Stowe Center Launches First-Ever Symposium

Event to explore Harriet Beecher Stowe's legacy and impact on social justice and literary activism

Mar. 15, 2026 at 6:27pm

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The Stowe Center for Literary Activism will host its inaugural Stowe Symposium on Saturday, April 18, 2026, convening scholars, students, educators, and readers for a day of inquiry centered on Harriet Beecher Stowe in her historic context and ours. The day-long event will feature academic panels, a lunchtime roundtable, recognition of new Stowe scholarship, and a keynote address by National Book Award–winning historian Tiya Miles.

Why it matters

The symposium aims to situate Stowe within the moral, political, theological, and literary currents of the 19th century while examining how her work continues to shape public life today, reinforcing Hartford's place in national conversations about literature and social change.

The details

Presented in partnership with Trinity College and The New England Quarterly, the symposium will bridge scholarship and civic dialogue, exploring Stowe's enduring legacy and her role as a literary activist. The event will include four academic panels, a lunchtime roundtable, recognition of outstanding new Stowe scholarship, and a keynote address.

  • The Stowe Symposium will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
  • Registration for the event is now open.

The players

Stowe Center for Literary Activism

An organization that encourages social justice and literary activism by exploring the legacy of Harriet Beecher Stowe and all who advocate hope and freedom.

Trinity College

A private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut, where the symposium will be held.

The New England Quarterly

An academic journal that is partnering with the Stowe Center to present the symposium.

Tiya Miles

A National Book Award–winning historian who will deliver the keynote address at the symposium.

Cat White

The Director of Historic Collections at the Stowe Center, who commented on the symposium's goal of situating Stowe within her historical context.

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What they’re saying

“This first symposium invites us to place Stowe back into the vibrant world she inhabited. By situating Stowe within the context that she worked and lived within, we are better able to understand that she was responding to and interacting with a larger society and gives us a broader, more relational, lens with which to view her and her work.”

— Cat White, Director of Historic Collections, Stowe Center

What’s next

The Stowe Symposium will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and registration is now open on the Stowe Center's website.

The takeaway

The inaugural Stowe Symposium aims to deepen understanding of Harriet Beecher Stowe's legacy and her enduring influence on social justice and literary activism, reinforcing Hartford's role in these important national conversations.