In-person November Annual Meeting 2026 Program Book

The late Professor Mara Lynn Keller was instrumental in getting the Goddess Studies program unit established in AAR. She spent her final year, 2023, designing and founding a new nonprofit, peer-reviewed publishing house, Women's Spirituality Studies Press (www.wsspress.org), and left a bequest toward that end. This fall WSSP is launching its inaugural list: an anthology of diverse women’s voices across Western traditions, edited by Xochitl Alvizo and Gina Messina; the first two titles from the Women’s Spirituality Classics series (by Charlene Spretnak and the late Carol P. Christ), and two powerful collections by celebrated poets, Mary Mackey and Annie Finch. WSSP publishes books in seven areas related to religions and spiritual traditions worldwide. It publishes both academic books and books for a general audience. The Executive Director of WSSP, Dr. Gina Messina, will facilitate a community discussion about the field of Women’s Spirituality studies today and possible future directions.

Welcome to the Christian Scholarship Foundation reception and luncheon! We are delighted for invited guests to join us for this special luncheon to reconnect with each other.

For information, contact Matt Quintana (students@ibr-bbr.org).

RELIGIOUS ACCOMODATIONS IN PRISONS WORKSHOP - Saint Mary's College of California Prison Religion Project
Sandy Stevens  sstevens@aarweb.org
Roxana Dondera rdondera@aarweb.org
American Academy of Religion
Ocean Zhang ez9@stmarys-ca.edu
Saint Mary's College of California Prison Religion Project Coordinator

As you prepare for life beyond the PhD, conversations about research often take center stage. But what about the teaching life that awaits you? This luncheon invites doctoral students to gather in intentional community to reflect on the transition from doctoral study to faculty leadership. Hosted by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, this gathering creates space to connect with peers across institutions and to begin building relationships with an organization deeply committed to strengthening teaching in theology and religion. While Wabash primarily supports faculty, we recognize that the habits, imagination, and pedagogical commitments of future professors are formed long before the first faculty appointment. This conversation will explore what it means to prepare now for a thriving teaching life—intellectually, relationally, and vocationally. Come meet other doctoral students navigating similar questions. Learn how Wabash supports faculty once they enter the professoriate. Begin building the networks that will sustain you not just through the dissertation, but into the classroom and beyond. This is a space to think ahead, build relationships, and imagine your future as a teacher-scholar with intention. Please register directly on our website or at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeb3oDM9TAdiHFE3dbkT8N6mTWr_pO…

James K. A. Smith's Desiring the Kingdom has been widely acclaimed and used in a variety of educational settings since its publication in 2009. In a new second edition this fall, Smith rearticulates his core argument that human beings are lovers shaped by liturgies for our shifting world. The context has changed dramatically: the dominant "liturgies" shaping desire today are algorithmic feeds, streaming platforms, and AI interfaces–all enacting the desire complex of neoliberalism. This panel explores how Smith's framework meets this moment. Does the concept of embodied habit formation need rethinking when so much formation happens through disembodied digital practices? And in such a landscape, can a liberal arts education still be liberating?

For information, contact Ruth Anne Reese at secretary@ibr-bbr.org.