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We're going back to Panem!
Apr. 19th, 2026 09:16 amYou're invited to join me in SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University to talk about all five books in The Hunger Games series! The first module has been confirmed to run in June 2026.
What lessons do the Capitol and Districts have to teach us? What warnings should we heed? What road leads from here to Panem? Over the course of five months, participants in these SPACE modules will read and discuss a modern classic of dystopian storytelling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
In this hybrid series, each week will include one lecture and one live discussion. The lectures will examine the inspirations behind, allusions in, and questions posed by that month's novel. In live discussions, participants will share their insights on, interpretations of, and reactions to the story. Together we will consider why this series has spoken to so many readers and explore how its messages remain relevant today.
Here is more information.
Only 2 seats left for May!
Apr. 19th, 2026 09:14 amMay 2026: The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Unpacking the "Whydunit" Mystery
The Secret History, the 1992 debut novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt, has its own secret history, including an origin story at an actual college campus and inspiration from a real-life missing person case. The celebrated novel opens with the murder of a Classics student by his eccentric and close-knit group of college friends. The tale then unfolds as an inverted mystery, a “whydunit” rather than a “whodunit,” a narrative that interrogates the nature of obsession, beauty, and education.
Featuring ingredients of the campus novel, the coming-of-age story, and the New England Gothic, The Secret History has long been hailed as a modern classic, and now it’s been rediscovered by a new generation of readers who consider it a foundational text of Dark Academia storytelling. Why does this mystery have such staying power? How does it serve as a turning point in genre history? And how do its haunting themes relate to us and our search for knowledge today? In this module we will explore the fictional Hampden College and peel back the literary layers of The Secret History.
I am intentionally casting my net widely, defining the Dark Academic genre (as opposed to the aesthetic) as one that focuses on an academic setting and educational experience, employs Gothic modes of storytelling, cultivates a dark mood by contemplating the subject of death, and offers critique for interrogating imbalances and abuses of power.
Here is a link my current list of Dark Academia Works Inspired by True Crime Cases. All suggestions are welcome!
You can listen to the episode here.
New Science Fiction Works for Your TBR!
Jan. 22nd, 2026 06:02 pm
The latest episode of the Strange New Worlds podcast features an interview with the brilliant Dr. Kristina Šekrst talking about the linguistics of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok," the subject of her amazing essay in our book Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier!
Stranger Things-Related Call for Papers
Jan. 14th, 2026 05:45 pmSlayage plans a special issue on Stranger Things for publication in late June 2026. Here is more information.
Timely quote
Jan. 9th, 2026 07:17 pm- The World of Yesterday (1942) by Stefan Zweig, translated by Anthea Bell
Star Trek-Related Call for Book Chapters
Jan. 8th, 2026 06:13 pmCall for Book Chapters: Beyond the Next Star: The Importance of Failure in Star Trek
May the odds be ever in our favor.
Speaking of Sunrise on the Reaping, I've been thinking a lot today about the David Hume quote that opens the novel:
“Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and most military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular.”
Dark Academia in SPACE!
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:54 pmMarch 2026: Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh: Discovering a Turning Point in Crime Fiction
May 2026: The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Unpacking the "Whydunit" Mystery
Rebellions Are Built on Hope - in SPACE!
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:50 pmRebellions Are Built On Hope: A Star Wars Series
Over nearly half a century of storytelling, Star Wars has challenged audiences to find their own agency and power in the face of injustice and tyranny. The Star Wars works Andor (2022, 2025), Rogue One (2016), and A New Hope (1977) fit together to provide a story of resistance, resilience, and rebellion built on a deep engagement with history, philosophy, and political thought. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as we consider how Star Wars wrestles with big ideas, invites conversation and action, and inspires hope in unprecedented times.
This SPACE series consists of three hybrid modules:
- Module 1 (Only 1 seat left!) (Feb. 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 1 (more info here);
- Module 2 (March 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 2 (more info here); and
- Module 3 (April 2026) covers the films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (more info here).
Feminist Utopian Thought
Dec. 29th, 2025 04:54 pm
Star Wars and Resistance
Nov. 24th, 2025 06:46 amThis talk is a "sneak peek" into my new three-part online module for SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) for Signum University in Spring 2026.
Rebellions Are Built On Hope: A Star Wars Series
Over nearly half a century of storytelling, Star Wars has challenged audiences to find their own agency and power in the face of injustice and tyranny. The Star Wars works Andor (2022, 2025), Rogue One (2016), and A New Hope (1977) fit together to provide a story of resistance, resilience, and rebellion built on a deep engagement with history, philosophy, and political thought. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as we consider how Star Wars wrestles with big ideas, invites conversation and action, and inspires hope in unprecedented times.
This SPACE series consists of three hybrid modules:
Rebellions Are Built on Hope
Oct. 16th, 2025 02:48 pmRebellions Are Built On Hope: A Star Wars Series
Over nearly half a century of storytelling, Star Wars has challenged audiences to find their own agency and power in the face of injustice and tyranny. The Star Wars works Andor (2022, 2025), Rogue One (2016), and A New Hope (1977) fit together to provide a story of resistance, resilience, and rebellion built on a deep engagement with history, philosophy, and political thought. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as we consider how Star Wars wrestles with big ideas, invites conversation and action, and inspires hope in unprecedented times.
This SPACE series consists of three hybrid modules:
The Dracula "Group Read" Experience
Oct. 1st, 2025 07:47 am
Upcoming Presentation
Sep. 29th, 2025 06:38 am"The Liar" by Darcie Little Badger
Sep. 14th, 2025 04:58 pm
It's almost time for The Hunger Games!
Aug. 21st, 2025 11:16 amWhat lessons do the Capitol and Districts have to teach us? What warnings should we heed? What road leads from here to Panem? Over the course of five months, participants in these SPACE modules will read and discuss a modern classic of dystopian storytelling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
In this hybrid series, each week will include one lecture and one live discussion. The lectures will examine the inspirations behind, allusions in, and questions posed by that month's novel. In live discussions, participants will share their insights on, interpretations of, and reactions to the story. Together we will consider why this series has spoken to so many readers and explore how its messages remain relevant today.
Here is more information.
