"We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond," Gwendolyn Brooks
Inspired by the wisdom of Gwendolyn Brooks, who reminds us that "we are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond," the 2026 NCTEAR conference envisions a transformative gathering of literacy scholars, educators, and community members, united by a shared commitment to the principles of love in research and teaching.
Our conference aims to highlight the profound impact of love (Wynter et al., 2019; Boutte et al., 2023) as a revolutionary force in the pursuit of educational equity and justice. In these challenging times, when the very essence of literature, literacies, and freedom of speech are under attack in P-12 classrooms, school boards, and college campuses, we are called to ask: Where is the love? How can we develop pedagogies and scholarship founded on love for students and communities?
We recognize that fighting against oppression in education is an act of love for humanity, as all individuals deserve dignity, freedom, and equitable opportunities. We ask, “What are the decolonizing methodologies and epistemologies that challenge dominant narratives and honor the rich literacies and languages of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous students in schools and communities?”
Our theme, Each Other’s Bond: Researching, Practicing, and Sustaining Literacies of Love, invites submissions that address the following questions:
Presenters are encouraged to explore answers to these questions and others from various contexts of pre-K-16 English language arts education and literacy research, including after-school and community settings, as well as students whose first language is not English.
Please consider attending the in-person NCTEAR 2026 conference on March 6-March 8, 2026, and contributing to these discussions.
Registration due date: 2/14/2026.
Inspired by the wisdom of Gwendolyn Brooks, who reminds us that "we are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond," the 2026 NCTEAR conference envisions a transformative gathering of literacy scholars, educators, and community members, united by a shared commitment to the principles of love in research and teaching.
Our conference aims to highlight the profound impact of love (Wynter et al., 2019; Boutte et al., 2023) as a revolutionary force in the pursuit of educational equity and justice. In these challenging times, when the very essence of literature, literacies, and freedom of speech are under attack in P-12 classrooms, school boards, and college campuses, we are called to ask: Where is the love? How can we develop pedagogies and scholarship founded on love for students and communities?
We recognize that fighting against oppression in education is an act of love for humanity, as all individuals deserve dignity, freedom, and equitable opportunities. We ask, “What are the decolonizing methodologies and epistemologies that challenge dominant narratives and honor the rich literacies and languages of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous students in schools and communities?”
Our theme, Each Other’s Bond: Researching, Practicing, and Sustaining Literacies of Love, invites submissions that address the following questions:
- How can love be enacted as a pedagogical and scholarly stance in literacy education to affirm students’ identities, languages, and literacies?
- In what ways can literacy scholarship challenge educational policies and practices that suppress freedom of speech, cultural expression, and critical inquiry?
- What does it mean to cultivate “each other’s harvest, each other’s business, and/or each other’s bond” in literacy classrooms, research spaces, and communities?
- How are educators and scholars using decolonizing methodologies to uplift Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous literacies and languages in the face of systemic oppression?
- What does love look like in classrooms that engage with innovative literacy strategies?
- What does love look like in literacy research that is community-engaged, justice-driven, and rooted in solidarity?
Presenters are encouraged to explore answers to these questions and others from various contexts of pre-K-16 English language arts education and literacy research, including after-school and community settings, as well as students whose first language is not English.
Please consider attending the in-person NCTEAR 2026 conference on March 6-March 8, 2026, and contributing to these discussions.
Registration due date: 2/14/2026.