the role of digital technologies in multiplying precarity.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Please send proposals for paper sessions, individual papers, or panel discussions to Sherryl Vint (<a href="mailto:sherryl.vint@gmail.com" style="color:rgb(150,96,125)">sherryl.vint@gmail.com</a>) by May 15, 2026; decisions will be communicated in early June. Proposals should be sent as PDF attachments and include</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Name and contact details for all presenters</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>250-word abstracts for the paper (or one each for papers submitted as a panel) or a 250-word description of the topic for a discussion panel section</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Please note that all presenters must be registered attendees of SFAM to participate.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">We will also feature programming in dialogue with the Lucas Museum (<a href="https://www.lucasmuseum.org/" style="color:rgb(150,96,125)">https://www.lucasmuseum.org</a>), including an excursion to visit that space on Wednesday. Keep watching our website (<a href="https://sfamla.org/" style="color:rgb(150,96,125)">https://sfamla.org</a>) for more updates on creative guests and further details on programming and related events.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>The politics of empire in space opera by writers such as Arkady Martine, Anne Leckie, Iain M. Banks, Ken MacLeod, Emily Tesh, Bethany Jacobs, games such as<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Mass Effect</i>, television series such as<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Star Trek</i></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Technologies of border surveillance and control as they are depicted in speculative narratives such as T.R. Napper’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Ghost of the Neon God</i>, Ray Naylor’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Mountain in the Sea</i>, and near-future sf by authors such as Cory Doctorow and Tim Maughn</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Worldbuilding as a border-making process in speculative fiction in any medium</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Game design and gaming architectures as they explore borders, such as<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice</i>,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Cyberpunk 2077</i>,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds</i>, tabletop games such as<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Risk</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>or<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Civilization</i></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol;color:black">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black">Fantasy realms and multidimensional narratives as investigations of ontological borders such as<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i>, Piers Anthony’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Apprentice Adept</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>series, the game<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Split Fiction</i></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Narratives that make borders their central motif such as China Mieville’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The City and the City</i>, R.F. Kuang’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Katabasis</i>,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Sleep Dealer</i>,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Elysium,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>N.K. Jemisin’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The City We Became</i>, the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Borderlands<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>game series,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color:black">the tv series<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dark Winds</i></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Narratives that explore species borders among aliens or between humans and nonhuman species, between humans and mechanical beings, such as work by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Ursula K. LeGuin, Stephen Graham Jones, the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Mass Effect<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>game series,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Alien: Earth, Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind</i>,<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Ghost in the Shell<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Differentiations by class as a border technology within sf narratives by Claire North, K.J. Fajardo, Robert Jackson Bennett, the television series<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Expanse</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Severance</i></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Time travel as a sociopolitical technique of making and unmaking borders in works such as Annelee Newitz’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Future of Another Timeline</i>, Katherine Hurley’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Light Brigade</i>, the television series<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Continuum</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Beforeigners</i></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Narratives focused on counterspace or other enclaves of difference, such as the Strugatsky brothers’<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Roadside Picnic</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>and its film adaptation as S<i>talker</i>, J.G. Ballard’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Super-Cannes</i>, M.R. Carey’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Book of Koli</i>, Kim Stanley Robinson’s<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Mars</i><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>trilogy</p></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><font face="georgia, serif">Sherryl Vint (she/her)</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif">Distinguished Professor, UC Riverside</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif">Managing Editor, <i><a href="https://online.ucpress.edu/sfs" target="_blank">Science Fiction Studies </a></i></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif">Editor, Palgrave <i><a href="https://link.springer.com/series/15760" target="_blank">Science and Popular Culture</a> </i>series</font></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:medium"></span><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>