Conference: “Anthropocene Necropoetics: Empire, Violence, and Ecological Ruin in US Poetry”
January 28-30, 2026 (U of Cologne)
Organizers: Judith Rauscher (U of Cologne) and Mahshid Mayar (U of Innsbruck)
The conference takes place in cooperation with poetica and is funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation).
Please note: The conference venues have limited seating; interested guests need to contact american-studies[at]uni-koeln.de to register.
You can find a map with the different conference venues marked on it here, so you can easily find your way.
Conference Program
Wednesday, 28 January, 2026
Location: Philosophikum (Building 103), Room 2.127
| 13:30 - 14:00 | Arrival and Registration |
| 14:00 - 14:30 | Conference Opening |
| 14:30 - 16:00 | Keynote I: Joyelle McSweeny (U of Notre Dame): “‘I Will Change the’ ‘Forms in Dreams’: Strange Flowers of the Necropastoral” |
| 16:00 - 16:30 | Coffee Break |
| 16:30 - 18:00 | Panel I: Ruination, Resignation, Renewal Stephen Voyce, Marta Werbanowska, Lynn Keller |
| 19:00 | Conference Dinner (self-paid): Mandala (Vegan Asian Fusion), Dürener Str. 87 |
Thursday, 29 January, 2026
Locations:
- Morning: Bauwens-Gebäude (Building 210), Conference Room 1A13 (Richard-Strauss-Str. 2)
- Afternoon (Poetica): Seminargebäude (Building 106), Conference Room, Ground Floor/1st Floor
- Evening (Poetica): FORUM VHS, Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (Cäcilienstraße 25-33; train stop Neumarkt)
| 09:00 - 10:30 | Panel II: Necro-Colonialism, Bodies, Selves René Dietrich, Nassim W. Balestrini, Stefan Benz |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | Panel III: Eco-Logics of Violence & the Question of History Mareike Spychala, Andrew Gross, Kate Rigby |
| 12:30 - 13:00 | Walking Break from Bauwens-Gebäude to Hauptgebäude (ca. 15 min) |
| 13:00 - 13:45 | Lunch (covered): Hauptgebäude (Building 100), E-Raum |
| 14:00 - 16:00 | Panel Discussion: “Poetry of Ruin, Ruination & Regeneration” (Poetica Event) Discussion with Rike Scheffler, Judith Rauscher, Joyelle McSweeney, & the Poetica Poets |
| 16:00 - 19:00 | Free Afternoon/Dinner Break (self-organized) |
| 19:00 - 21:00 | Poetry Reading: “Eine seltsame Sprache” / “A Strange Language” (Poetica Event) Poetry Reading and Conversation with Alhierd Bacharevič, Haytham El-Wardany & Joyelle McSweeney (German/English) (entrance fee covered for conference participants) |
Friday, 30 January, 2026
Location: Philosophikum (Building 103), Room 00.12 (Corridor of the Department of North American History)
| 09:00 - 10:30 | Keynote II: Christine Gerhardt (U of Bamberg) “'So when the Hills Decay': Emily Dickinson's Mountains, Anthropocene Ruination, and the Problem of Planetary Responsibility” |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | Panel IV: Rhyme-Scapes of/beyond Destruction Jules Machtenberg, Michael Fuchs, Gulşin Çiftçi |
| 12:30 - 13:00 | Conference Wrap-Up |
| 13:00 | Optional Lunch (self-paid)/Departure |
