Conferences

Scrooges beware: the Dickens Universe is not only intellectually engaging but dangerously fun.

The Dickens Project sponsors scholarly conferences, institutes, and public presentations throughout the year. Chief among these is a week-long gathering known as the Dickens Universe. Held every year at the beginning of August on the beautiful UC Santa Cruz campus, the Dickens Universe brings together scholars, graduate students, high school teachers, and members of the general public for a week of study and Dickensian conviviality. You can read Beth Penney's reports for 2015 here and 2016 here.

In summer 2017, the Dickens Universe will focus on George Eliot's Middlemarch, from July 30–August 5. Please note that there is NO call for papers for the Dickens Universe; speakers are invited from our member schools.

The Dickens Project holds an annual conference for graduate students each winter or spring. In 2017, the University of Kentucky hosted. The University of California at Riverside will be the location in 2018. Additionally, the Project regularly organizes summer seminars and institutes for teachers. 

In addition to conferences held in California, the Dickens Project regularly co-sponsors international conferences. Conference locations have included England, France, Italy, Jerusalem, Australia, and South Africa.